Birling Gap is a beautiful and tranquil enclosed pebble beach set below the stunning backdrop of the Seven Sisters cliffs. Accessible from the pretty Sussex village of East Dean, the short drive to the beach offers wide ranging views of the rolling Sussex downland.
There is plentiful parking, and after descending the metal staircases to explore the beach or taking a walk along the clifftops, refreshments are available from the superb National Trust Visitor Centre cafe.
The beach is accessed down a long set of steps and large expanses of reef and rockpools are available to explore at low tide.
Walks from here include the challenging but rewarding Seven Sisters walk to Cuckmere Haven and Exceat (buses run from Exceat to Birling Gap, Beachy Head and Eastbourne - see timetable for details). Walks to the east include Belle Tout Lighthouse and Beachy Head, or to the north, walk to East Dean village. Here you'll find an old smugglers pub on the pretty village green, as well as restaurants, a hikers cafe and a Sherlock Holmes blue plaque - marking the place where the fictional detective is thought to have retired, according to the books.
Belle Tout Lighthouse is an old decommissioned lighthouse that has been transformed into a stylish Bed & Breakfast. Due to it's high elevation, the oil lamp lighthouse proved ineffective when there was fog over the downland, and so was replaced with the Beachy Head Lighthouse at sea level.
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