I did a beautiful UK coastal walk but wish I checked 1 thing before

I did one of the most breathtaking walks in the UK and I failed to check one thing before I started it, which meant it was 40 minutes longer than it needed to be. The UK is home to some stunning hikes and my most recent adventure to the Jurassic Coast gave me some of the best scenery I've witnessed in my life. I recently completed the Seven Sisters hike between Seaford and Eastbourne, and it blew me away with its natural beauty.

The walk took around 4 and a half hours in total, but it could have been much shorter if I had checked one thing before I left London on the train for Seaford. Hiking boots on and bag packed with water and snacks, my hike began, and the views were instantly incredible. But if I had checked tide times before I left, I wouldn't have had to walk an extra 40 minutes on what was already a very challenging excursion. There is one section of the hike where you either cross a river or walk around it, depending on when you go.

Starting in Seaford, you first ascend a steep hill to reach your first of many peaks on the hike. Little did we know there was going to be a lot of ups and downs, so be prepared for lots of steep climbs on this route. The Seven Sisters hike is 13 miles (around 21 kilometres), so it's definitely on the longer end of the scale in terms of British hikes.

That, combined with the steep climbs, makes it rather challenging. However, it is stunning and hugely rewarding. The views of the chalky Seven Sisters cliffs are like nothing I've ever seen before.

Within the first 90 minutes of the hike, we reached the Cuckmere River. This is where we ran into an issue. During high tide, the mouth of the river swells, making it unsafe to cross. It was very deep, and the currents looked incredibly strong, so it would not have been smart to attempt to swim across it.

When the tide is out, the river becomes quite shallow, and people cross it, but you still need to be cautious. Because the tide was in, we had to walk parallel to the river for 20 minutes, cross a bridge, and walk 20 minutes back to rejoin the coastal trail.

However, it wasn't all bad. In fact, this was a nice part of the hike. At the bridge, there is a pub, The Cuckmere Inn, where we stopped to have lunch in the lovely beer garden. It was nice to sit for a while before we continued on, because we had quite a few climbs ahead of us.

On the walk back towards the coast, we encountered horses and sheep, which we stopped to admire. When we met the horses, we noticed how incredibly friendly they were. Although we decided to err on the side of caution, we did see one friendly horse approaching a number of hikers and enjoying the petting it was receiving.

Once we rejoined the hike, things got tougher. From far away, it simply looks like rolling hills that you could leisurely go up and down with ease. But when you get there, you realise how steep these hills actually are. It really takes it out of you.

The rest of the hike took around three hours, with a couple of sit-downs along the way. At Birling Gap, which is around two-thirds into the hike, there is a cafe and visitor centre where you can look at exhibitions about the cliffs and ask for information. There are also buses that run between here and Eastbourne, so if you decide you are done with hiking, that is an option.

From there, it was around another 90 minutes until we could see Eastbourne come into view. The toughest ascents were at the end of the hike, particularly the one you need to complete to reach Belle Tout Lighthouse.

It's a steep descent to Eastbourne and once you reach the town, you can take a path straight down to the beach. It is a stony beach, so it's not the most comfortable to sit on. But after hours of hiking, it felt like heaven to plop ourselves down and take our shoes off.

If I were to do it again, I would make sure to check tide times. While I didn't mind the extra 40 minutes of walking at the time, it did add extra time onto what was already a significantly long and challenging trail.