Cuckmere Estuary Partnership

The low-lying pastures south of the A259 form the distinctive landscape of the Cuckmere estuary that we know today, which is much loved by both locals and visitors.

The meanders

The meanders that loop across the north eastern section of the estuary mark the original river course before the Cuckmere was canalised south of Exceat Bridge.

Because the culverts at either end of the meanders are not connected, water cannot flow through them, and they are essentially now a fossilised feature of still water.

Little egrets and little grebes can often be seen on the meanders, feeding on insects, larvae and small fish.

The cut

The straight cut between Exceat Bridge and Foxhole corner was built in 1846, and should be lauded as a great feat of engineering as it was dug by hand. The purpose of the cut was partly to aid navigation up the river, partly to ease the flow of water out of the river and thus to reduce flooding upstream, and possibly also to help drain the pastures either side of the river so they could be reclaimed for agriculture.

Pastures

The pastures either side of the river are low grade grazing marsh and are used by local tenant farmers for grazing sheep and cattle. The meadows, particularly those on the west side which are slightly lower, wetter and less disturbed than those on the east, are also used by significant numbers of birds for grazing and roosting. The pastures on the west side are dissected by creeks and ditches which can be clearly seen if looking down from the surrounding hillsides. The straight ditches were probably for irrigation or may have been ‘wet ditches’ dug to keep stock in certain areas. The creeks are remnants from the intertidal saltmarsh and mudflats that used to cover the valley floor before it was reclaimed for farming. At that time they were formed by the sea flowing across the floodplain, and now they provide a rich feeding ground for ducks and waders.

Footpaths

A network of footpaths run through and around the estuary.

The Vanguard Way, which continues on all the way to Croydon, hugs the western side of the floodplain and provides a quiet route, popular with dog walkers and bird watchers. The concrete track that runs along the east side from the road halfway towards the beach provides easy access and is heavily used, particularly by families with bikes, prams or wheelchairs.

Footpaths also run along both river banks allowing people to walk right through the middle of the estuary. Although often muddy and narrow, these paths provide a great opportunity to explore the river banks and the plants and animals found there. There are also paths along the surrounding hillsides which give fantastic views across the estuary.

The lagoon

The large lagoon that lies behind the east beach was dug in the 1970s as a nature conservation project to attract breeding birds like waders and terns.

Unfortunately the islands within the lagoon are too vegetated for terns to nest there, but the lagoon still provides an important feeding ground for birds like the redshank.

East and west beaches

The mouth of the estuary is protected from the sea by shingle beaches either side of the river mouth. As a result of longshore drift and coastal processes, the beach on the west side has to be actively managed and is relatively small and steep. The beach on the east side is much wider and more gently sloping. As a result, highly specialised shingle plants like sea-kale and yellow horned-poppy have been able to establish themselves on the beach forming a rare and unusual habitat.