Cuckmere Estuary
Coordinates: 50 ° 45 ′ 18 ″ N , 0 ° 8 ′ 55 ″ E
The Cuckmere Estuary (also known as Cuckmere Haven ) is a flood-exposed plain in Sussex in southern England, between the seaside resorts of Eastbourne and Brighton .
This is where the meandering Cuckmere River flows into the English Channel . Cuckmere Haven is a popular tourist destination with an estimated 350,000 visitors annually for long beach walks and water activities. The beach at Cuckmere Haven is located directly on the famous limestone cliffs, the Seven Sisters , along which a route of the South Downs Way trail runs. At low tide it is possible to locate a wreck immediately downstream. This is the Polynesia , a German sailing ship, which ran aground west of Beachy Head in April 1890, laden with nitrate and soda . Cuckmere Haven is also home to a wide variety of protected birds and other animals.
history
The beach was frequently used by smugglers from the 16th to 18th centuries . For example, in 1783 two smuggling gangs (200 to 300 members each) overwhelmed the outnumbered royal officials and carried away a large amount of goods.
During World War II , this area caught the attention of the German Air Force when it was tasked with scouting out potential landing targets for an invasion of Great Britain . As a result of these German activities, numerous defensive structures such as bunkers , tank obstacles, tank traps and trenches were built. Cuckmere Haven was illuminated at night during the war to trick German bombers into thinking they were over Newhaven . An airfield was created further in the hinterland. In addition to these solid obstacles, the Cuckmere River has also been heavily mined.
Cuckmere Haven as a film location
- Cuckmere Haven Beach appeared in the opening scene of Kevin Costner's 1991 adventure film Robin Hood .
- The Seven Sisters Cliffs were also the filming location in the Harry Potter film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005 .
- In the summer of 2006, the beach served as the backdrop for the 2007 film Atonement . A postcard with the cottages for the lifeboats and the beach behind with the Seven Sisters was a central element of the film's plot. Robbie Turner, played by James McAvoy , looks at this postcard again and again in this drama and longs for the idyll that awaits him here after the war with Cecilia Tallis, played by Keira Knightley . The final scene with Robbie and Cecilia fooling around was filmed on the beach in Cuckmere Haven.