Comb Sussex’s thriving coastline for fossils and marine life

Eastbourne, East Sussex

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A Marine Conservation Area, this unspoilt coastline at the foot of the South Downs National Park offers thriving marine life and fossils galore.

Become a fossil detective on your seaside holiday, joining a guided fossil hunt to find your own ammonites, echinoids and molluscs. One of England’s best seaside locations for chalky fossils, the foreshore is full of surprises and features the UK’s highest chalk sea cliff, Beachy Head, as its backdrop.

When the tide goes out walk through the many rock pools, gullies and crevasses to discover a rich marine life of shellfish, anemones, sponges and fish. The Marine Conservation Area stretches along the Seven Sisters coastline with many underwater shipwrecks and English beaches to explore.

Visit the nearby coastal village of Birling Gap for guided rock pooling activities by the National Trust and to pop into their visitor centre. At the end of the day return to Eastbourne beach for tasty fish and chips as the sun sets or bring a disposable BBQ for use in designated areas.

Content provided by VisitEastbourne