East Sussex without a car?

May 9, 2024 1:57 PM

How hard is it to get around East Sussex (Lewes/Alfriston area) without a car?

My wife and I will be in London in early June, and we were thinking about taking an overnight trip down to East Sussex, possibly staying in or around Alfriston. We're hoping to see stuff around there including Charleston, Lewes, the Long Man of Wilmington, maybe something along the coast like the Seven Sisters Cliffs.

How realistic is it to try to do this without a car? Assuming we take the train down from London, would we be able to get cabs or busses between the various locations that we want to get to? And while we're at it, are there any other must-sees in the area that I didn't mention?

posted by Awkward Philip to Travel & Transportation around East Sussex, England (3 answers total)

We went from London to Alfriston a few years ago with a toddler and stayed at Deans Place Hotel (now renamed The Alfriston). No car either.

Glorious long walks in the summer, to Seven Sisters and Long Man, with a heavy toddler on our backs!!

Taxis and buses when we needed it. We could have taken the train to Lewes but didn’t due to timings. 100% doable and would recommend no car if you like walks in the countryside.
posted by moiraine at 2:37 PM on May 9, 2024

There are a decent amount of buses and trains along the south coast. Check the Southern Rail site for trains (check for engineering works and strikes though!), and Compass Travel and Brighton & Hove Buses (which do go further afield than just the city) for buses. Google Maps will give you public transport routes although I'd always check with the services directly before relying on the times Google gives you.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:38 PM on May 9, 2024

Best answer: Agreeing with the above and also with a recommendation to check out the Art Shuttle bus which links up quite a few of the places you’ve mentioned.
posted by atlantica at 10:03 AM on May 10, 2024