Things to do in South East England

42 places worth stopping for and 24 places to stay on a road trip through South East England.

See and do

Beach · East Dean
Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters
A shingle beach under chalk cliffs at the end of the Seven Sisters, with a National Trust cafe.
Viewpoint · Dover
White Cliffs of Dover
The chalk cliffs that mark England's south-east corner, with a cliff-top walk to South Foreland Lighthouse.
Walk · Seaford
Cuckmere Haven
The last meander of the Cuckmere River before the sea, with the classic Seven Sisters view.
Roadside oddity · LyddHidden gem
Dungeness and Prospect Cottage
A shingle headland with fishing huts, two lighthouses and Derek Jarman's garden of beach stones.
History · Maidstone
Leeds Castle
A medieval castle on islands in a lake, with gardens, a maze and falconry displays.
Beach · Camber
Camber Sands
The only big sand dune system in Sussex, with a flat sandy beach that goes out a long way at low tide.
Viewpoint · Eastbourne
Beachy Head
A chalk headland with the red-and-white Beachy Head lighthouse visible from the cliff top.
Garden · Cranbrook
Sissinghurst Castle Garden
A famous National Trust garden of connected 'rooms' around an Elizabethan tower.
Town · Rye
Rye
A hilltop medieval town with cobbled lanes, timber-framed houses and a harbour.
History · Bodiam
Bodiam Castle
A moated 14th-century castle with spiral staircases, battlements and a perfect reflection on still days.
Brewery · Hook Norton
Hook Norton Brewery
A Victorian tower brewery running since 1849, with a steam engine and 90-minute tours.
History · BeaulieuHidden gem
Buckler's Hard
A 18th-century shipbuilding village on the Beaulieu River, where Nelson's ships were built.
History · Woodstock
Blenheim Palace
A huge baroque palace and Churchill's birthplace, with parkland you can walk free on certain days.
Viewpoint · Poynings
Devil's Dyke
A steep dry valley on the Downs above Brighton with views over the Weald and Sussex coast.
History · Arundel
Arundel Castle and cathedral
A hilltop castle, a Catholic cathedral and a riverside walk in a small Sussex town.
Scenic drive
Scenic drive · BrockenhurstHidden gem
Rhinefield Ornamental Drive
A road through giant sequoias planted by Victorians, beside the Blackwater Arboretum.
History · KeyhavenHidden gem
Hurst Castle
A Tudor fort on a shingle spit reached by a mile-long walk or a short ferry from Keyhaven.
History · Winchester
Winchester Cathedral and the River Itchen walk
One of the longest medieval cathedrals in Europe, with a riverside path to the college water meadows.
Walk · DoverHidden gem
Samphire Hoe
A flat chalk grassland nature reserve made from Channel Tunnel spoil, free to enter beneath Shakespeare Cliff.
Roadside oddity · MargateHidden gem
Margate Shell Grotto
An underground passage covered with millions of shells in mosaic patterns, of unknown origin.
Beach · BroadstairsHidden gem
Botany Bay, Broadstairs
A sandy bay with chalk stacks and wave-cut arches, best at low tide.
History · Herne BayHidden gem
Reculver Towers and Country Park
Twin church towers on a coastal bluff, built inside an old Roman fort, with a clifftop walk.
Walk · FolkestoneHidden gem
Folkestone Harbour Arm
A restored harbour arm lined with food stalls and bars, with sea views all the way to the lighthouse.
Viewpoint · IvinghoeHidden gem
Ivinghoe Beacon
The northern end of the Ridgeway, a chalk hill with wide views and a gentle approach from the car park.
Viewpoint · WatlingtonHidden gem
Watlington Hill
A chalk hillside with a chalk-cut White Mark and some of the best red kite watching in the Chilterns.
Garden · Taplow
Cliveden gardens and Thames woods
A National Trust estate above the Thames with formal gardens, riverside woods and a grand house.
Viewpoint · DitchlingHidden gem
Ditchling Beacon
The third-highest point on the South Downs, with a steep road climb and a big view over the Weald.
Town · Lewes
Lewes
A hilltop castle town with antique shops, a brewery and steep cobbled lanes.
Viewpoint · SteyningHidden gem
Chanctonbury Ring
A ring of old beech trees on a Downs hilltop above Wiston, with an Iron Age hill fort and big views.
Town · Hastings
Hastings Old Town and net huts
Tall black wooden huts used by fishermen for centuries, beside the fishing beach and a good fish and chips scene.
History · St Margaret's at CliffeHidden gem
South Foreland Lighthouse
A Victorian lighthouse where Marconi tested early radio, on the cliff top above Dover.
Town · Whitstable
Whitstable harbour and oysters
A working harbour town famous for oysters, with a pebble beach and beach huts.
History · Uffington
Uffington White Horse and Dragon Hill
A 3,000-year-old chalk horse cut into the hill, with a ridge walk to a Neolithic burial chamber.
History
History · Minster LovellHidden gem
Minster Lovell Hall
Ruined medieval manor on the River Windrush, free to wander and rarely crowded.
Walk · Wendover
Wendover Woods
The highest point in the Chilterns, with beech woodland trails, a cafe and a firecrest trail.
History · BignorHidden gem
Bignor Roman Villa
A farmer's field that turned out to hide one of the largest Roman villas in Sussex, with mosaics intact.
Brewery · LewesHidden gem
Harveys Brewery, Lewes
A Victorian brewery on the River Ouse that has been making Sussex ale for over 230 years.
Cave · West Wycombe
Hellfire Caves, West Wycombe
Chalk caves dug by hand in the 18th century, now a self-guided walk underground.
Walk · Horndean
Queen Elizabeth Country Park
Forest and chalk hills on the Hampshire and Sussex border with mountain bike trails and walks.
Walk · LyndhurstHidden gem
Knightwood Oak
A pollarded oak in the Forest estimated to be around 500 years old, with an easy path from a car park.
Beach · Exbury
Lepe Country Park
A pebble beach on the Solent looking at the Isle of Wight, with an easy walk and a D-Day history trail.
Town · TurvilleHidden gem
Turville village
A tiny village in a Chilterns valley used as the set for The Vicar of Dibley.

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