Best Beaches Near Brighton
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best beaches near Brighton are Rottingdean Beach, Birling Gap Beach, Cuckmere Haven, Newhaven West Beach, Fairlight Glen Beach, Pagham Beach, Church Norton Beach and Elmer Beach.
Brighton sits at the centre of the Sussex coast, with chalk cliffs and river-mouth valleys to the east and a run of quiet shingle bays and harbour reserves to the west. Close along the eastern shore is the village beach at Rottingdean below its white cliffs, and a little further on the shingle and chalk at Birling Gap, set in a gap in the Seven Sisters, and the much-pictured river mouth at Cuckmere Haven.
Beyond them, past Hastings, the wooded glen leads down to the secluded shingle of Fairlight Glen, while nearer town the harbour shore at Newhaven West sits below its fort. West of the city lie the shingle bays and birdlife of the Sussex plain: Pagham Beach beside its harbour spit, the quiet reserve shore at Church Norton, and the curious rock-island bays of Elmer near Middleton-on-Sea.
Some are minutes from the seafront, others a scenic drive along the coast. Here are eight beaches to seek out near Brighton.
Rottingdean Beach
Photo: David Gearing via Geograph.org.uk
Rottingdean Beach White chalk cliffs rise straight above this shingle shore at Rottingdean, an East Sussex village just along the coast east of Brighton. When the tide falls the rock pools open for exploring, and a paved undercliff promenade traces the foot of the cliffs all the way to Brighton Marina, a favourite of walkers and cyclists.
Up in the village an old windmill and a knot of historic houses keep watch. A seawater bathing pool once sat on the shore here, but storms wrecked it and it was filled in, so today the pull is the natural rock pools and that breezy walk beneath the chalk.
Birling Gap Beach
Photo: Anthony Hole (deceased) via Geograph.org.uk
Birling Gap is a beach at a break in the great white wall of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, on the East Sussex coast. It is a shingle and chalk shore reached down a steep metal staircase bolted to the cliff, which has to be rebuilt every few years as the cliff edge keeps retreating.
At low tide a wide platform of chalk is uncovered, full of rock pools and worth searching for fossils. Above the beach stands a row of former coastguard cottages, and the sea is slowly claiming them one by one.
The National Trust looks after the site, with a cafe and clifftop walks.
Cuckmere Haven
Photo: Kurseong Carl via Geograph.org.uk
Cuckmere Haven is the mouth of the Cuckmere River in East Sussex, where a wide green valley of looping river bends meets the sea over a shingle beach. It sits right beside the white chalk of the Seven Sisters, and the row of coastguard cottages above the shore makes one of the most pictured views on this coast.
The beach is reached on foot, about a mile down the valley from the car park at Exceat. The old meanders lie beside a straighter cut channel across the flats, a striking landscape as much as a beach.
Newhaven West Beach
Photo: Mike Faherty via Geograph.org.uk
Newhaven West Beach lies on the western side of the harbour mouth at Newhaven in East Sussex, under the cliffs by the breakwater. West of the breakwater the shore is shingle backed by cliffs, with a promenade running along from Fort Road, and Newhaven Fort stands on the height above.
The sheltered sandy beach that once sat inside the harbour arm has been closed off by the port owners since 2008 on safety grounds, so it is the shingle and the promenade that make up the accessible shore today.
Fairlight Glen Beach
Photo: Oast House Archive via Geograph.org.uk
Fairlight Glen Beach rewards a steep scramble down a wooded glen, past a small waterfall called the Dripping Well, before it opens onto shingle below the cliffs of Hastings Country Park in East Sussex. Sand appears at low tide, and the beach has long been used, informally, by naturists who value its seclusion.
That seclusion comes with a catch: there is only one way down, and the incoming tide can cut the beach off entirely. It is a place to enjoy with one eye firmly on the water rather than a spot to drop in on casually.
Pagham Beach
Photo: David Howard via Geograph.org.uk
Pagham Beach is a shingle beach on the West Sussex coast just west of Bognor Regis, running along Pagham village beside the mouth of Pagham Harbour. A long shingle spit guards the harbour entrance, its channel shifting over the years, and rows of old railway carriages converted into beach houses give the place its quirky character, along with a sailing club on the shore.
The rusting remains of a wartime Mulberry harbour caisson show offshore at low tide. Next door is the Pagham Harbour nature reserve, an important wetland where terns nest in summer and Brent geese gather in winter.
Church Norton Beach
Photo: Shaun Ferguson via Geograph.org.uk
Church Norton is a quiet shingle beach at the seaward edge of Pagham Harbour on the West Sussex coast, near Selsey. It looks out over the mudflats and lagoons of the harbour, an important reserve for birds, with Tern Island offshore where terns nest in summer.
Waders, egrets and wintering geese gather across the flats. A small medieval chapel, St Wilfrid's, stands back by the car park, so it is a spot for birdwatching and a quiet shingle walk rather than a busy day on the sand.
Elmer Beach
Photo: Basher Eyre via Geograph.org.uk
Elmer Beach A row of blocky rock islands sits just off this shingle shore near Middleton-on-Sea in West Sussex, and they make the whole place. Dropped offshore in the 1990s as breakwaters to hold the coast against the sea, they have caught sand and gravel behind them, leaving a string of curved little bays in their lee.
The beach is pebbles when the tide is high and opens to sand as the water pulls back, while rock pools gather in the calm channels between the islands. Bring children and let them poke about; the sheltered water is made for it.
FAQs
Which beaches near Brighton sit under the chalk cliffs?
Birling Gap sits in a break in the Seven Sisters near Brighton, reached down a cliff staircase to shingle and a wide chalk platform of rock pools, and Cuckmere Haven lies beside the same white cliffs where the river meets the sea. Rottingdean, closer to Brighton, has a village beach and undercliff walk below its own chalk cliffs.
What are the best beaches for birdwatching near Brighton?
Church Norton and Pagham Beach are the best for birdwatching near Brighton, both set on Pagham Harbour, an important West Sussex wetland reserve where terns nest on Tern Island in summer and waders, egrets and Brent geese gather across the mudflats. Both are quiet shingle shores better suited to birdwatching than a busy beach day.
Is Fairlight Glen near Brighton worth the walk?
Yes, Fairlight Glen east of Hastings is worth the walk, a secluded shingle beach reached down a steep wooded glen with a small waterfall known as the Dripping Well, though the incoming tide can cut it off. Church Norton on Pagham Harbour and the rock-island bays of Elmer near Middleton-on-Sea are other quiet, low-key stretches near Brighton.
Conclusion
Brighton sits at the centre of the Sussex coast, with chalk cliffs and river valleys to the east and quiet shingle bays to the west. Close along the eastern shore are the village beach at Rottingdean, the chalk and rock pools of Birling Gap under the Seven Sisters, and the much-pictured river mouth at Cuckmere Haven, with the secluded shingle of Fairlight Glen beyond Hastings and the harbour shore at Newhaven West below its fort.
West of the city lie Pagham Beach beside its harbour spit, the reserve shore at Church Norton, and the rock-island bays of Elmer near Middleton-on-Sea. From white-cliff cove to birdwatchers' shingle, these are the beaches to seek out near Brighton.
