Is Eastbourne Worth Visiting? One Day, One Cliff, and One Very Good Detour

15 de mayo de 2025

It started with a weather app and no solid plan.

Friday night said clear skies for Saturday, so I changed my route, skipped the city, and bought a one-way ticket to the sea.

Eastbourne isn’t the loudest coastal name on the map, but that morning it felt like exactly the right size. I took the train from Victoria Station, arrived just over two hours later, and stepped straight into sunshine and that clean, chalky air you only find by the cliffs.

From the station, I caught the 12A bus across the street and rode through sleepy villages and bright green fields. A quick 20 minutes later, I was at East Dean, standing by the East Dean Bus Shelter with a handful of locals and a lot of open sky.

Then came the best part: the walk.

🚶 Route: East Dean → Briling Gap → South Downs Trail → Red Light Junction → Bus 13X back to Eastbourne

This isn’t the kind of walk where you chase a summit. It’s the kind where you fall into rhythm — with the sheep in the distance, the rolling hills, the stone cottages tucked into silence.

From Briling Gap, the cliffs stretched endlessly. The white chalk shimmered in the sun, and the sea below looked like it had been ironed flat by the wind. I walked for about two hours without checking the time once. That’s how you know it’s a good trail.

Two walkers resting on a bench overlooking rolling hills and cottages in East Dean, East Sussex

I didn’t overpack — just the essentials in my expandable backpack. A bottle of water, light jumper, camera, and a few oat biscuits I forgot I’d packed. But solo travel teaches you to travel light in more ways than one.

Eventually I reached the red light junction (yes, that’s what the locals call it) and hopped on the 13X bus back to Eastbourne. Weekend-only service, slow but scenic — the kind of return leg that lets you linger in your thoughts just a bit longer.