Beachy Head

Britain's highest chalk sea cliff — 162 metres straight down to a red-striped lighthouse

Beachy Head is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, dropping 162 metres vertically from grassland to water. The view from the top — usually with a brisk Channel wind in your face — is genuinely dramatic: the white chalk falls straight down to turquoise water, and the red-and-white lighthouse at the base looks impossibly small. On clear days you can see the coast of France.

The headland is part of the South Downs and is reached from Eastbourne either by walking (about 4 miles along the coastal path west of town) or by driving to the car park at the top. The grassy downland around Beachy Head is good walking country, with views in every direction. The coastal path continues westward to the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and eventually to Seaford — one of the finest coastal walks in England. The cliff edge is unfenced in most places; keep sensible distance.

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A story
The lighthouse at the base of Beachy Head was not built until 1902, because the cliff was too high for any light at the top to be seen by ships below in fog. The previous Belle Tout lighthouse (still standing half a mile inland) proved useless for the same reason — it sat above the fog line. The current lighthouse, painted in red and white stripes, is therefore placed at the foot of the cliff rather than the top, which is why it appears so tiny when seen from above.