Seaford: A Guide to the Sussex Coastal Town

A genteel town by the sea

Set along the curve of Seaford Bay, sheltered by the Downs on three sides and open to the sea on the fourth, Seaford is a quiet, characterful town with a surprisingly dramatic history. In the Middle Ages it was a thriving port and a member of the Cinque Ports, until its harbour silted up and the River Ouse was diverted to nearby Newhaven. Left without its trade, the town became notorious for smuggling and shipwreck-plundering — locals were nicknamed the “Seaford Shags” — before the arrival of the railway revived its fortunes as a genteel Victorian seaside resort and school town. That mix of ancient port, smuggling lore and Victorian respectability still gives Seaford its quietly distinctive character.

The beach and seafront

Seaford’s pride is its award-winning beach — a wide, four-mile sweep of shingle backed by a breezy esplanade, brightly painted beach huts and a scattering of seafront cafés and kiosks. It’s wonderfully unpretentious: a place for a bracing walk, a paddle, a coffee on a bench and big views across the bay to Newhaven and the cliffs beyond. At the eastern end, Splash Point is a favourite spot to watch the waves crash against the sea defences, while families gravitate to the Salts recreation ground with its playground, courts and skate park.

The Martello tower and Seaford Museum

At the far eastern end of the seafront stands Martello Tower No. 74, one of the chain of squat brick forts built around 1810 to guard the coast against Napoleon — cousins of Eastbourne’s Wish Tower and the towers at Pevensey Bay. Today it houses the volunteer-run Seaford Museum, a “Tardis” of a place packed across several floors with local history — a Victorian schoolroom, a wartime kitchen, old shops and appliances, and finds dating back to Roman times — with fine sea views from the roof.

Good to know: Seaford Museum is run entirely by volunteers, so its opening days and hours are limited and can change (and it has undergone periods of restoration) — always check the museum’s website before making a special trip.

Seaford Head and the famous view

The jewel in Seaford’s crown is Seaford Head, the chalk headland east of town that’s now a nature reserve within the South Downs. A walk up from the South Hill Barn car park rewards you with one of the most iconic views in Britain: the shimmering Seven Sisters cliffs and the lonely Coastguard Cottages across the mouth of the Cuckmere — a scene featured on stamps and in countless films. The reserve is rich in chalk-grassland flowers and butterflies, there are rock pools at Hope Gap below, and the clifftop Seaford Head golf course has a restaurant open to non-golfers if you fancy a bite with a view.

Local tip: for that classic postcard shot of the Seven Sisters, walk out onto Seaford Head itself rather than trying to photograph the cliffs from below — but keep well back from the crumbling, unfenced edge, and don’t get cut off by the tide at Hope Gap.

The town and getting there

Seaford’s town centre, a short stroll from the beach, has independent shops, cafés and pubs, the 11th-century St Leonard’s Church, the medieval Crypt Gallery and pretty gardens. It lies around eight miles west of Eastbourne, roughly a 15–20 minute drive via the A259, and has its own railway station on the line through Newhaven and Lewes. It sits perfectly between Eastbourne and the delights of Alfriston and the Cuckmere Valley, making it easy to combine with a wider day out on the coast.

Seaford: FAQs