The Cuckmere River flows through the chalk landscape of the South Downs of East Sussex from the north of Heathfield to Exceat on the East Sussex coast. At its estuary it meanders several times through the Cuckmere Valley Nature Reserve, reaching the sea at Cuckmere Haven between the chalk cliffs of Seaford Head and the famous Seven Sisters. The area is a major tourist attraction, and at the north end of the valley, at Exceat is the popular Golden Galleon Public House.
Friston Forest offers an infinite number of way marked routes for visitors to explore the beech woods. Its undulating terrain makes it popular with walkers and mountain bikers. Both are served with waymarked trails of varying lengths. Two car parks service the forest, giving visitors a choice of facilities. Quiet valleys within the forest offer sheltered habitats for many species of wildlife. Glimpses of rare butterflies (like fritillaries) and elusive deer can reward patient observers.
Recreational walks in East Sussex
The Long Man of Wilmington, mysterious guardian of the South Downs, has baffled archaeologists and historians for hundreds of years. Until recently the earliest record of Europe’s largest representation of the human form was in a drawing made by William Burrell when he visited Wilmington Priory, nestling under the steep slopes of Windover Hill, home of the 235 feet high Wilmington Giant. In 1993, however, a new drawing of the Long Man was discovered, made by the surveyor John Rowley in 1710. The staffs being held were not a rake and a scythe as once described and the head was once a distinctive helmet shape, giving credence to the idea of the figure as a helmeted war-god.
The Long Man of Wilmington in Wikipedia
Photographs from in and around Alfriston in Panoramio.
Alfriston in Google Maps (Map) (Satellite) (Hybrid)
Alfriston in Google Earth. (Save this file to your computer and then open it in Google Earth.)
