Just inland from Eastbourne lies one of Sussex’s best-kept secrets: the Pevensey Levels, a vast, flat wetland of lush grazing marsh, big skies and glinting waterways. Internationally important for its wildlife yet wonderfully quiet, it’s a paradise for birdwatchers, cyclists and anyone who loves a wild, untamed landscape. Here’s our guide.
A wetland wilderness
The Pevensey Levels stretch across roughly 3,500 hectares — some 13 square miles — of low-lying wet grassland between Eastbourne, Hailsham and Bexhill. It’s one of the largest continuous areas of lowland grazing marsh in south-east England: almost dead flat, dominated by enormous skies, and criss-crossed by mile upon mile of ditches (known locally as “sewers”). Their national and international importance is reflected in a raft of designations — a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation and a RAMSAR wetland of global significance — yet remarkably few people know it’s here. Step onto the Levels and you’re struck by how refreshingly remote and untamed they feel, just a few minutes from the coast and the South Downs.
The wildlife of the Levels
Those quiet ditches are the secret to the Levels’ extraordinary wildlife, supporting an astonishing share of Britain’s aquatic plant species and many nationally rare invertebrates. The star is the fen raft spider, one of the country’s rarest and largest spiders, which has a significant stronghold here, alongside rare water snails and beetles and some 20 species of dragonfly and damselfly. It’s above all a birdwatcher’s paradise: herons, kingfishers and water rail haunt the ditches, lapwing, redshank and snipe feed and breed on the wet meadows, and marsh harriers, barn owls, kestrels and peregrines hunt across the marsh, with little egrets and Cetti’s warblers among more recent arrivals.
Did you know? The marsh is kept in good heart by grazing cattle from local farms — and some of the milk they produce is turned into organic yogurt, a lovely example of nature-friendly farming and wildlife working hand in hand.
From tidal bay to marsh
The Levels have a remarkable backstory. In Roman times this was open sea — a great tidal bay in which Pevensey Castle stood on a peninsula, ringed by tiny islands. Over the centuries the bay silted up and was gradually reclaimed, mostly between the Norman Conquest and a great storm in 1287, becoming the hand-drained patchwork of meadows and ditches we see today. Having shifted from salt marsh to freshwater marsh to grazing land, the Levels are now the focus of an ambitious wetland restoration project, led by the Sussex Wildlife Trust with local farmers, to “re-wet” the landscape and bring its lost wildlife back.
How to explore the Levels
Much of the Levels is fragile, protected habitat — the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve is not open to the public, and access to the core National Nature Reserve is by permit only, precisely because unrestricted footfall would damage the wildlife. The good news is that you don’t need to enter the reserve to enjoy the landscape: quiet country lanes, byways and public Rights of Way — including the long-distance 1066 Country Walk — cross the marsh, and are popular with walkers, birdwatchers and cyclists alike. The Trust also runs guided walks in summer. The Levels sit just inland between Eastbourne and Bexhill, easily reached via the A259 and the network of lanes around Pevensey, Wartling and Herstmonceux.
Good to know: please keep strictly to the lanes, byways and marked paths, and don’t enter the reserve or private farmland — this is a delicate habitat. The Levels flood in winter and some lanes can be under water, so check conditions, wear waterproof footwear, and see the Sussex Wildlife Trust website for current guided walks.
Pevensey Levels: FAQs
Where are the Pevensey Levels?
The Pevensey Levels are a large area of low-lying wetland between Eastbourne, Hailsham and Bexhill in East Sussex, just inland from Pevensey Bay. They cover around 3,500 hectares of grazing marsh criss-crossed by ditches.
Can you visit the Pevensey Levels?
The nature reserve itself isn’t open to the public, and the core reserve is permit-only to protect its fragile wildlife. However, you can explore the landscape freely along the country lanes, byways and public footpaths — including the 1066 Country Walk — that cross the marsh.
What wildlife lives on the Pevensey Levels?
The Levels are internationally important for their aquatic wildlife, including the rare fen raft spider, many dragonflies and damselflies, and a wealth of birds such as herons, kingfishers, lapwing, redshank, marsh harriers and barn owls.
Are the Pevensey Levels good for cycling?
Yes — the flat, quiet country lanes crossing the Levels are popular with cyclists, offering peaceful, big-sky riding. Just take care in winter, when some lanes can flood.
Explore more nearby: read our guides to Pevensey & Pevensey Bay, the best walks in Eastbourne, and Butts Brow & Willingdon Hill.