River Cuckmere

The Cuckmere rises near Heathfield in East Sussex and flows south across farmland before cutting through the South Downs to reach the sea at Cuckmere Haven. Its name comes from an Old English word meaning ‘fast-flowing’, and it drops more than a hundred metres in its first six kilometres. The river mouth is the only undeveloped one on the Sussex coast, opening straight onto the English Channel between Seaford and the Seven Sisters cliffs. The valley is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and lies within the South Downs National Park. In the 19th century engineers straightened the lower course to stop flooding upstream near Alfriston and built raised banks to hold back the water. Today the Environment Agency and partners plan to let the estuary return to its natural state, arguing that salt marshes will bring richer wildlife and stronger tourism in the long run. Visitors walk the meandering paths of Cuckmere Valley Nature Reserve, where the river spreads across its floodplain. The Litlington White Horse, carved in 1924, stands on the hillside above the estuary. The shingle beach and raised banks still guard the upper valley, but plans are in place to allow seasonal flooding so that the landscape can regain its wild character.