Best Places to Visit Near Brighton
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit near Brighton are Rottingdean Beach, Lancing Beach, Litlington White Horse, Alfriston Clergy House Garden, Garden Of Eden Waterfall, Tillingbourne Waterfall, Reigate Caves and The Deepdene Trail.
Brighton's pier and pebbles are justly loved, but the countryside and coast around it hold plenty more to discover. Just east, Rottingdean Beach opens up rock pools beneath white chalk cliffs, while west along the Sussex shore lies the long shingle of Lancing Beach.
Head inland into the Cuckmere valley and you can spot the Litlington White Horse cut into the downs, then wander the cottage garden of Alfriston Clergy House, the first house the National Trust ever bought. Further afield the trips grow longer: the gentle Garden of Eden waterfall hides in Ashdown Forest, and a run north into Surrey brings the wooded Tillingbourne Waterfall below Leith Hill, the torchlit tunnels of Reigate Caves, and the restored landscape garden of the Deepdene Trail near Dorking.
Beaches, a hill figure, gardens, waterfalls and caves make a richly varied set. Here are eight places to visit near Brighton.
Rottingdean Beach
Photo: David Gearing via Geograph.org.uk
Walk Rottingdean Beach Just east of the city, Rottingdean Beach is a shingle shore tucked below white chalk cliffs in the village of Rottingdean. Rock pools open up at low tide, ideal for a spot of exploring, and a paved undercliff walk runs along the base of the cliffs back towards Brighton Marina, popular with walkers and cyclists alike.
Above the beach the village keeps an old windmill and a huddle of historic houses. A seawater bathing pool once stood on the shore here but was lost to storms and filled in, so these days it is the natural rock pools and the cliff walk that draw people down.
Lancing Beach
Photo: Marathon via Geograph.org.uk
Visit Lancing Beach A little way west, Lancing Beach stretches along the West Sussex coast between Shoreham and Worthing, a long shingle seafront that gives way to a firm strip of sand at low tide. Behind it, across the coast road, lies Widewater Lagoon, a saline pool kept as a local nature reserve and well known for its birdlife.
A promenade follows the shore, with a sailing club and marked zones for swimming and windsurfing, while inland the tower of Lancing College Chapel rises above the fields. Dogs are welcome along the beach all year round, making it an easy, breezy day out from Brighton.
Litlington White Horse
Photo: Helmut Zozmann via Geograph.org.uk
Spot the Litlington White Horse Inland in the Cuckmere valley, the Litlington White Horse is a chalk figure of a prancing horse cut into the steep turf of Hindover Hill, between Litlington and Alfriston. Around 28 metres long, it faces out over the valley and is best seen from the floodplain below or from the High and Over viewpoint.
The present horse was cut in a single night in February 1924 by a local farmer and two companions, on the very slope where an earlier nineteenth-century figure had faded away. The National Trust owns it now and keeps it scoured a bright, clean white.
It is a lovely surprise to spot from the road.
Alfriston Clergy House Garden
Photo: Michael Dibb via Geograph.org.uk
Visit Alfriston Clergy House Garden In the village of Alfriston, close to the River Cuckmere, the Clergy House is a thatched, timber-framed Wealden hall house dating from the fourteenth century, standing beside the church and the green. It has a special place in history as the first house ever bought by the National Trust, acquired in 1896 for just ten pounds, and inside it still keeps a rare floor of rammed chalk and sour milk.
A traditional cottage garden wraps around it, full of roses, herbs and flowers, and both house and garden are open to visitors. It makes a gentle, storybook stop on a day out into the Sussex countryside.
Garden Of Eden Waterfall
Photo: Simon Carey via Geograph.org.uk
Find the Garden of Eden Waterfall Worth a drive north into Ashdown Forest, the Garden of Eden waterfall is a small cascade tucked in a wooded dell and known locally by that name. A stream tumbles over rocks in a shallow, shady hollow just off one of the forest's main tracks, gentle enough to paddle in on a warm day.
You reach it on a circular walk of a couple of miles through the heath and woodland, so it works best as part of a longer ramble. It is a modest, out-of-the-way spot rather than any great fall, but a peaceful reward for those who go looking.
Tillingbourne Waterfall
Photo: Oliver White via Geograph.org.uk
See Tillingbourne Waterfall A longer run north into the Surrey Hills leads to Tillingbourne Waterfall, a small cascade on a stream that drops through wooded ground below Leith Hill, near the hamlet of Friday Street a few miles from Dorking. The water falls in a modest, shady ravine, sometimes called the tallest waterfall in Surrey, though it is a gentle one rather than any great cascade.
It stands on private estate land and is viewed from a public footpath rather than up close, reached on a walk through the woods from a nearby car park. It is a quiet beauty spot in a much-loved walking area.
Reigate Caves
Photo: Ian Capper via Geograph.org.uk
Explore Reigate Caves Also up in Surrey, Reigate Caves are a set of man-made tunnels and chambers cut into the soft sandstone beneath the town, opening off the sides of an old road tunnel. They are not natural caves but former sand mines, where fine silver sand was dug out, and over the years they have served as cellars, wine stores and, during the Second World War, air-raid shelters.
A volunteer society opens them to visitors on set days through the year, leading people by torchlight through the sand-floored chambers. The road tunnel above them was cut back in the 1820s, adding to the sense of stepping into the town's hidden past.
The Deepdene Trail
Photo: P Harris via Geograph.org.uk
The Deepdene Trail A mausoleum on the hilltop, a grotto, a viewpoint, Bronze Age burial mounds and the ruins of Betchworth Castle all lie along this waymarked circuit through woodland and terraces on the edge of Dorking in Surrey, a short walk from town. The old Deepdene estate took shape over centuries, its Italian garden begun in the seventeenth century and later reworked by the collector Thomas Hope, though the great house is long gone.
Restored and reopened in 2016, with interpretation boards and a phone app to tell the story, it costs nothing to walk.
FAQs
What are the best beaches near Brighton?
Just east of Brighton, Rottingdean Beach offers rock pools beneath white chalk cliffs and a scenic undercliff walk, while Lancing Beach to the west gives a long shingle seafront with sand at low tide and a nature-reserve lagoon behind.
Can you visit waterfalls near Brighton?
Yes, though they are gentle ones. The Garden of Eden waterfall hides in Ashdown Forest, north of Brighton, and the Tillingbourne Waterfall drops through woods below Leith Hill in the Surrey Hills, both reached on woodland walks.
How far is Alfriston from Brighton?
Alfriston lies around 21 kilometres east of Brighton, in the Cuckmere valley. There you can see the Litlington White Horse cut into the downs and visit Alfriston Clergy House, the first property the National Trust ever bought.
Conclusion
Brighton is a brilliant base for exploring Sussex and beyond, whether you fancy a short seaside stroll or a full day on the road. Close by, the rock pools of Rottingdean and the long shingle of Lancing offer easy coastal air, while the Cuckmere valley pairs the Litlington White Horse with the storybook garden of Alfriston Clergy House.
When you have more time, head into Ashdown Forest for the gentle Garden of Eden waterfall, or push north into Surrey for the Tillingbourne cascade below Leith Hill, the torchlit Reigate Caves and the restored gardens of the Deepdene Trail near Dorking. Beaches, a hill figure, waterfalls, caves and historic gardens make a wonderfully mixed collection, and these are the places to visit near Brighton.
