Beachy Head

Beachy Head is where the South Downs meet the sea, and the chalk rises to 162 metres, the highest cliff of its kind in Britain. The name has nothing to do with beaches; it is a corruption of the Norman French beau chef, beautiful headland. The lighthouse on the shore below, red and white banded, was built in 1902 to replace Belle Tout, which stood on the clifftop and was too often lost in fog; Belle Tout still stands and was moved bodily seventeen metres inland in 1999 as the cliff eroded toward it, and it now operates as a guest house. The chalk retreats by roughly a third of a metre a year, sometimes in sudden large falls, so the edge is not where maps show it. The site has a long and grim association with suicide, and a chaplaincy team patrols it.

Highlights

• The chalk face - 162 metres of white cliff, the highest of its kind in Britain.
• The lighthouse - a red and white 1902 tower standing on the shore below.
• Belle Tout - the earlier clifftop lighthouse, moved inland in 1999.
• The Downs meeting the sea - open grassland running to the edge.

When to go

April to October for the walking; the clifftop is exposed and often windy. Clear days show the Seven Sisters running west. Winter storms accelerate the erosion and paths are diverted.

Good to know

The cliff edge is undercut and collapses without warning; the marked path is set back for good reason. There is no fencing. The location's association with suicide is widely known locally and the Beachy Head Chaplaincy operates continuously.

Nearby

The Seven Sisters cliffs run west; Eastbourne lies immediately east.

Key facts