Hastings to Bexhill

The walk: After an excursion on the West Hill funicular to visit the ruins of Hastings Castle, this walk follows the Hastings/St Leonards Prom, then takes to the massive sand beach exposed at low tide all the way to Bexhill.

Bottle Alley, covered prom linking Hastings and St Leonards

Route

NB The map shows my route, with various diversions and excursions which you may not wish to follow precisely.

From Hastings Station, walk through the town centre to Old Hastings. After looking round the quaint streets and visiting the castle, proceed to the sea front and walk along the prom or beach to Hastings Pier, then onward to the Western edge of St Leonards.

Hastings Castle

Here, there are two options to reach Bexhill. Either follow the good coast path, beside the railway at first, then climbing over the Glynde Gap and Galley Hill, OR, at low tide, a wide sandy beach emerges and you can walk along this all the way to Bexhill.

Path over Glynde Gap

On the beach

Why do it?

Ride the West Hill funicular cliff railway to the top of the eponymous hill, offering great views over the Old Town.

West Hill funicular

Whilst up there, make an excursion around historic Hastings Castle, built by William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings. Much of the castle has been lost as the cliffs eroded over the centuries, but the remaining ruined walls are still evocative.

The Hastings-St Leonards sea front has the usual attractions, including the restored Pier. An unusual feature is the 'Bottle Alley' covered promenade (not to be confused with Battle Abbey). It was built between the wars by the Hastings Borough Engineer, Sidney Little, who designed a number of innovative projects for the town using concrete, of which he was a great fan, hence his sobriquet 'the Concrete King'. The colonnaded alley is lined with colourful shards of glass bottles, embedded in the inner wall.

Bottle Alley

The official coast path between St Leonards and Bexhill is well surfaced and doubles as a cycle route (part of NCN2). There are good views back over Hastings as you climb over the headland to Bexhill, the wild coastal setting belying the proximity to the railway and retail parks.

Coastal path and cycle route (on another occasion)

If, instead, you do the walk along the beach at low tide, the large expanse of sand will come as a surprise to those who think the beaches hereabouts are all shingle.

A wide sandy beach is revealed at low tide

Buried in the sand at Bulverhythe, just by the footbridge over the railway, are the remains of the Amsterdam, a Dutch East Indiaman which was wrecked here in 1749. How much can be seen of the ship's carcass sticking out of the sand depends on the extent to which the currents have scoured away the sand.

Wreck of the Amsterdam, Summer 2014 (At present (2024), it has been covered by the sands).

On the seafront at Bexhill is the art deco masterpiece, the De La Warr Pavilion.

De La Warr Pavilionon a sunny day

Distance: 7 miles

Logistics:

Start: Hastings Station.

Finish: De La Warr Pavilion on Bexhill sea front. You can get a 99 bus back to Hastings from just outside, or make the short walk to Bexhill station.

Obviously, there's nothing to stop you doing the walk the other way round.

Challenges

If you want to walk the sandy beach, a low tide is essential. Getting the tide, weather and daylight (and opening times of attractions like Hastings Castle and the De La Warr Pavilion) aligned can be somewhat constraining. I did it one autumn afternoon, with low tide around 4:30pm. I parked at the De La Warr Pavilion (charge), walked to Bexhill Station and took the train to Hastings and walked back.

Low tide is essential for the sandy beach walk (at high tide the shingle beach would be a terrible slog). The two hours before low tide will be best, so that you are walking into an outgoing tide. Pools, rivulets and rock outcrops must all be negotiated, and you should keep an eye out to make sure you are not cut off by the incoming tide. The sand was firm for walking, except for a small area near Bexhill where there was a patch of very soft sand.

Refreshments

Usual offerings in Hastings (New) town centre, or some more quirky places in the old town.

Various eateries and drinkeries on Hastings Pier, and along Hasting/St Leonards sea front, for example The Goat Ledge.

Restaurant/cafe in the De La Warr pavilion, overlooking the sea front and beach. Also, several places along the road behind the Pavilion.

Nearby Walks:
For an overview map of all my coastal walks see this page.
To the West: Eastbourne to Bexhill
To the East: Hastings to Pett Level via the Three Glens; Hastings to Rye

More Photos

Mid-October afternoon, high cloud, watery sun