Alen Marrick
Seaford, East Sussex · Writing since 2019
Alen Marrick is the lead writer and photographer behind SevenSisters.co.uk. He has been walking, photographing, and writing about the Seven Sisters and the wider East Sussex coast since 2019 — logging over 200 documented walks across every season and most weather conditions the English Channel can produce.
His work focuses on practical, first-hand visitor information: coastal safety, tidal windows, path conditions, geology, wildlife, and the logistical realities that tourism websites usually leave out. Every guide he publishes is based on direct observation — if he hasn't stood on that cliff in those conditions, he doesn't write about it as though he has.
Areas of Expertise
Coastal Walking Routes
Every route from Seaford to Eastbourne, walked multiple times
Coastal Safety
Cliff edges, tides, sea fog, and path conditions in all seasons
Chalk Cliff Geology
Formation, erosion rates, and the physical history of the cliffs
Wildlife & Wildflowers
Seasonal species, chalk grassland flora, and coastal bird life
Coastal Photography
Light, timing, and conditions — 2,000+ images from the cliffs
Seasonal Conditions
When to visit, when to avoid, and what changes month by month
By the Numbers
Editorial Approach
Every guide on this site is based on direct field observation. Alen only writes about conditions he has experienced personally — if a tide window is documented as two and a half hours, it is because he has tested that window and watched what happens when it closes. The safety content in particular was built from real situations, including several that demonstrated exactly what not to do.
Photography is always original. No stock images, no borrowed shots from tourism boards. The cliffs on this site look like the cliffs you will actually see — which on a grey November morning is considerably less cinematic than an Instagram drone shot, and considerably more useful if that is when you are planning to visit.
Where affiliate links appear — to tours via GetYourGuide, or accommodation via Stay22 — they are clearly marked. Recommendations reflect what Alen would tell a friend visiting the area, not what pays the highest commission. If something is overpriced or disappointing, he says so even if it has an affiliate programme.
Selected Guides by Alen Marrick
The Seven Sisters Cliffs: Complete Guide
What they are, where they are, why they are white — and everything you need before your first visit.
Tide Times, Beach Access & Swimming Safety
The tidal patterns that govern beach access at Birling Gap, Hope Gap and Cuckmere Haven.
Weather Safety on the Seven Sisters Ridge
Sea fog, high wind, extreme heat — what each condition does to the walk and how to respond.
Beachy Head to Seven Sisters: Complete Walk
The full coastal traverse from Eastbourne to Seaford — distances, ascents, and what to expect.
Chalk Cliff Geology: Formation & Erosion
How these cliffs formed over 100 million years, and why they are disappearing faster every decade.
We Got the Tide Wrong at Hope Gap
A first-hand account of miscalculating the tidal window — and what the return walk actually looked like.
Get in Touch
Found something wrong? Route changed? Facility closed? Alen reads every email and updates guides when conditions on the ground change.
Contact Alen