Seven Sisters walk and route map

The Seven Sisters is a series of white chalk cliffs and forms part of the South Downs National Park. The whole area has a lovely mix of different landscapes and wildlife to explore ranging from the famous cliffs at Seven Sisters through to a stroll along the pretty Cuckmere River or exploring the wonderful Friston forest. We have 10 walks on the Sussex Walks app in this area ranging from 1.5 miles to 7.5 miles in length.

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Seven Sisters walk

Seven Sisters Birling Gap walk
1.5 miles

This is a nice family-friendly coastal walk from Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters. The walk takes you along the South Downs way until it reaches the Belle Tout lighthouse and then heads back in a loop to the start. As with all coastal walks, please be incredibly careful and do not walk too close to the cliff edges.

Seven Sisters and Cuckmere River walk
3 miles

This walk around the Seven Sisters area is a wonderful short loop that avoids a lot of the steep climbing that some of the later routes have. It takes you alongside the dramatic Cuckmere River to the Cuckmere Haven beach and then back again through lots of lovely scenery full of wildlife. There is also a short detour to a riverside pub on the route making this a lovely pub walk day out if you want.

Seven Sisters Birling Gap walk
3 miles

The route is basically an extension of the first Seven Sisters Birling Gap walk that keeps walking past the lighthouse and enjoys more of this lovely and dramatic section of coastline. As with the first route, the cliffs here are very high, so please be very careful on this walk and do not walk too close to the edges.

Seven Sisters and Cuckmere River walk
3 miles

This route option is another short walking loop that avoids the climbing of our other routes from this car park. It also takes you down to the beach at Cuckmere Haven, but instead it takes you there on the other side of the Cuckmere River to get down to the beach and then walks back up along the Vanguard Way which is to the west of the river. You can also expect a lot of wildlife on this option and as mentioned it is a relatively flat walk. The route also takes you to a lovely riverside pub, so it can make a perfect family day out.

Seven Sisters and Cuckmere River walk
3.5 miles

This route is basically the first Cuckmere River route, but with an injection of energy! One half of the walk is the nice and peaceful flat walk alongside the Cuckmere River from the first route, but the second half of the walk is an entirely different matter altogether as it takes you on a steep climb up to the top of the famous Seven Sisters cliffs as well as then taking you on an energetic hilly walk along the South Downs Way and over the Exceat Hill. Tackle the walk clockwise if you want the first half of the walk to be the strenuous part, followed by the flat and peaceful walk back to the pub for a well earned reward towards the end of the walk. Alternatively, head anticlockwise if you want the walk to start with the pub option and then a relaxing walk as you meander along the river, before becoming much more strenuous with lots of climbing for the second half of the walk. Either way, please be very careful whenever you are near to any cliff edges on this walk.

East Dean walk
3.75 miles

This is a lovely pub walk from the pretty village of East Dean in East Sussex. The walk is quite a simple one that includes lots of fresh air and open countryside as well as a stretch of walking along the lovely coastline and Seven Sisters cliffs. The lovely pub is at the start in the village. As with all coastal walks, please be very careful when you are anywhere close to cliff edges.

Seven Sisters and Cuckmere River walk
4.5 miles

This alternative route instead heads north and away from the coast on a lovely varied adventure in this beautiful part of the world. You can expect riverside walking alongside the Cuckmere River, some woodland walking in the far western edge of Friston Forest, some open countryside walking for fresh air and a lovely pub and tea garden for refreshments in the village of Litlington.

Seven Sisters and Cuckmer River walk
7 miles

This route is basically an extension of the previous route if you have extra time and want to explore this lovely area a bit more. You can expect everything you get in the previous route, but on this extension you will enjoy much more walking alongside both sides of the river and a visit to the wonderful village of Alfriston with it's churches, cafes and pubs.

Seven Sisters, Cuckmere River and Friston Forest walk
7.5 miles

This route is a truly epic and varied adventure around this beautiful part of East Sussex. You'll enjoy the peaceful walk alongside the Cuckmere River, you'll brave the climb and wonderful long clifftop walk along the Seven Sisters cliff path and you'll embark on an adventure deep into the heart of Friston Forest. There is a pub on the river and you will certainly need the energy on this walk as there is a lot of hills to tackle. Head clockwise if you want the pub at the end of the walk, or anticlockwise if you want to top up on your energies before you embark.

Cuckmere River walk
7.5 miles

This final route is the choice for you if you love pubs and riverside walking! It basically avoids all of the cliffs and hills from a lot of our other options around Seven Sisters, and instead you'll enjoy an epic and peaceful walk along both sides of the River Cuckmere as it winds it's way north from the car park and away from the coast. There is a lovely riverside pub close to the start of this adventure and then some small detours along the way that visit the pretty villages of Litlington and Alfriston, each with their own lovely pub stops.