Beaches, with a dog
The nearest beaches to Lewes, and their dog rules. The summer bans run from 1 May to 30 September; outside them, and on the stretches below, dogs are welcome.
Seaford
No dogs from 1 May to 30 September on the stretch from Edinburgh Road, where the Bönningstedt Promenade starts, east to Frankie's Beach Café and the ice-cream kiosk opposite West View. Signs on the promenade show which parts are "No Dogs" and which "Dogs on Leads".
Dogs can walk the promenade on a lead. Outside that stretch, the town council names no ban.
It's Lewes District Council's 1995 byelaw, "Dogs on the Seashore and the Promenades".
- The beach shelves steeply, so the water is soon deep, and the tide runs along the shore and can carry a swimmer sideways.
- Weever fish lie in the sandy patches, mostly at the Newhaven end.
- Seaford Head's chalk cliffs fall often, and can break off metres back from the edge.
- The volunteer lifeguards cover weekends and public holidays only, 1 May to 30 September, 10am to 6pm.
Tide Mills
No dog rule we could find: it's west of the Buckle, outside Seaford's summer ban. Reached from the A259 at Mill Drove, between Bishopstone and Newhaven.
The same steep beach and tide as Seaford, and the weever fish are at this end.
Cuckmere Haven
No summer ban. The east side is the Seven Sisters Country Park, owned by the South Downs National Park; the west side is the Seaford Head nature reserve.
- The park asks that dogs don't swim in the meanders, lagoons or saltmarsh: they're home to wildlife. Respect any roped-off areas around the meanders and the shingle.
- Leads near livestock, wildlife, the cliffs and open water. On Seaford Head, keep dogs under control and clear of any grazing livestock. Keep to the main paths for the ground-nesting birds, March to September.
- Stay 5 metres from the cliff edge and from the foot of the cliffs: chalk falls without warning.
- Never cross at the river mouth. At high tide it can be 6 to 7 metres deep, with a current that can carry you out to sea. Go round by the visitor centre.
- There are no bins out on the haven: take it home, or use the bins at the car parks and the visitor centre, where dogs on leads are welcome.
Newhaven West Beach
Closed to everyone by the port since 2008, and still closed, with no date to reopen. Going on it is unlawful.
Saltdean and Rottingdean
No dogs on the beaches from May to September, except on three stretches. So Rottingdean's main beach, and Saltdean's main beaches by the tunnel, are dog-free all summer.
Dogs welcome all summer: from the Marina's west wall to the Rottingdean slope; from Chailey Avenue to Arundel Drive West; and from Longridge Avenue east to the city's edge. From 1 October to 30 April, every beach.
Dogs on leads on the promenades, all year. The fine for a dog where it's banned is £80, or up to £1,000 in court.
The summer ban is Brighton & Hove's Dogs Exclusion order of 2023. It runs until 19 October 2026 unless the council renews it, and it consulted on renewing it this summer, so check before next May.