Sandstone cliffs and gorse heath split by steep little glens, on the wild edge of Hastings
The cliffs east of Hastings are a different rock entirely from the chalk further along the coast towards Eastbourne: soft sandstone and clay, cut through with steep little valleys, glens rather than anything grander. Ecclesbourne Glen and Fairlight Glen are the two best known, both dropping from gorse-covered heathland to the sea, and both a proper climb back up again.
The heath on top matters too. Gorse and heather growing this close to the sea is unusual on the south coast, and the effect is closer to moorland than seaside postcard. From the top there are views along the Channel, and on a clear day as far as Fairlight and Old Marsham Farm and beyond.
The sandstone crumbles just as readily as chalk does elsewhere on this coast, and the same caution applies at the edge: keep your distance, since collapses can happen with no build-up, and keep to the marked paths where sections have been closed after a slip. The coast path continues east into Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach, and the whole park sits inside the High Weald, a patchwork of wooded ridges that extends a long way inland from here. Ore station, on the edge of Hastings, is the closest point to start from.
