Pett Level Beach

Pett Level is a quiet beach situated just beyond the the cliffs at Fairlight Cove, between Rye and Hastings. As with the majority of beaches along the Sussex coast Pett Level is mainly pebble/shingle which is held in place by a series of wooden groynes. As the tide drops, a decent sized area of flat sand is exposed.

Cliff End, at the south-western end of the beach, is worth a look at low tide when it is possible to see the fossilised stumps of trees that once made up an ancient forest. Believed to date back to before the Ice Age when sea levels were around 30m (100ft) lower than today.

Pett Level is also the resting place of the 17th century warship, HMS Anne. She was run aground here to avoid capture during the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690. The wreck lies on the low water mark of the beach and is only exposed during spring low tides.

Behind the beach are Pett Pools, a series of four large, shallow man-made lakes.  This is one of the areas premiere spots for bird watching with a wide range of wetland species and waders frequenting the pools.