South Downs holiday cottages, sleeps 4
The flint and oak holiday Cottages are in the heart of the village of East Dean, East Sussex, and are the perfect place to stay for a relaxing holiday or short break for both families and friends.
Just a short walk from the Tiger Inn and Village Green Tea Rooms and Restaurant, in a beautiful part of the South Downs with lovely walks straight from the door. Situated in an elevated position the Cottages have stunning views over the village and the fields leading to the beach at Birling Gap, which is just a mile away.
The walking and cycling routes around Beachy Head which is a chalk headland of the South Coast are regarded as some of the best in England, some are more challenging than others but all provide breathtaking views.
Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters is an area of outstanding natural beauty on the south coast of England, between the towns of Eastbourne and Brighton. Now Part of the South Downs National Park, this area is famous for its stunning walks and impressive countryside. As well as the lovely beach at Birling Gap there are a number of activities, theatres, gardens and events to enjoy throughout the year.
There are many places to visit and activities to take part in, Beachy Head is a haven for those who like to walk or cycle. It is also a great place for bird watching, mountain biking through Friston Forest, flying a kite, taking a boat trip around the lighthouse or rockpooling at Birling Gap beach.
You may wish to view the Belle Toute Lighthouse. Visit the Sheep Centre, where there are over 40 different breeds of sheep. You can help feed the lambs, meet the animals and take a tractor trailer ride. Groups of 5 or more can arrange to have a Brewery Tour at the Beachyhead Brewery.
Fishing and sailing are popular with visitors and there are cycles for hire locally, whilst Beachy Head is a must for walkers. There are many pretty villages to explore with good pubs, including our own village pub, the Tiger Inn, other restaurants, antique shops and tearooms are approximately 4 miles away to the west.
The towns of Lewes and Brighton are a short distance away and London is only 90 minutes by the regular train service from Eastbourne, a town that is buzzing, with restaurants, shops, the wonderful art gallery, pier, gyms, golf, tennis and cinemas. The family attraction of Drusillas Zoo is 5 miles away to the East. Firle Place, Michelham Priory and the opera at Glyndebourne are 25 minutes away by car.
Rooms, food and facilities
We have eight cottages to choose from depending on the size of your party.
Giddy Cottage - Sleeps 4
1 large double bedroom, 1 small bed room with two single beds
Bathroom with bath and overhead shower, basin and toilet. Kitchen with dishwasher, fridge freezer, oven, electric hob, microwave
Utility cupboard with washing machine. Living room with French doors leading to terrace and garden.
Folly Cottage - Sleeps 4
Two bedrooms, one double with en-suite shower room and one twin room and further bathroom Open plan kitchen with dishwasher, cooker with electric hob and microwave/ living room with French doors leading to terrace and gardens.
Fig Cottage - Sleeps 4
Two bedrooms, one double with en-suite shower room and one twin room and further bathroom. Open plan kitchen with dishwasher, cooker with electric hob and microwave / living room with French doors leading to terrace.
(There is a Laundry room situated close to the Cottages for guests of Folly and Fig Cottage to use.)
How to find us
East Dean is located 3 miles from Eastbourne on the A259. Eastbourne has a mainline railway station to London Victoria, (1hr 20min) stopping at Lewes (20min) and Gatwick Airport (1 hr). Local buses run frequently from Eastbourne to Brighton via East Dean. The nearest bus stop is located 2 minutes from the Cottages.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Here at The Beachyhead Holiday Cottages we realise that tourism is a terrific business which can benefit the local community, environment and visitors. However, if it is not regulated, insensitive tourism can threaten the quality of the tourism experience and the local environment. We are committed to providing attractive and comfortable accommodation, whilst bringing benefits to the local community and doing what we can to protect our immediate countryside and enhancing the visitor experience to Beachy Head.
To show our commitment we have a Gold Award under Green Tourism Business Scheme. This scheme provides accreditation training & encouragement for tourism businesses to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. By encouraging sustainable practices the scheme ensures the continued enjoyment of the environment around us for future generations.
