Access - Updated 2009

Special Note:

Users of the beach should also be aware that the cliffs from Hastings to Pett Level have been designated a SAC (Special Area of Conservation) as well as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). This is because of the unusual conditions of erosion that exist on the cliff slopes and the rare wildlife inhabiting them.

Being a conservation area it is intended that human disturbance be kept to a minimum. In order to respect this people should refrain from climbing the cliff slopes and keep to the one cliff access path that the routes described below lead to.

Route 1 Fairlight Road Picnic Site (which has toilets).
From the A21, A28, A2100 junction in Baldslow (north of Hastings) take the B2083 signposted to Ore. After about 3 miles turn right at the A259 (it's a T-junction with traffic lights and a traffic island). Almost immediately, turn off left (very sharp turn) into Fairlight Road, signposted to the Country Park. After 3/4 mile there's a Picnic Site car park - park there. The beach is a 1 mile walk from here.

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 stream bed, very rough and often muddy.(See paragraph below for a safer but longer route to avoid this path).

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. Turn left here and carry on a short distance until you reach this path’s lowest point. Here there is a single section of two bar fence interrupting a length of wired picket fence, this is the best place to climb over. From here follow the path and steps towards the sea.

Anyone with young children or those who are less able may want to avoid the streambed path above as it is very uneven in places and can be very slippery. Rather than carrying straight on where the tarmaced road bends sharply to the right, stay on the tarmaced road and take the first turning on the left about a quarter of a mile from the bend. Follow this path round to the left, then uphill to a gate, straight on past the gate and then down to where there is a junction of paths and an information sign and litter bin. Turn sharp right here and continue downhill to the two bar fence and council sign as above.

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.

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.
To walk from Hastings, follow the beach east past the Castle Hill to the East Cliff Railway, then either ascend to the Country Park and follow the paths always turning right until you come to the two-bar fence and Council sign as in Route 1.

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
None on the beach itself - are there ever? - but all the usual facilities are available in Hastings.

Water Quality
Described by one source as 'The usual English Channel mixture but above average as it meets the lower EEC standard.. '

This page updated 08/01/08 and 05/06/09 with help from Richard M

Selected Visitor Comments

July 2002 - "My ideal naturist beach! on a warm Thursday...There were a few couples and one or two single males on the beach, including a cluster of couples who were obviously regulars. The tide was out and I strolled along the sandy water's edge. I walked for a mile or more, sometimes crossing flat rocks. I saw a couple of people, but the beach is so wide at low tide I felt as if I had the whole place to myself. Exhilarating! [Fairlight has] peace, tranquillity, and a wonderful get away from it all factor. I was whooping with joy as I trotted along the water's edge with not a soul in sight. If you like quietude, and have mountain goat in your lineage then you'll love Fairlight."

August 2002 - "Yes I did have a great day , chatted to some of the regulars, had a walk and a swim AHHH that felt good. So good that I went back on Friday, an even better day and was shown a different route by a regular that was quite easy, so don't be to put off, give it a go. JUST BE CAREFUL... "

June 2003 - "I found the same official warning signs discouraging people from attempting access from Fairlight Glen via the former cliff face path and wooden steps. In the event, I discovered that between 40 and 50 naturists - probably tempted by the fine sunny weather - had found their way to the beach."

June 2004 - "...walked from Hastings via the 3-mile Country Park route via Ecclesbourne Glen... I arrived mid-afternoon to find around 25 naturists and textiles mixing freely. More encouragingly, couples outnumbered the usually dominant lone males. The east end of the beach was a deserted paradise; I left my bag by a rock and walked for almost two miles as nature intended, bumping into occasional couples happily acknowledging the glorious freedom this beach provides. Superb! "

September 2004 - "...the tide was out and revealed beautiful sections of completely sandy beach on which to bathe. Submerged rocks, however, made swimming very hazardous indeed. Overall though, this beach is my heaven and I recommend it to all."

May 2005 - "...it is officially closed but we managed to get our 5 year old son there with no problem at all. if you're agile enough to cope with the walk getting to the beach is no problem at all and it is a great beach.

2008

June 26 - "The beach was as beautiful as ever; the people, friendly. But walking eastwards approx. a quarter-of-a-mile, I found evidence of more significant (recent) erosion with very soft rock strewn across the beach, making my realise that some sections are potentially quite dangerous bathing areas."

2009

August 03 - "About 30 people there on Sunday. A mix of couples/groups of mixed sex and single older guys. Accessed down the path described in guide. Easy to find. Path much better quality than main path through park. Walked back to Hastings along sea shore. Both routes take the best part an hour from Hastings old town."

August 20 - "Went there midweek, walking along the shore from Hastings. I wouldn't really recommend this as it's a lot of effort treading through the shingle and clambering over rocks... Reaching the first wide beach I assumed that this was the main nudist beach as there were two couples sunbathing and some single guys. I stayed there for a while then continued exploring East... and finally came to the rather lovely cove where most people were. This was pretty packed - maybe six to eight couples, some families and about thirty or forty single guys. Those over fifty were probably in the majority, but then it was a weekday and not everyone gets to bunk off work sometimes like me..."

August 31 - "My first time and it was amazing. Bank Holiday a fair few people but a lovely atmosphere and felt really relaxed with plenty space. Went down using the Fairlight picnic car park, stream etc, fine on the way down but yes a fairly steep return. I was on my own and as a female found it a really chilled atmosphere, mainly male, few couples and some kids. The sea was beautiful, truly wonderous day."

September 11 - "...a little piece of heaven. The collapsing cliffs give this beach a solitude that can only be dreamed of in the crowded South East, totally peaceful... arrived at low tide, wonderful, a half mile walk along the sandy tide line, enough of a breeze to ensure you were aware and enjoying walking as nature intended. The beach is so long that although other naturists were there you could be fooled to thinking you were on your own... Just when it couldn't get any better I spotted a Seal fishing just off the beach, that is a first for me on this part of the coast."

September 22 - "My girlfriend and I were there on saturday. The weather was good, there was a relaxed atmosphere and I am pleased to report I noticed a few females, although still, well out numbered by guys."

September 23 - "There are no "zones" on this beach and couples and females set up all along it, the further you walk the more solitude you can enjoy."

October 14 - "Nice thing about this beach, the cove is a sun trap so had a warm day there today, the usual regulars were there a model being photographed If we get another warm day about 17deg it's worth taking a trip there."