Beachy Head is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, 162 metres above the Channel, just west of Eastbourne. The red-and-white Beachy Head Lighthouse stands in the water at the foot of the cliff; Belle Tout, the older lighthouse, sits on the clifftop. The South Downs Way runs along the top. On a clear morning you can see the Airbourne display line laid out to the east.
The clifftop lighthouse, Belle Tout, was built in 1832 and later moved inland from the eroding edge. The current striped lighthouse in the sea was lit in 1902 so ships could see it below the fog that often sits on the headland. The name is probably from the French beau chef — ‘beautiful headland’.
During Airbourne
Display aircraft often run in from the west, over or abeam Beachy Head, before they hit the seafront. If you have a spare morning before the flying starts, the headland is the walk. Do not try to combine it with a full day on the Lawns unless you have a bus back — it is further and windier than it looks.
Worth knowing
- Wind on the top is a step up from the prom. A layer and decent shoes.
- Keep children and dogs back from the edge. The chalk is undercut.
- Bus from Eastbourne town centre or the western seafront is the sensible return.
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