Get your Boots on and Head for the Hills for the Coast and Country Walking Festival!

After a very successful first year of the Coast and Country Walking Festival in 2014, Eastbourne Borough Council and Wealden District Council are bringing it back for a whole nine days this September and October!

Coast and Country Walking Festival in Eastbourne and Wealden runs from 26 September through to 4 October and is aimed at walkers of varying ages, abilities and even interests, so you're sure to find a walk which is right for you.

Although one of the main aims of the walks is to get people active, energized, fit and healthy, the festival is also the perfect way to take in the outstanding natural beauty of the South Downs surrounding Eastbourne and other areas of Sussex. Some walks are free and some have a cost, but most walks have a maximum number of walkers, so be sure to book a place to avoid disappointment! 

With over 50 walks to experience the festival offers a range of walks including historical, literary, healthy and Nordic walks. There's short walks, long walks, easy, moderate or brisk walks, so take a look at some of our favourite picks and get yourself booked onto a walk!

Two Breweries Tour - Saturday 26th September

This is a 15 mile all day walk, starting from Bedes School on Dukes Drive, Eastbourne and ending at the Plough and Harrow in Litlington. Enjoy this scenic downland walk led by an experienced guide to East Dean where you'll stop and visit the first of two breweries, Beachy Head Brewery. Discover the brewing methods adopted by Head Brewer, Roger Green and enjoy the tutored tasting whilst learning the history of the brewery. Continue the walk over to Litlington where you'll stop for lunch at the Plough and Harrow before commencing on the second tour and tasting at the Long Man Brewery! A great value walk at just £15 per person; there are 30 spaces so book your place if you have a passion for real ale and brisk country walks!

Arlington Abbots Wood Nordic Walking Taster - Tuesday 29th September

A short but brisk walk, this session will teach keen learners a fitness walking discipline which can burn over 35% more calories than easy walking and also aids muscle tone. Oakleafe Sussex Nordic Walking offers a 5-mile circular Nordic Taster from the Forestry Commission car park for Abbots Wood by Wilbees Road/Caneheath through Arlington. The taster session, led by International Nordic Walking Association accredited Nordic Walk instructor, Nigel Bentley, is a circular route which explores the forest rides, lake and higher ground to the north, ascending 225 feet along the way. Nordic Walk poles are available for loan and completion of a fitness assessment form is required prior to participation. This is a 5 mile walk, with a maximum of 15 participants, free of charge but donations are welcome.

A Photographic Walk along the Cuckoo Trail - Friday 2nd October

If capturing some natural beauty on your camera is what makes you happy, book a place on this gentle walk along the Cuckoo Trail, starting in Hailsham. You don't need to be an expert, just someone with a desire to walk and photograph. A professional photographer will be on hand to accompany the group and you'll even have the chance to download your snaps at the end of the walk, onto PC's provided, and have a short lesson on editing your images using photo editing software. This walk is free of charge, but hurry to book your place as there's a maximum of 16 walkers.

For all the details of the Coast and Country Walking Festival go to sussexwalkingfestival.org.uk or visit the Eastbourne Tourist Information Centre to pick up your complete 36 page guide to the walking festival with a full list of all walks across the nine days. You can also book a place on a walk by calling 01892 602757. Dogs on leads are allowed on most walks, children are welcome too provided under 16's are accompanied by an adult!

Oh We Do Like To Be b'Cider Seaside!

If you like the seaside, and you like beer and cider, then Eastbourne really is the only place to be this Bank Holiday weekend. What's more, there's a fantastic line-up of live music across the three day Beer and Cider by the Sea festival taking place on Eastbourne's Western Lawns between 22 and 24 May!

There is an abundance of local real ales and ciders available at the seaside festival; with over 100 to chose from, the festival is bigger than any year before now. Local Long Man Brewery are sponsoring the event and they will be serving up some delicious ales and ciders including, American Pale Ale, Best Bitter, Long Blonde, and Copper Hop!

Beers and Ciders are coming from local brewers, but also from far and wide so you can expect to experience a magnitude of flavours from across the UK. From Summer Lighting, Blowing Stone and Hop Rocket to Iron Horse, Toad in the Ale and Wight Knight, you'll not only be tasting delicious drinks, you'll also be amused by their great names!

If your a lover of outdoor seaside festivals, but not so much of beer or cider, then worry not. There are four cocktails to choose from, one mocktail and a selection of fine wines! Get fruity and flirty sipping on a Caribbean Fondle, Luscious Blush, Kitty or Mudslide cocktail - the perfect accompaniment for a Summer Bank Holiday weekend. For the non-alcoholic cocktail fan, there will be a 'Cardinal's Cocktail' with 'sin' alcohol (no alcohol).

A seaside cider festival would be incomplete without a line-up of super bands - and Beer and Cider by the Sea has just that! On Friday 22, get your wiggle on dancing to Wakin' Snakes, a lively American and Cajun band and then wind down a little to the sound of acoustic guitar and bass duo, Strum 'n' Bass.

The live music continues into Saturday with Decadence Sleaze Excess performing  covers form the 60's to the present day during the festival's daytime session, and Large and Sound of the Crowd blasting out the finest tunes from the 1980's and dance hits from the 90's from evening to night!

Sunday is another fun-day with the festival extending to include a Sunday evening session this year. From 11am until 9pm, ticket holders can enjoy the atmosphere of the festival all day long and still have Bank Holiday Monday to recover before the working week starts again. Dirty Martini Swing Band, Unihorn and Granny Magnet will provide the Sunday soundtrack.

Eastbourne is the sunniest place in the UK, however even the sunniest place in this country isn't pardoned from a bit of wet weather. In the event of rain, Beer and Cider festival-goers need not fear though, as this year the festival is fully undercover, with the stage and bars all under canvas in large marquees. There is still an outdoor area for visitors to sit whilst listening to the bands play and enjoying some fresh sea air. Come rain or shine, the three day event will commence with nothing getting wet - apart from appetites!

Saturday and Sunday day time sessions are family friendly; children are welcome and will be entertained by bouncy castles and land zorbing. However, the evening sessions are for over 18's only.

All drinks must be purchased using tokens which can be bought at the festival in multiples of £10, with each token being to the value of 10 pence. All real ales and ciders will cost between £3.40 and £3.80 (34-38 tokens).

Beer and Cider by the Sea tickets can be purchased here!