Fairlight Glen

Coordinates: 50°52′12″N 0°38′42″E / 50.870°N 0.645°E / 50.870; 0.645

Covehurst Bay

Fairlight Glen lies about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the fishing port of Hastings[1] and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the small village of Fairlight Cove on the East Sussex coast. It is a wooded area forming part of the Hastings country park and leading down to Covehurst Bay. This is a naturist beach,[2][3][4] but is shared by non-naturist visitors. The name Covehurst Bay is not normally used for the beach, but is marked on OS maps.

The beach is mainly shingle with large boulders and some patches of sand, particularly at low tide. The main cove lies between lower cliff areas formed in major cliff collapses some time in the past. There are no facilities or buildings of any kind on the beach, nor in the country park on the cliffs above. The harbour arm of Hastings is just visible at low tide, as is the nuclear power station at Dungeness a few miles further east.

View from Cliffs

It can be reached by walking from Hastings along the hilly clifftop path until a signpost points out a pathway leading down the cliff to the cove. Immediately north of the beach is Hastings country park where parking is available after a steep 20 minute walk. Further to the east along the clifftop is a coastguard station and alternative parking for visitors to the park. It is normally possible to walk along the beach to Hastings, but this may be cut off at high tide; the journey is an arduous one, involving extensive walking on loose pebbles and the debris from cliff falls. It may be possible at low tide to walk east along the beach to Fairlight Cove.

View from beach level

The 100 ft (30 m) high cliffs are sandstone and clay which is subject to erosion. Access to the beach is partially obstructed by a fence accompanied by a warning notice about cliff falls. This was erected when the original wooden steps were swept away in such a fall. Alternative steps have been cut into the path by users; as of July 2011 the path was safe to walk, but the visitor should be prepared for a bit of a climb. Water quality had been indifferent in the past but work to local drainage systems has improved this. Anyone contemplating swimming should be aware of hidden rocks and the absence of lifeguards or normal rescue services. Occasionally people have been rescued by helicopter from the beach or cliffs.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Locke 2011, p. 241.
  2. ↑ "Fairlight village guide". eastsussex.org. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  3. ↑ Hunt, Liz (30 June 1995). "Blazing sun 'killed man on nudist beach'". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  4. ↑ Start 2014, p. 161.

  • Start, Daniel (2014). Wild Swimming Hidden Beaches: Explore Britain's Secret Coast. Wild Things Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9571573-7-8.
  • Locke, Tim (2011). Slow Sussex and South Downs National Park: Local, Characterful Guides to Britain's Special Places. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-343-6.
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