A fabulous week in East Sussex
Back in August, we enjoyed a wonderful, restorative week by the sea, exploring the East Sussex coast. I'm also extremely excited to say that we are planning to move here (to Seaford), so sea fixes will be more than an occasional treat! Hurrah! Lots of hoops to jump through, yet, though - the house buying and selling process seems to be achingly slow....wish us luck! I still can't quite believe that all this stunning scenery will be on our doorstep!
We stayed in a fabulous cabin in the South Downs, not far from Alfriston, through Airbnb. Such a peaceful spot. I challenge you not to unwind when this is your view! The cabin was full of beautiful, original artwork by its owner and had so much character. Everything was so tactile. Even though it was August, we lit the log burning stove - just because :) I can highly recommend it if you are looking for a get away from it all spot (and it's really well located for visiting lots of places too).
There's just to much to see. We had a fun day exploring Alfriston, with its picture postcard perfect church, and Lewes. I have a feeling we only scratched the surface of Lewes - I am looking forward to going back! I did manage to find a lovely fabric shop, though, and we stumbled across some really pretty public gardens. There were antique shops aplenty, but I was very restrained (feeling rather overwhelmed by "stuff" at the moment, as we sort and declutter!).
We also headed out to Seaford at the end of the day - I was desperate for my first sea fix! It was a blustery day, so the waves were rather energetic. I'm SO looking forward to this being our local view! I hope you won't get bored of these beach huts ;)
I think the highlight of our trip was the stunningly beautiful Cuckmere Haven. You can approach it from a couple of ways. One day we came across the cliff path from Seaford Head via the picturesque coastguard cottages (really epic, classic views). Another day we walked from the Seven Sisters Country Park alongside the River Cuckmere and ended up on the other side of the beach. The 360 degree panoramic views really took my breath away. I think I might have overused the word "Wow" those days :) And taken far too many photographs ;)
Another beautiful spot not far from Cuckmere Haven is the Birling Gap. There is a viewing platform that affords great views of the Seven Sisters. It was another blustery day, so holding the camera still was quite a challenge! We were lucky enough to encounter some surfers, who provided a very nice point of interest and scale for the photos :) A short stroll along the cliff path and you enjoy a lovely view of Beachy Head. The cliffs drop away very steeply, so probably not good for those with a fear of heights!
One day we headed inland for a change, to Friston Forest, for a green fix. We did the "white horse view" walk then free reigned for a while. Can you spot the white horse in my photo below?
And of course we had a day in Brighton. I love this vibrant city by the sea, full of all the quirky, cool, creative, crafty, geeky, healthy stuff we could (and will!) need. Very happy that this will be close-by.
Believe it or not, these are just the photo highlights! So if you would like to see more, head over to my East Sussex set on Flickr. I've also updated my Red Bubble Shop with some Blythe seaside pics and recent floral delights from Cambridge. Enjoy :)
