Updated every 5 minutes

Plan Your Visit with Live Conditions

Before you head out, check the real-time visit score for the Seven Sisters — tides, wind, weather and path conditions all in one place. Free, no account needed.

Check live conditions now
0–100
Visit score range
5 min
Update frequency
7+
Live data streams
Free
No login needed

CoastMetric aggregates live weather, tides, wind and path data into a single visit score for the Seven Sisters — so you know before you go.

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Real-time data

Everything that affects your visit, in one score

The CoastMetric visit score pulls from seven live data sources and recalculates every 5 minutes. No guesswork — just a clear signal for whether today is a good day to go.

Cliff-top Weather

Hourly forecasts from Open-Meteo tailored for the Seven Sisters headland — temperature, cloud cover, precipitation and visibility.

Wind Safety Alerts

Live wind speed and gusts at cliff level. High-wind warnings flag when conditions are dangerous near exposed edges.

Live Tide Times

UKHO Admiralty tide predictions for Cuckmere Haven and Birling Gap — essential for beach access and timing your walk.

Water Quality

Environment Agency bathing water ratings for Seven Sisters beaches — so you know if it's safe to swim before you set off.

Transport Departures

Live bus and train times from Seaford and Eastbourne — useful if you're parking at one end and catching a bus back.

Air Quality & Pollen

UV index, air quality score and pollen levels — especially relevant in spring and summer when South Downs pollen counts spike.

Golden Hour & Sunset

Precise sunrise, sunset and golden hour times for the Seven Sisters — the cliffs face west, making sunset the best photography window.

Flood Alerts

Environment Agency flood warning data for the Cuckmere Valley — important after heavy rain when the river path can flood quickly.

Walking routes

Choose the right route for your group

Two tried-and-tested routes along the Seven Sisters — from a full cliff traverse to a short family walk. Both start from the NT car park at Birling Gap.

Classic

Cuckmere Haven to Birling Gap

The full chalk headland traverse

6 km 2.5–3 hours Moderate

Passes all seven chalk headlands — the definitive Seven Sisters experience. Starts at the Cuckmere Haven beach car park and finishes at Birling Gap with its National Trust café and toilets.

  • Cuckmere Haven — shingle beach and river mouth start point
  • Haven Brow — highest point at 79 m with panoramic views
  • Short Brow, Rough Brow, Brass Point, Flagstaff, Baily's Hill
  • Went Hill Brow — look back for the classic seven-peak view
  • Birling Gap — NT café, toilets, parking and beach steps
Short & Family

Birling Gap to Belle Tout

Easy cliff-top loop with lighthouse views

2 km 40–50 mins Easy

The ideal short outing — a clear cliff-top path from Birling Gap to the Victorian Belle Tout lighthouse, now a B&B, with sweeping views towards Beachy Head. Child and dog friendly.

  • Birling Gap — start from the NT car park (paid)
  • Cliff path south-west towards Beachy Head
  • Belle Tout Lighthouse — Victorian B&B, great photo stop
  • Return same way or via the inland path for variety
View all walking routes →

Check conditions before you leave the house

CoastMetric is a free web app — no login, no download. Open it on your phone, check the visit score, and head out with confidence. Data from UKHO, Open-Meteo and the Environment Agency, updated every 5 minutes.

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Safety

Know before you go

Cliff edges are actively eroding

The Seven Sisters chalk cliffs collapse without warning — sometimes in large sections. Stay well back from the cliff edge at all times. CoastMetric's wind safety alert flags when gusts at cliff level reach dangerous levels.

Wear layers

Cliff tops are 5–8°C colder than forecast and significantly windier

Check tides for the beach

Beach access at Birling Gap and Cuckmere Haven is tide-dependent

No mobile signal

Signal is patchy on the cliff path — download maps before you go

Bring water & snacks

No facilities on the cliff path; Birling Gap NT café is the only stop

Dogs on leads

Livestock grazing on the South Downs — dogs must be kept on leads

Avoid summer bank holidays

Birling Gap car park fills by 9am on bank holidays; arrive before 8am or take the bus

In an emergency on the cliff path, call 999 and ask for Coastguard. Give your location as best you can — the nearest postcode to Birling Gap is BN20 0AB. CoastMetric's conditions dashboard links directly to live flood alerts and Environment Agency warnings for the area.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Seven Sisters worth visiting today?
The best way to answer that is to check the live visit score at CoastMetric. It aggregates weather, wind, tides, water quality and path conditions into a 0–100 score, updated every 5 minutes from authoritative data sources.
What are the tide times at Seven Sisters today?
Live UKHO Admiralty tide predictions for Cuckmere Haven and Birling Gap are shown in the CoastMetric conditions dashboard. Low tide is the best time to walk the beach below the cliffs — check before you go as beach access can be cut off by a rising tide.
How do I get to Seven Sisters without a car?
The 12A bus runs from Eastbourne to Birling Gap and Exceat (Cuckmere Haven) and is the easiest car-free option. Trains from Brighton and London run to Seaford and Eastbourne. Live departure times are shown in the CoastMetric conditions dashboard under Transport.
Is it safe to swim at Seven Sisters?
Birling Gap has a designated bathing beach. Check the Environment Agency water quality rating before swimming — CoastMetric shows this in real time. The sea can be strong around the headlands; swim only at designated areas and check tide and swell data first.
Where is the best place to park?
The National Trust car park at Birling Gap (BN20 0AB) is pay-and-display and fills early on weekends. The Seven Sisters Country Park car park at Exceat (BN25 4AD) is larger. On busy days, park in Seaford or East Dean village and walk in. See our full getting there guide for all options.
How often does the CoastMetric visit score update?
The score recalculates every 5 minutes from live feeds: Open-Meteo weather, UKHO Admiralty tides, Environment Agency flood and water quality data, and live transport feeds. No account or download is needed — it runs in any browser.

Ready to visit?

Check the live score, then head out

CoastMetric is free, works in any browser and needs no account. Open it now on your phone to see today's visit score for the Seven Sisters.

Open CoastMetric Read the full guide →