Beaches South East England Fairlight Glen - Hastings - East Sussex | Fairlight Glen - Hastings - East Sussex |
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Page 1 of 2 General The naturist beach at Fairlight Glen lies on the coast between Hastings (about two miles to the west) and the delightful town of Rye to the east. In fact, the beach is in Covehurst Bay, at the bottom of Fairlight Glen. (Fairlight Cove is a seaside village a two miles to the east.). Naturist use of this beach was first recognised by the local council in 1978, although it had been in use for many years prior to that. It enjoyed ‘official’ status by the Council until 1999 when it was reclassified as ‘unofficial’ for reasons unknown.  
Over the past few years there have been problems with access to this beach as a result of cliff erosion. For this reason Hastings Council declared the cliff access path "closed", but despite this people continued to go down to the beach. More recently it has been reported that it is possible to use the path "AT YOUR OWN RISK". Getting There The beach is adjacent to the Hastings Country Park (640 Acres, 5km of coastline). Access Update 2007 It is reported that repairs the cliff path which leads to the naturist beach have been made "unofficially" by beach users and not by the Council as previously suggested. As far as can be determined, Hastings Council have no plans to improve the access and any decision to use the cliff path remains strictly "at your own risk" (see below). On the Country Park noticeboard (at the beginning of the path to the beach) they still have signs saying: "Due to recent and ongoing cliff falls access to the beach is currently CLOSED. Route 1 Fairlight Road Picnic Site (which has toilets). Take the narrow road almost opposite the car park entrance, it's signposted as a footpath (you’ll pass by a yellow vehicle gate near the entrance). Further on where the tarmaced section turns sharply to the right, carry on straight ahead down the gravel track. A little further on you’ll see a short row of terraced houses ahead of you, take the path just to the right of these houses - through a small wooden gate and alongside some metal fencing. The next section of path through the woods is essentially a streambed, very rough and often muddy. Upon reaching the swing gate, carry on straight ahead downhill for about 1/3 mile until you come to a T-junction where you will see a two-bar fence and one of the Council signs informing the public that the access is officially closed. Climb over the fence to the left of this sign and follow the path down to the brook, turning right after passing over the small footbridge. From here follow the path and steps towards the sea.  
Route 2. Coastguard Lane (toilets). A mile further east along Fairlight Road from the picnic car park turn right into Lower Coastguard Lane. This leads to a car park with toilets and a little further on an information centre and more parking spaces. From here it's a longer walk than Route 1 (nearly 2 miles) but useful if the other car park is full and also makes for a scenic walk through the country park overlooking the sea. After parking the car, carry on down Lower Coastguard Lane towards the coastguard cottages and radar tower. Having passed the cottages go through the swing gate next to the radar tower, head straight on for a short distance then turn right and follow the coastal-most paths; firstly downhill towards the valley, left down a flight of steps opposite a bench, over a stream at the bottom of the valley and then up the other side. A further flight of steps in the wooded section ahead will take you up to the very top of the hill and another set of steps part way down the other side. When you reach a T-junction with a bollard turn left, this path then takes you down to the fence and Council signs as in Route 1. It’s best to cross over the fence near the far end, past the glass display cabinet (see photo above). If hill climbing isn’t for you there’s an alternative route from the car park (with less of a sea view) that avoids some of the hill climbing. Just before you reach the coastguard cottages take the path to the right and continue on past the new picnic area to the next gate. Through the gate continue straight ahead for a quarter of a mile until you come across a house very nearly hidden by trees, to the right of this house is a swing gate, go through this and then 100 metres on to another swing gate and then take the path immediately to the left. After about 1/3 mile you will reach the flight of steps in the wooded section mentioned previously. Route 3. Barley Lane (no toilets). From the centre of Hastings head to the sea and take the A259 along The Bourne east of Hastings Castle. Fork right into Harold Road and soon turn right into Barley Lane. The car park is about 3/4 mile along on the right. From the car park take the path south, then turn left, then turn right, then turn left, then turn right. At the cliffs the path bears left - keep going for just over half a mile until you come to the two-bar fence and Council sign as in Route 1. Route 4. Walk from Hastings. Alternatively it is possible to walk along the beach from the East Cliff Railway, but ONLY when the tide is out - YOU MUST CHECK THE LOCAL TIDE TABLE BEFORE ATTEMPTING IT. It is about 2.5 miles from the railway to the beach, and at sea level it is shingle walking, though this route is surprisingly popular especially for dog walkers. Coastal access from the east (next access point is at Cliff End, Pett Level) is quite a trek at over 3 miles and also mostly shingle walking with one or two rocky sections to negotiate, but none the less quite a pleasant walk if you fancy it – but again you should only attempt this route near low tide and be able to get back again when the tide is out, so you must check the local tide times. Description Originally the beach was only covered with rocks and large flat stones, but since Hastings replenished its town centre beaches with shingle in the late 80's / early 90's it is now (due to long shore drift) covered in conventional shingle, ideal for sunbathing and walking on. At low tide the beach becomes a wide flat expanse of clean sand, great for walks and beach recreation. In the height of summer the sea becomes warm and swimming is excellent. The cliffs are of soft sandstone with a good deal of vegetation, mostly gorse and goat willow bushes, but a fair number of wild flowers and land song birds in season add to the attractiveness. The rock pools host beadlet sea anemones, but the beach is very poor for shells. Unfortunately there is virtually no shade of any use, except in late afternoon when the sun goes behind the cliffs. The only motorised noise is from the occasional aircraft or motorboat. The atmosphere is excellent - with a good mixture of singles, couples and quite a few families with children. Most people settle in and around the small bay where the steps lead out onto the beach, the remote location ensuring it never gets overcrowded. Heading east or west along the beach will soon provide a quieter spot for those who prefer solitude. The beach tends to be used by naturists for up to a mile from the access point in the easterly direction. This stretch provides the best places to sunbathe, walk and swim, and has the largest expanses of sand at low tide. The westerly direction is generally rockier and provides little in the way of sand at low tide and is therefore not favoured by many. During above average high tides the sea can just reach the cliff/cliff falls in a small number of places and so you’ll be forced to move from these areas at such times. If you’ve moved some distance from the access point you could also therefore find yourself cut off and unable to get back for an hour or two until the sea recedes, there is little danger though as there are many safe areas to retreat to above high water. The steep shingle banks make for good swimming at high tide, similarly low tide provides safe swimming out on the sand flats, but during intermediate tides watch out for submerged rocks as there are many running almost the entire length of the beach. The Country Park itself is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and provides some entertaining walking (with clothes) if you want a change from sitting around or swimming, or if the weather turns cold. The cliff areas also have significant archaeological interest, for example many fossilised dinosaur footprints have been found near the beach on boulders fallen from the cliff faces. Facilities Water Quality Next Page: User Comments |
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