The Seven Sisters are a series of chalk cliffs that extend west from Cuckmere Haven to Birling Gap, forming one of the most photographed stretches of coastline in England. Unlike Beachy Head, which is a single dramatic promontory, the Sisters are a sequence of undulating white chalk hills that dip to the cliff edge — each dip marking the mouth of an ancient dry valley. Walking the full stretch from Birling Gap to the Cuckmere estuary and back takes about four to five hours at a comfortable pace.
The views from the clifftop are magnificent in either direction. The walk passes through the Seven Sisters Country Park, managed by the South Downs National Park, where the chalk grassland is rich in wildflowers and butterflies in summer. The National Trust cottage at Birling Gap has a café and direct cliff access. The closest the cliffs get to Eastbourne is the section accessible from the village of East Dean, about 4 miles west of town by road.