More Ambler than Rambler...: East Sussex

East, west - east is best!

East Sussex is one of my favorite counties, not least because it is only an hour and half away. Two ranges of hills cross the county, the glorious South Downs running along the coast and the Sussex Weald along the Surrey border, with the Vale of Sussex in between. For contrast there is a marshland area that surrounds the historic little town of Rye.

The South Downs are about to become England’s newest national park. The northern slope rises steeply out the valley making any walk up the scarp slope quite a challenge. There are great views from the top of the downs as they are mostly grassland and usually you get to see the coast as well as inland. The Weald is generally more forested, the highest point in East Sussex is Gills Leap (669ft) in Ashdown Forest. Ashdown Forest is one of the largest open spaces in the south east, a mixture of pines and heaths and famous for being the home of Winnie the Pooh.

East Sussex has a huge variety of interesting places to visit; top billing must go Battle Abbey, the scene of the most famous date in English history. Other historic sites include Pevensey Castle, with huge Roman walls, and Lewes Castle guarding a gap in the Downs. Rye and Winchlesea are two of the historic Cinque Ports, but both are now a long way from the sea. Interesting properties owned by the National Trust include the very first property acquired, Alfiston Clergy House and Batemans, the home of Rudyard Kipling, which even has a dog crèche.

The East Sussex coastlines runs from Rye in the east to Hove in the west taking in some of the most spectacular coastline in Britain, the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head. The beaches are largely shingle but they all face south so are very attractive when the sun shines.

East Sussex also has an excellent county top, Ditchling Beacon 814ft, which ticks most of the right boxes; easily accessible with 360° views and handy car park, (no height barriers). It’s on the South Downs Way starts/finishes at Eastbourne and includes three of the counties five Marilyns, Ditchling, Wilmington Hill and Firle Hill.

The largest town in East Sussex is Brighton, a city since 2000 and unitary authority. As it has two tops of its own, it will be the subject of the next blog.