The Undercliff Walk in Brighton
The Undercliff walk in Brighton can be walked from either direction, from the Marina to Rottingdean or vis versa. I prefer walking it from Rottingdean as you can see the Marina getting closer.
Undercliff walk from Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a historic village with a pond and was once the home of Rudyard Kipling between 1897 and 1902.
We have enjoyed a ramble along the Undercliff walk several times. You get great views of the ‘white cliffs’ and some lovely cafes along the way.
Getting to the Start
If you are spending the day in Brighton I would suggest buying an all day bus ticket outside the train station on arrival. You can either get a bus to the Marina or Rottingdean from Churchill Square or the Old Steine. The cost of an all day bus ticket is £4.70 and you can hop on or off any bus all day.
Starting from Churchill Square you get the bus going towards Eastbourne, try to get the express bus and alight at Rottingdean opposite the Tescos. From the bus stop you cross the road and walk down to the beach to the start of the Undercliff walk.You can either walk to the Marina and jump on a bus there to Brighton or extend the walk and finish at Brighton Pier.
The Undercliff Walk
The Undercliff Walk officially starts at Black Rock and finishes 4,5 kilometres in Saltdean. However, it can be shortened by finishing or starting at Rottingdean.
If you have never seen chalk cliffs then the Undercliff Walk is a great introduction with magnificent views looking towards the Marina and Brighton.
Up close and personal with the white cliffs!
Half way to the Marina from Rottingdean are public toilets and a cafe where you can stop for a drink or snack and spend some time people or seagull watching.
The Undercliff walk from Rottingdean to the Marina takes a leisurely hour. When you reach the Marina I like to walk along the causeway and stop on a summer day for an ice cream stall before entering the Marina.
The Marina
The Brighton Marina was completed in 1978 and opened by the Queen and is the biggest marina in Europe. The Marina is a higgly piggly of apartments and shops.
Brighton Marina
The Marina has a community of houses, cinema, supermarket, ugly car park, bowling alley, shops, restaurants and a casino.
Throughout the year, there are boat trips from a couple of companies including Ross Boat trip who do 45 minute pleasure trips to the Brighton pier and back for around £8.50. They also do speedboat and fishing trips. The Marina is a good spot for lunch or a snack with the many restaurants. If you are feeling energetic you can extend your walk and go on to Brighton Pier.
To continue on to the Pier you walk through an underpass beside a car wash. The footpath leads to the beach and you continue along beside the mile long Volks railway (more about this in a future blog post!) which is only open in summer months.
You then walk along on Madiera drive to the Pier where your journey ends.
To do the full walk from Rottingdean to Brighton Pier would take around 2-3 hours, including a few leisurely stops.
If you pick the right day, you can see for miles, possibly even to France, just across the channel.
What is your favourite place in Brighton Marina? or on the walk from Rottingdean? Let us know below:
