Seven Sisters

Beautiful. Amazing. Incredible. Awe-inspiring. Breathtaking.

These are just a few of the words with which I can attempt to describe my journey to the Seven Sisters Country Park today.

The Seven Sisters are a series of white chalk cliffs that rise above the southern coast of England in Sussex. Just an hour and a half train and a 15 minutes bus ride lie between Central London and these natural beauties.

Although the day started out chilly, windy, and a little rainy, my two flatmates and I were not deterred. First we hiked up to the classic viewing spot. You may recognize the cliffs and cottages from movies (ex. Atonement). When I took this pictures, I was enjoying our picnic of bread, camembert, apples, fresh picked blackberries (found all along the trail) and cider in the shelter of surrounding hedges. There is a path that extends further along on this ridge, away from the Seven Sisters. Unfortunately, time is not limitless, and we had to move on.

After lunch we descended into the downs once again, and then ascended to the top of the Seven Sisters. Here, you could get right up to the edge of the cliffs. I was a little wary with the strength of the wind, and made sure not to get too close. And yes, that is all real chalk. At one point we found ourselves sliding down a little chalk path that left our bottoms rather dusty!

Cliffs, though truly brilliant, aren’t the only thing that Seven Sisters Country Park has to offer. There are also rolling green hills, sheep, cows, families out with their wellies on, dogs running joyfully through the fields – true English country side. And for the history buffs, there is a small war memorial near the cottages, and some old pill boxes on the slope up to the Sisters themselves. Whether you are looking for hiking, history, or a little down home culture and tradition, Seven Sisters Country Park is more than a sure choice. And if I can give any advice, it is that you should not be deterred by a chance of rain. Though the day started gray and chilly, the sun came out just in time for our second decent. It was gorgeous, and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. If only we could have had even more time.

I will issue one warning. The buses are not the most reliable. Getting there is great. A bus passes in that direction exactly every ten minutes. I wish I could say the same for buses heading the other way. The schedule claims that they, too, come every ten to fifteen minutes. We waited for half an hour. I such beauty, I wouldn’t have worried about a delay, except that we missed our train. With our pockets £10 lighter. That is roughly a week of budget groceries. I think the bus company will be hearing from us.

But, when it really comes down to it, even that unexpected cost was worth what we saw today. It was worth being buffeted by the wind, having our cheeks turn red in the chill rain, watching a dog run gleefully ahead of a father and daughter wearing matching hats and wellington boots. It is worth fresh blackberries grown wild in a salty breeze. It was worth getting chalk into every fiber of our jeans and souls. You cannot see the beauty we found in any famous paintings. You cannot find it in any verse or line of writing. No pictures fully grasp its awe. There you will only find pale reflections. To behold it with our own eyes, made to appreciate the pure genius of nature, to wonder at its grandeur – that is absolutely priceless.