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Cycling routes in East Sussex

East Sussex presents a world of opportunities for avid cyclists. If you’re hoping to enjoy a day out with the family, or just enjoy cycling around new parts of the country, you’ll find a series of excellent routes here. The countryside offers the perfect backdrop while you pedal away, and here are the best routes you can find.

Bewl Water Reservoir

What better place to start than the Bewl Water cycling route? This route takes you all the way around the massive reservoir, so it’s quite a big task! It’s a large loop, taking you through the countryside and near local farms. It offers beautiful views of the reservoir the whole way, and it should take around 2.5 hours to cycle at a good speed. Mile markers and signs are posted throughout the route, and you can download a map from the website to be sure you don’t get lost!

Brighton Pier Loop

Another lovely loop route takes you down to the seafront as you cycle along the shore. Brighton is your destination for this one, taking you 29 miles in a tight loop along the coast. You’ll see the iconic Brighton Pier, as well as all the seaside sights. It obviously is best suited for a summer bike ride, and there’s solid paving the whole way, so it’s quite easy to do. All in all, it should take around 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete.

Eastbourne Seafront

While you’re by the sea, you may as well think about another coastal cycling route in East Sussex. This time, you travel to Eastbourne to see everything this fine seaside town has to offer. The route takes you from the seafront along Pevensey Bay, then all the way to Beachy Head and the Downs. You’ll see so many quintessential small English towns during this route, and plenty of wonderful scenery as well. As far as cycling views go, few can compete with this route around Eastbourne.

The Cuckoo Trail

Lastly, you have The Cuckoo Trail, which is seen by many as an iconic cycling route in East Sussex. It’s paved the entire way, taking you through the Sussex countryside. You’ll pass through Hiram, Polegate and Hailsham on your way. It used to be a railway track, but now it’s full of natural wildlife and beautiful flowers. Keep your eyes and ears open for any small birds frequenting the trees along this route – woodpeckers are commonly heard and spotted around here! It’s a beautiful route with plenty of rest stops to eat and refuel, but natural wildlife is definitely the key selling point. On a good day, you can even see weasels and maybe a hedgehog or two!

These are a selection of the best cycling routes East Sussex has to offer. Naturally, you will find many others if you do some extra research. However, the four routes on this list should definitely be the first ones you try – and we would recommend Bewl Water as the starting point. Once you’ve crossed them off, you can move on to longer and harder cycling trails!