Getting some green in London: The Seven Sisters

I had a bad week. The remedy? The great outdoors.

Unfortunately, I happen to live in the most densely populated city in the UK, surrounded by a multitude of motorways and A-Roads. I love London but my gosh do I miss the sea air, the open fields and the space. It's no Norfolk, that's for sure.

There is a solution however. Clapham Junction is the world's busiest station, with over 2,000 trains passing through every single day. Some of those trains happen to be heading straight out to sea.

At 7:15am on a bright and beautiful Saturday morning, I met my favourite travel companion on platform 13, coffee in hand. We adorned arm-length thermals, waterproof trousers and hats, prepared for the great British downpour we were certain would hit us as we embarked on clambering across the Seven Sisters (it never arrived).

The Seven Sisters guard the South Downs Way from the biting waves of the English Channel. The luminous and glimmering chalk, formed from the remnants of marine organisms when the sea engulfed the land once upon a time, creates the most impressive backdrop to the pebbled beaches and lapping, shiny tides. I was in awe as we stood at the base of the first Sister - 'Haven Brow' - towering over us at 253 feet. Between each of the rolling clifftops lies a carpeted, green gully, spilling into sheep pastures and secret footpaths across the South Downs Way to the north and a sheer drop into the tumbling sea to the south.

We took the train to Seaford, a small seaside settlement overshadowed by it's neighbours - Newhaven and Eastbourne. Seaford lost it's stake as a main port when the River Ouse was re-directed to Meeching in 1539, but it certainly has not lost it's charm. As we rambled through the windy streets towards the seafront, we encountered a street market selling local produce and organic shampoos in the shadows of the morning light. There are a handful of delightful pubs and eateries, including 'The Plough', where Laura and I enjoyed a Copper Ale in the late afternoon sun after our clifftop walk.

The seafront is roughly a seven minute walk from the train station. Once on the promenade, we headed left, past a line of freshly painted sea huts standing proud against the concrete walkway. Directly ahead, the sharp ascent of a white, chalky cliff poised, waiting for our arrival.

It took us roughly two hours to ascend, descend, ascend and descend again, between Seaford and the even smaller settlement of Birling Gap. This walk is 4 miles shorter than the walk between Seaford and Eastbourne, yet it boasts all the sights as we walked perpendicular to the sea, high above the waves. The wind toyed with us every now and then, but the sun shone it's happy face on ours as we took full advantage of the glorious day.

Between Seaford and Birling gap, there are no shops. We packed vegan sausage rolls and munched atop 'Haven Brow', overlooking Cuckmere Haven. Once at Birling Gap, there is a national trust cafe and toilets however. From here, we bought cheesy wedges and cauliflower and turmeric soup, planting ourselves at the base of a chalk cliff to watch the bravery and excitement of both children and adults alike as the dipped their toes in the cool water.

Instead of walking the two hours back, we headed along the twisting road into East Dean and rode a a fifteen minute bus back to Seaford.

The journey from Clapham Junction to Seaford cost £22 for an open return and took one and half hours. Living on a teachers wage can sometimes be a struggle, but I can tell you now - the cost was worth it. Sometimes I think us Londoners forget how accessible these wonderful, nature-filled spots are.