Seven Sisters Hike – What You Need to Know for This Day Trip from London
In May 2025, I took a Saturday day trip to hike the famous Seven Sisters in East Sussex, England with a group of 14 women I met on a Facebook group. I didn’t know what to expect from this hike or this group of strangers but it was the perfect mix of challenging and enjoyable. We couldn’t have asked for better weather either. Between the views and conversations, the 13.5 mile hike went by easily (minus 1 blister). Read on for everything you need to know to hike Seven Sisters.
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What is Seven Sisters?
The Seven Sisters Cliffs is a series of white chalk cliffs in East Sussex, in Southern England. There are 7 rolling hills that comprise the Seven Sisters and the hike along them is one of the most beautiful walks in the country. Seven Sisters is part of South Downs National Park and a portion of the multi-day hike known as the South Downs Way.
Which hike should I do?
I did the longest version of the Seven Sisters hike, walking all the way from the Seaford train station to Eastbourne. We also arrived at the river at high tide and had to do a 45 minute detour. in total, it was about a 13.5 mile walk with 1761ft of elevation gain.
Overall, the most difficult part of this hike is the length. 13.5 miles is some serious distance and you’ll be on your feet for many hours. However, the terrain is not very technical. The rolling hills mean that even the steepest sections of the hike don’t last too long before you get a break and go downhill again. The last few miles of the hike are a gradual downhill and the downside of that, for me at least, is that downhill is when I’m most likely to get a blister (which was exactly what happened). I definitely recommend bringing the appropriate gear, water, and snacks for a hike of this length, but it’s very doable for most people.
Shorter Hike Options
While the full hike is long, I highly recommend it for the full experience. But if that’s too intimidating or you’re on a tight schedule, there are plenty of ways to shorten the hike. Below are just a few suggestions, but it really is choose-your-own adventure with several bail out points along the hike.
- Seaford to East Dean (8.9 miles one-way or 17.8 miles out-and back)
- If you want to end the hike in East Dean, take the 12X or 12X Coaster buses back to Seaford Station
- Seven Sisters Visitor Centre to Birling Gap (7.3 miles out-and-back, return to where you started)
- You could cut this hike in half by taking the 12A or 12X Coaster buses back to the Seven Sister Country Park Visitor Centre
- A good option if coming by car
- Birling Gap – Belle Tout Lighthouse (1.5 mile loop)
- Good option for those who want great views without too much walking
- Ideal if coming by car so you can park at Birling Gap
Crossing the River
As you can see on the AllTrails map, there’s a diversion to get over the Cuckmere river that takes about 45 minutes. However, you can cut this out at low tide by crossing through the water. I recommend looking up the tide charts ahead of your hike, so you can determine if this is a viable option for you.
Unfortunately for us, high tide was at 10AM, right around the time we arrived at the river, so we had no choice but to do the diversion.
If you do plan to cross the river, I recommend taking off your socks/shoes to keep them dry and either wear shorts or pants that can roll up over your knees. It wouldn’t hurt to throw an extra pair of socks in your bag, just in case.
How to get to Seven Sisters
Your exact route will depend on where you’re coming from and which version of the hike you want to do, but you can certainly get to Seven Sisters via public transit.
By Train
I booked a train from Victoria Station in London to Seaford, which required a change in Lewes. You can start the hike directly from the train station and finish at the Eastebourne station – no buses required.
Depending on what part of London you’re coming from, you can also take a train from London Bridge Station.
I recommend using Trainline to search for train tickets. You can book tickets directly with them, but they do charge a couple extra pounds versus booking direct with the train company. However, their convenience is hard to beat.
If you plan to take several train trips, consider getting a rail card (if you’re eligible), which can save you 1/3 off the cost of each ticket. I got the 26-30 rail card and it paid for itself in just a couple of trips.
The further out you book, the cheaper the tickets will be. I booked 2.5 weeks out and only paid £13.95 for my return ticket (with a rail card).
I recommend booking a return ticket that is flexible to use on any train. It can be hard to know exactly how long your hike will take. You don’t want to end up in a rush to finish or with an sitting around waiting for your train home.
Driving
Alternatively, you could drive to Seven Sisters, but given that it’s a point-to-point hike, you’ll need to alter your hike or make plans on how to get back to your car.
The best places to park are Seven Sisters Country Park Visitor Centre or Birling Gap. Both locations are pay-and-display parking. We saw many people parking at Birling Gap hiking east to the lighthouse and back.
Seven Sisters is open year-round, but the car parks are only open during daylight hours.
Should you hike east to west or west to east?
We hiked Seaford to Eastbourne, which was West to East, which is what I recommend. We were facing towards the iconic white chalk cliffs with most of the hike, rather than having the best views to our back.
