The West Hill Cliff Railway is a Victorian funicular that runs through a tunnel in the sandstone cliff between the town centre and the West Hill, where Hastings Castle and St Clement's Caves are located. It is one of two cliff lifts in Hastings — the East Hill Cliff Railway on the other side of the Old Town is the steeper of the two, at a gradient of nearly 1 in 1.
The ride is short but the engineering is genuinely interesting: the railway travels entirely underground through the cliff before emerging at the top. It operates as part of the local transport network and is the sensible alternative to the steep stairs. From the top station, it is a short walk to the castle ruins and the caves.