Take A Hike With Vespucci Adventures
Eastbourne, Emma Croman
Curating self-guided hikes around the best of rural Britain, Vespucci Adventures are on a mission to help people put down their phones, pick up their maps and rediscover the great outdoors. Borne out of a great love for spending time outside, and a desire to get more people out hiking, Vespucci set out to make the outdoors more accessible and inclusive by giving people all the info they need for a great day out. With a range of hikes from the Malvern Hills to Box Hill, the Jurassic Coast to the Kent Coast, there are plenty of locations to choose from, including stunning Sussex.
Their ‘Conquer the Coast’ Signature Hike takes you from Eastbourne to Berwick Station, and follows along Beachy Head, across the Seven Sisters and over Cuckmere Haven. The route includes the best of the surrounding countryside and includes local histories and the best places for a drink along the way. They’ve put together an insight into the ‘Conquer the Coast’ hike that includes breath-taking landscapes, ancient forests, rolling downland and fantastic pubs and cafés.
Beachy Head
The highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, the imposing Beachy Head rises to 162m above sea level. The peak hosts views across the southeast coast, from Dungeness in the east, to Selsey Bill in the west. There is also a poignant memorial to the 110,000 aircrew of RAF Bomber Command of whom 55,573 were killed in World War II on the cliff, Beachy Head would have been their last sight of England as they flew out over the English Channel.
Photograph by Emma Croman
Belle Tout Lighthouse
In 1828, a barrage of shipwrecks at Beachy Head led to the building of a wooden lighthouse on the top of the cliffs. The lighthouse was so successful in its duties that a permanent one was built in its place. Belle Tout was built in 1832, and its location was deliberately precise to ensure the light could be seen for 20 miles out to sea and would not be obscured by the cliff edge if sailors were too close to shore. In 1999, the lighthouse was moved 17 metres back from the edge of the cliff and away from the threat of erosion.
Seven Sisters
The iconic Seven Sisters cliffs, made from chalk formed under the seas millions of years ago, make for some of the most striking scenery on this route, and throughout the country. The fragile habitat is home to many wild plants and flowers as well as an abundance of bird life and is a fantastic spot for spotting all kinds of flora and fauna.
Cuckmere Haven
Stretching out beneath you as you crest the Seven Sisters, Cuckmere Haven is a stunning sight. The river Cuckmere meanders its way amidst the floodplains, with several oxbow lakes visible within the salt marshes – a geography teachers dream. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the estuary was a favourite haunt for smugglers, and defensive fortifications from the Second World War can also still be seen.
Alfriston
This beautiful little village is the perfect place for a pitstop on our walk, or just for a visit during your time here. Complete with a beautiful church, no less than three pubs and a totally idyllic village store, Alfriston is a picture-perfect English village. The Star Inn has been both a religious hostel and a smuggling gang’s headquarters and has been standing since 1345.
Ghosts of Cuckmere Past
It is said that the road that runs between Alfriston and Seaford, one that this hike narrowly avoids (you’re welcome), is haunted by the ghost of a white dog once owned by the heir of Chowne estate. The stories goes that both hound and owner were killed by highwaymen back in the 18th century. But, on Midsummers Eve, sometimes with his master, the white dog appears and can be spotted roaming on The White Way…
A local folk song tells this tale;
When evening closes in with shadows grey,
and ghostly vapours overhang White Way,
and the crescent moon hangs gloomy in the west,
'tis then the spirit of young Chowne can't rest,
but walks abroad with melancholy stride,
adown the path that skirts the chalk hill-side.
One story tells of several men drinking at the Star Inn who started talking about ghosts. It was seven years to the day since the last sighting of the ghost and one man, brazen with dutch courage, decided to walk home along the White Way to prove the tale was a myth. On his journey, he came across the looming ghost which walked beside him before disappearing into an embankment. Two days later, he broke his leg. So, if you make a wrong turn along the way, let’s hope it doesn’t lead you down The White Way!
Photograph by Emma Croman