Seven Sisters Cliffs

Situated in the idyllic South Downs, East Sussex, the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs
make up one of England’s most unspoilt coastlines. As the cliffs are left to erode,
naturally they remain a beautiful white colour. The Seven Sisters Country Park is
included in the South Downs National Park, the South Downs being a range of
rolling hills formed at around the same time as the Alps, which stretch across
Hampshire and Sussex. The Seven Sisters Country Park is made up of 280
hectares of chalk cliffs, meandering river valley and open chalk grassland. It is a
popular place for a number of outdoor activities including walking, bird watching,
cycling, canoeing and paddle boarding. It's about a two hour drive from London. For
the best view of the Seven Sisters, head to Seaford Head, looking east across the
River Cuckmere.

Startlingly picturesque, the cliffs are known as the “Seven Sisters” due to
the seven distinct hilltops that comprise the silhouette of the cliffs. The bright white
color of the stone is thanks to the abundance of chalk that makes up most of
the cliff face. Chalk is a pure and soft type of limestone. It was formed from the
mud made of microscopic skeletons of marine organisms 60-100 million years ago.
The features were created in prehistoric times when the land was submerged and
seawater pushed the softer chalk to the surface and as the waters lowered, exposed
the cliffs. Now as the sea pounds the base of the cliffs each day, erosion is slowly
taking the chalk back as large chunks of the cliffs wall back into the water. Luckily,
this very process of erosion has allowed them to retain their white pallor since
similar cliffs around the world have received increased protection which halts the
erosion and begin to accumulate vegetation that is slowly mottling their color. This
has led to the Seven Sisters being used in a number of films such as Robin Hood:
Prince of Thieves and Atonement.