Additionally, Eastbourne has a direct train back to London without any changes required, which was really nice at the end of a long day.
The one downside to this direction is that you are facing into the sun at the start of the day, but if you went the other way, you’d still have to face into the sun in the afternoon. Ultimately, the sun in your eyes is unavoidable one way or another.
Timeline of my day
Here’s the exact timeline of my day trip from London to Seven Sisters. As you’ll see, it really is a full day trip if you do the entire 13.5 mile hike, but it’s very doable. I could have gotten home a few hours earlier if we’d taken a shorter lunch break and not gone out for dinner.
- 5:30AM alarm went off (I seriously contemplated hitting snooze and skipping the hike but eventually dragged myself out of bed)
- 6:30AM left my house and made my way to Victoria Station
- 7:24AM train from Victoria Station to Seaford (with a change a Lewes)
- ~9AM began the hike
- 12:15-1:45PM stopped for lunch at Birling Gap. There are restrooms, a cafe, and an ice cream truck here. We took the stairs down to the beach and had lunch by the water. While we took a long break for lunch, this was the only time we stopped on the hike.
- 3:45PM finished the hike in Eastbourne
- 4:15PM early dinner dinner at Beach Deck in Eastbourne – the food was great, but it is over a mile further east from the train station and I didn’t love the extra walking after a long day
- 7PM train from Eastebourne to London
- 9:15PM arrived back to my house
Are there bathrooms on the hike?
Yes, there are 3 restrooms available during the hike. Going west to west, the first one is at the beach in Seaford. The 2nd is at the Seven Sisters visitor center and the last one is at Birling Gap. When I was there, all restrooms had toilet paper.
We were at Birling Gap around lunchtime and the line for the bathroom was extremely long.
Is there cell service on the Seven Sisters hike?
Cellular data is a bit spotty along the hike, but I was surprised at how often I did have service on O2. I recommend downloading Google Maps and AllTrails for offline use so that you can navigate even if your service drops.
Note: at Birling Gap, I had no reception at all, but my Apple Wallet still worked to pay for a snack in the cafe.
What to pack
This was actually my first ever hike carrying a backpack. I’m usually blessed to be a passenger princess and my husband carries everything for the both of us. However, he didn’t join this hike, so I had to carry my own weight (literally). I have some chronic shoulder pain, so I was very conscious to keep the weight as light as possible. Here’s everything I packed:
- daypack (I used my Osprey Tempest 20 for the first time on this hike and it was perfect)
- 2L of water (I had 1.5L in a Hydrapak hydration resevoir and a 0.5L Nalgene bottle with a Nuun hydration tablet – the bladder was great for staying hydrated without having to stop)
- sunscreen
- hat
- snacks
- bug spray
- portable charger (I love this one from Anker with a built in USB-C cable/lanyard)
- hiking poles (I was the only one in my group to use them but I was glad to have them)
- hiking boots
- Leukotape/blister pads
- swimsuit & towel if you want to take a dip in the English channel (I love this microfiber PackTowl that takes up very little room but is super absorbant)
- downloaded AllTrails map (click here to sign up for AllTrails and they’ll plant 2 trees!)
- Garmin inReach Mini 2 (it’s expensive, but better safe than sorry)
- First aid kit
It was 50°F (10°C) when I left my house and the high for the day was 70°F (21°C). I brought a jacket and regretted that decision before I even got to Victoria Station. It spent the entire day shoved in my backpack.
How buggy is the Seven Sisters hike?
I was grateful to not encounter any bugs on my hike. However, I had a friend who did this same hike just 1 week before me and posted photos of her and her friends covered in green flies. I was really worried and brought plenty of bug repellent with me. I’m not certain why my luck was so much better, but I did hear someone say that all the flies hatch at the same time and it was probably when my friend was there.
It doesn’t hurt to pack some bug spray just in case!
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE
There are ropes near the cliff edge in certain sections of the hike. DO NOT CROSS these ropes. The cliffs have steep drops and are subject to erosion. We say several people (and their dogs!) on the wrong side of the ropes and I was so nervous just looking at them. Trust me, the view is great a safe distance from the edge.
With that in mind, do look at the weather forecast before deciding to do the hike. If it’s super windy or rainy, this increases your risk of injury (… or worse). Be smart and reschedule the hike if Mother Nature decides it’s just not your day.
Final Thoughts
I loved the Seven Sisters hike and understand why it’s one of the most popular hikes in England. It’s absolutely gorgeous from start to finish with epic cliffs and sparkling blue water, all while being a short train ride from London. We had clear skies and were even able to see France from across the English channel!
This is a very popular hike, so you certainly won’t have the whole place to yourself. However, we got an early start and found only sparse crowds until we got to Birling Gap. The crowds also thinned again after we passed the lighthouse.
Be sure to save this post for future planning!
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