Beacon Hill Nature Reserve

Beacon Hill Nature Reserve

A nice outing if you can cope with a bumpy ride, plus accessible toilets in Rottingdean village.

10/02/2011Sheep update!
Sheep are on the Nature Reserve at the moment and will be there until the end of February. This means that gates are up at the 2 main entrances at Beacon Hill and Rottingdean.  They now have a different lock which was sourced to make it possible for wheelchair users to be able to get into the reserve as usual, and I have managed it. The sheep are contained in another fenced area which is moved around to different locations.  This has gates as well, and people are allowed to go in amongst the sheep, but the base of the gates looked too thick for me to attempt to get over in my chair.  However, you can see the sheep easily from outside, and it's lovely to sit and watch them!
  • Address: The Nature Reserve runs between Rottingdean and Ovingdean, East of Brighton. It covers approximately 45 acres of downland, and has a wide grassy bridleway running across the top which is just over half a mile long, with great views of the downs and sea.

  • Getting There / Parking: It can be reached by buses which run along the coast road - 12,14,27,47, and by car.
  • Getting In: There are 2 main points of access. One is from the coast road in Rottingdean. If going by bus from Brighton, get off at the main stop in Rottingdean village, opposite the White Horse Pub, and go back up the hill, crossing one side road on the right and then coming to Sheep Walk, a pedestrian road. This leads straight to the entrance of the reserve. There are some possible parking places around this area. You can also get in by going through the golf course which is by the previous bus stop, but this isn’t possible in a wheelchair as it has a cattle grid at the gate.

    The other entrance is in Ovingdean at the top of Beacon Hill, just to the left of the sign saying Beacon Hill. This is reached by going up Greenways from the coast road by St. Dunstan’s ex-service persons’ home and turning right up Beacon Hill, and is about 8 minutes from the bus stop, and there are also parking places along Greenways. There is a gate on Greenways next to St.Dunstan’s but this leads on to a very steep path.
  • Getting Around / Facilities: Starting at the Rottingdean end, there is a grassy area on the left by the windmill, with picnic tables. There are occasional seats along the main path which is wide and grassy. Watch out for holes! There are various side paths going off which give different views but some are very steep. The last part of the bridleway at the Ovingdean end is narrower and a bit less easy.

    The path is surrounded by grasses and wild flowers. There is a population of skylarks which nest on the ground away from the paths. If you don’t see them flying around you might hear them singing. Being a nature reserve there are many butterflies and unusual plants too.

    At Rottingdean there is an accessible toilet on the beach, just left of the ramp which goes down to the sea, and the White Horse pub at the top of the ramp also has one.
  • Additional Comments: The nature reserve is classed as unimproved chalk grassland and not ploughed nor subject to any agriculture during modern history, but only grazed by flocks of sheep.

    Sheep are still grazed for about 3 months each winter, around December/January, and although they are fenced in, gates are hung at the entrances in case the sheep get out of their enclosure. Last time the gates were up I was unable to open them. This time they had different locks which I could manage, thanks to David Larkin, the Countryside Ranger.
  • Reviewed By: Pat
  • Review Date: October 2010, updated 03/03/2011 by Andy
Published in Parks and Walks - Brighton
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