Our aims and what we are doing to achieve them:
• To reduce energy consumption we have installed low energy lighting and bulbs, the cottages are fitted with A & B energy efficient rated electrical equipment (washing machine, fridge, freezer, and dish washer). Our boilers run at over 95% efficiency and the cottages have 8 inches of insulation under the floor. We also record our energy use levels of electricity, gas and water in each cottage so we can measure any improvements we make.
• To reduce water wastage we fitted small toilet cisterns with dual flush loos. The taps have aerators and all the cottages have showers.
• Improve the local Environment. The cottages are part of the overall farming and Estate business. Visitors come to the cottages because the environment is so special. Visitors and the need to have repeat business encourage us to maintain the countryside and estate walls and buildings. As a result we have taken the farm out of intensive farming, removing the need for harmful chemicals and sprays.
• Recycling and composting all waste – we aim to recycle and compost as much as possible to save natural resources, save energy, reduce the need for landfill and reduce the cost of disposal. Recycle bins are available for guests to use as well as encouraging guests to feed scraps to the chickens and use the composting bins
• We aim to keep the use of pesticides and hazardous substances to a minimum both on our land and in the cottages. The Farm is managed under the Organic Farming Scheme as well as the Environmentally Sensitive Area Scheme which prevent the use of pesticides, non-organic fertilisers and has seen an increase in wildlife. Where possible we use natural products in the cleaning and maintenance of the cottages, e.g. Ecover cleaning products
• To reduce dependency on cars we encourage guests to have car free days out, by using local transport, hiring bicycles or walking with the aim of minimising the use of the car and fuel consumption.
• Enhance the visitor experience by building on our location in beautiful countryside close to the sea. We supply details of wonderful walks and actively encourage visitors and children to enjoy all the wild life on their door step. In addition to the Sheep Centre and rare breeds in the fields around the cottages we provide binoculars and information from the RSPB for identification of our ‘feathered’ visitors
Community
East Dean, winner of several Best Kept Village Awards is a very thriving community, and it is always important to support each other. We have in each Cottage a book of knowledge which will advise guests of the many local attractions and activities available right here on their doorstep.
Here in the village you may wish to drink and dine at the famous Tiger Inn pub or Thai Restaurant, visit the local Deli or Tearooms here on The Green. You can visit the Sheep Centre, where there are over 40 different breeds of sheep. You can help feed the lambs, meet the animals and take a tractor trailer ride. Groups of 5 or more can arrange to have a Brewery Tour at the Beachy Head Brewery.
There are many pretty villages to explore with good pubs, restaurants, antique shops and tearooms. Every Wednesday right here in the village we hold the Local Farmers Market.
We recognise that is our responsibility to help address local issues, and we work very closely with the local council where necessary to address these with regards to the environment.
We host many summer fete's to support local charities as well as a annual music festival here on The Green, which is very popular to support a chosen charity at the time.
Beachyhead.org is an organisation which includes the Holiday Cottages, The Tiger and The Beachy Head Brewery providing many employment opportunities across the board in the local area, the employment roles are varied and everyone is paid fairly. All employees are fully trained for their role and training courses are constantly offered enhancing employees personal development.
All guests to the Holiday Cottages/The Tiger and East Dean are provided with the warmest welcome. We greet all guests where possible to ensure they have everything they will require for a very comfortable stay as well as making sure they are provided with the information they will need with regards to local amenities etc.
Landscape
Beachy Head is one of the most inspiring places in the World, created about 10,000 years ago when, at the end of the Ice Age, sea levels rose and created the English Channel. Since then it has been gradually eroding, exposing the brilliant whiteness of the cliff face.
The walking and cycling around Beachyhead are regarded as some of the best in England. It is a terrific spot for flora and fauna and it has a wide variety of bird life. Whether it's an energetic mountain bike ride through Friston Forest or a romantic stroll along the cliff tops, or a brisk walk along the Southdown Way one evening, Beachy Head has it all.
Some of the routes are more challenging than others, but all provide breathtaking views, within our books of knowledge at the Holiday Cottages we offer a few of the most popular routes, however they can all be found on our website.
