Sussex Exclusive Magazine. Issue 4 2023

Eastbourne walks
The seafront walk
A fabulous way to discover the town is a 6 km
walk from Holywell in the west to the Martello
Tower at Sovereign Harbour in the east along
the seafront.
Starting at Holywell Tea Chalet, you’ll find
notice boards with an 11-point Seafront
Journey Planner. It takes about 1 1/3 hrs and
is a flat and easy walk to the Western Lawns
and the gleaming white duchess of the town,
The Grand Hotel. From there, you’ll pass the
Wish Tower, beach huts, the bandstand and
pier. Keep walking to the Azimuth sculptures
(made of reclaimed sea defences) and the 19th
century Redoubt Fortress before you head on to
the next Martello Tower and the harbour. Don’t
worry, if you don’t fancy walking back, you can
always get a bus.
Exploring Eastbourne
Eastbourne feels smaller, more intimate and more accessible than nearby
Brighton and Hastings and as you explore the town’s art galleries, museums,
parks and theatres, the South Downs look on benevolently.
Heritage trails
For a more cultural exploration, you could
try one of the town’s heritage trails. There
is a Blue Plaque trail that starts at the Royal
Hippodrome Theatre and takes you along the
seafront, through the town, into Meads and
then the Old Town. Plaques on the trail include
those to Tommy Cooper, Lewis Carroll, Charles
Dickens and Ernest Shackleton.
There’s also an East of the Pier trail with
emphasis on the secrets behind the Victorian
and Edwardian period and economic and social
history. For more details of these trails, visit:
Visit Eastbourne
Walk to Beachy Head Lighthouse
At low tide you can walk to Beachy Head
Lighthouse. The recommended starting point
is Cow Gap near Beachy Head. You can park
there or alternatively, you can walk the coastal
path from Eastbourne (it’s about 2.25 km from
the Holywell Tea Chalet).
It’s not particularly easy walking as you walk up
some steep paths and then down onto the beach
and across rocks and stoney shingle.
But it is stunning!
(Note: you can get cut off at high tide so it’s
really important to check the tide times and
allow enough time. You should beware of cliff
erosion and stay well away from the edge).
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