Beachy Head

Beachy Head is a 575 ft cliff face where the South Downs abruptly meets the sea. A notorious local suicide spot, it graced the silver screen in the legendary Brit mod film, Quadrophenia and also featured on the quietly provocative cover of Throbbing Gristle's 20 Jazz Funk Greats album sleeve.

There is a path along the mainly unprotected cliff top with sweeping views inland over the rolling green South Downs and out to sea. In fact the crashing waves below hammer the soft chalk cliffs so relentlessly that the Beachy Head lighthouse had to be moved several metres back in 1999 to avoid collapsing into the English Channel.

Beachy Head is also the beginning, or end, of the South Downs Way, which runs the 161 kilometres between Winchester and the coast and is widely held to be one of the country’s best walks. Seven Sisters, nearby also offers a fabulous walk in picturesque surroundings.