I never thought I would be hiking the Seven Sisters when I first arrived in London. I had not heard of Seven Sisters before! When my sister, K, suggested for us to go for a hike at the Seven Sisters, I agreed because it’s a new place for me to visit.
Content List
Getting to Birling Gap from London
Jama’ Qasar Zuhur and Asr
What to Expect at Birling Gap and Seven Sisters
The Endless Horizon
Walking Path
What to Wear
Slopes & Valleys
BYOF – Bring Your Own Food
Cafe & Ice Cream
The Shingle Beach
How Far and Long We Walked
Getting to Birling Gap from London
As K drove in London, we got to Birling Gap by car. The distance from her place to Birling Gap and Seven Sisters car park was a good 105 km. We started the journey at 9:30AM and finally arrived, without stopping – at Birling Gap about 2.5 hours later.
You can also get to Birling Gap by bus or train.
Jama’ Qasar Zuhr and Asr
With a distance of over 81 km – this has bypassed the allowance for the intention to combine Zuhr and Asr prayers; Zuhr on that day was at 1:02PM and Asr at 5:04PM.
When it was time for Zuhr, I placed the intention to bring it over to ‘Asr: “I intend to perform fard Zuhr shortened (qasar) to two rakaats to be combined (jama’ takhir) with the prayer of ‘Asr, for Allah Taala.”
Disclaimer and References on Jama’ and Qasar prayers:
Please seek clarification from an asatizah near you in regards to understanding Jama’ and Qasar prayers.
References:
Ruling of Jamak and Qasar During Travel Without Spending the Night
Solat 101 – Qasr and Jama’
What To Expect Hiking the Seven Sisters
K parked her car at the public car park of Birling Gap and Seven Sisters. They have 2 huge fields for parking, and there were staff who would be assisting you to where you can park your car. You will need to pay for parking at the Visitor Centre and display.
While we were walking from the car park to the Visitor Center, it started to drizzle. It was quite harmless and we went on to start hiking the Seven Sisters. However, the rain started pouring and we had to run back to the car.
We were there on the Sunday of a long bank holiday weekend. The Visitor Centre and any shelter nearby were crowded with families.
The Endless Horizon
As soon as I walked towards the Visitor Centre from the parking area, my view was met with an endless horizon of the sea. When I turned around, the sight of an endless green greeted me. The rain clouds made the scene dream-like, too.
It was a sight I will remember forever.
Walking Path
You will see an obvious natural walking path along the stretch. Beware of the edges while you are on the Seven Sisters cliff walk. The cliffs are prone to sudden cliff falls. So do walk slightly further from the edge.
There are also signs to remind you to be careful while hiking the Seven Sisters.
All along the path, I was surrounded with the sounds of nature. The crashing waves below and different chirpings of birds. I was so grateful to be able to appreciate the sight and sounds while walking along the Seven Sisters.
What To Wear
I did not exactly have hiking boots but put on one of my well-worn pairs of sneakers. It was supposedly Spring but it was still somewhat cold, so I wore a wooly cardigan over my athleisure wear. I also brought my raincoat and rain hat along – which were needed as it rained heavily just as we arrived!
The path along the hike was not very muddy or slippery although it was raining quite heavily when we arrived. I did wish I had a proper pair of hiking boots to make it easier for the hike.
Half-way through our hike, while we were walking back from our 5 km mark, the sun started to shine. We had to shed our raincoats and were basically in our usual athleisure wear.
Weather is always tricky in the UK! So be prepared for rain or shine!
Slopes and Valleys
There are many natural slopes and one very deep valley along the way towards the Beachy Head Lighthouse. I did see many hikers with hiking poles. Those are very helpful especially when the slopes get too steep to get on or off.
BYOF – Bring Your Own Food
We brought our own food, snacks and water bottles. We had bought salad bowls from M&S Food the night before. While the rain was pouring, we had our brunch seated in the car.
Sandwiches, biscuits and protein bars are highly recommended. We brought along with us a picnic mat. We sat at the top of the valley where we had a view of the Beachy Head Lighthouse to enjoy the sea breeze while taking a snack-break.
Cafe & Ice Cream
Within the Visitor Centre, there is a cafe and souvenir shop. You can get hot drinks and pastries, then buy souvenirs next door. Just about 1 km after the Visitor Centre, you can get drinks and ice-cream at the Belle Tout Lighthouse; it also offers Bed & Breakfast.
The Shingle Beach
At the end of our walk, as it was low tide, we decided to go down to the shingle beach. As opposed to a sandy beach, the shingle beach is filled with waterworn gravels, pebbles and cobbles. It was so unique as I am so used to seeing sandy beaches instead of a shingle beach.
We laid out our picnic mat, joining others who already had their mats out along the coastline.
How Far and Long – Hiking the Seven Sisters
Although the whole distance of hiking the Seven Sisters White Cliffs is a whopping 20 km or more, we walked 5 km out from the Visitor Centre and returned. We clocked a total of 10 km on the Seven Sisters cliff walk.
I was in awe most of the time. Although the view of the horizon was always the same, there were 2 lighthouses – Belle Tout and Beachy Head, we wanted to see and walk past. The excitement as we get nearer to each of the milestones made the walk more enjoyable.
The on and off drizzle made it quite breezy for us. The sun only came out towards the end of our walk. I would highly recommend hiking the Seven Sisters – rain or shine!
We made beautiful memories and dare I say, this day was one of the most memorable days out of our 4 months spent in London.
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