We would like to visit the Seven Sisters in England next year. Would it be recommended to spend the night in Seaford or Eastbourne? It appears there is a bus route along the way to the seven sisters from Eastbourne, is that correct?
Posted by
United States
456 posts
Judy, we visited there on a day trip from London summer 2023. We trained in from London to Eastbourne and then took a bus - I think it was the Coaster 12x- along the coast up to Seven Sisters South Downs National Park. It was so easy and fun. It continued on to Brighton, but we got off and hiked along the South Downs Way back to Birling Gap, then caught another bus back to Eastbourne.
I have read varying opinions on Eastbourne, some think it is a bit run down. We only poked around about an hour, but felt it was completely fine. Not posh, more like an Ocean City MD than a Hilton Head SC if you want to compare a couple of East Coast beach town vibes.
We hiked through a dear little town called East Dean that had some rental cottages. East Dean was right on the bus route and within walking distance of the path. There was another forum member that was inquiring recently about places to stay near the Seven Sisters, too. I’ll try to find the thread here in a bit.
It’s a lovely area! We loved it.
Posted by
United States
456 posts
Here is that earlier thread
Posted by
Buckinghamshire
146 posts
Regarding Eastbourne - I suppose it depends on what you consider to be “run down “. It was a place where wealthy people went to retire, now they go to Spain. It’s fine, but there are quite a few empty shops and plenty of charity shops too.
No problems staying there, it’s just not what it was.
Posted by
MPLS, MN
397 posts
I spent a couple nights in Eastbourne as a base hiking The South Downs Way. I liked it. I agree that it wasn’t as quaint or beautiful as some towns I have visited in the UK, but it was a great base for hiking. Loads of restaurants and pubs to hit after full day of hiking and easy to get to and from London. The people (almost all locals or fellow Brit’s on holiday) all seemed friendly. I was briefly in Seaford to catch a train back to Eastbourne after a day of hiking and that town seemed okay, but I wasn’t there long enough to form an opinion.
Posted by
New England
684 posts
If you end up in Eastbourne and like Italian food, we very much enjoyed our meal at Anema e Cuore last year
https://www.trattoriaanemaecore.co.uk/