Be safe and plan ahead for your visit to Seven Sisters
Visitors to the spectacular heritage coast in the South National Park are being urged to stay safe around the coastline’s cliffs and waterways and plan ahead before their trip.
Every year, thousands of tonnes of chalk falls from the cliffs which stretch from the edge of Eastbourne, past Beachy Head, the Seven Sisters and Seaford Head.
Despite warning signs, people often stand near the edge of the fragile cliffs to take a look at the beach below or take a selfie or walk along the beach, or even have picnics, close to the base of the cliffs.
With the warmer weather attracting more visitors, we’re encouraging people not to take unnecessary risks. Previous summers have also seen people crossing the River Cuckmere and the Coastguard has warned this is a dangerous threat to life due to the strength of the tide.
Visitors should enjoy the designated footpaths that have amazing views and can check on available routes in the Seven Sisters Visitor Centre at Exceat.
Claire Onslow, who manages Seven Sisters Country Park, said: “These cliffs are many millions of years old and actually made up of tiny compacted prehistoric skeletons of ancient marine life – so by their very nature they are extremely crumbly and can give way at any time.
“You can still take some amazing pictures, but just a safe distance well back from the edge. It’s just not worth risking you or your family’s life for. Dogs should also be kept on close leads as there have been incidents where dogs have run over the edge.”
And Claire added: “Seven Sisters continues to be a very popular location for visitors from across the UK and globally. We want everyone to enjoy this haven for nature, as well as the wildlife to flourish, so please take extra care not to drop litter, bag and bin dog poo and keep dogs under close control as we have lots of ground-nesting birds and livestock in the area.”
Seven Sisters gets extremely busy on warm sunny days and weekends over the spring and summer months. Parking is limited, so please do factor this in and consider visiting less busy sites in the National Park. The best way to get to Seven Sisters is by using trains and the local bus service.
Please do not park on grass verges as this can have a serious impact on local farmers, as well as emergency vehicles being able to access the site. Please use the designated car parks if driving to the site and consider using the car park at Friston Forest during busy periods.
As Seven Sisters is a protected national nature reserve with very sensitive wildlife, barbecues are strictly not permitted anywhere on site, including the beach, or in the car parks. Any kind of fire on site runs the risk of wildfires and the scorched ground causes serious damage to the chalk grassland, which is a haven for butterflies and wildflowers. Consider taking a picnic instead or use the grab and go or cafe facilities at the visitor centre😊
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