Tag: seven sisters

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The Singer and the Sea

Down by the lapping waves we talk folklore, legend and landscape with the singer and story collector Liz Pearson, who plays us some of the beautiful, mesmerising sounds she makes as Chalk Horse Music. The name comes from the figure of a horse carved into the side of a hill in the Cuckmere Valley,

A warm, hazy evening on the edge of England seems a million miles away from London and LA in the late Nineties when Liz and her partner Darren were turning out hits. Returning to her native coastline, they chose to engage with the magic, the memories and the history of the places all around them, giving very old stories a striking, contemporary musical setting.

As the last of the day trippers make the most of the high tide, Liz, Cole and Emily contemplate taking a dip and discuss how the stories embedded in the hills of Sussex are the inspiration behind Chalk Horse Music’s new releases, The songs featured in this episode are used with permission and can be found, along with many other beautiful tracks, at chalkhorsemusic.com.

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The Beachy Head Experience

Come with us on a walk back in time accompanied by kraken, sea snakes, bowler hats and bones. We start with an astonishing view and an enchanted moment outside the new visitor centre at Beachy Head. Emily and Cole’s guide through millions of years of history is Jo Seaman, heritage expert and story teller, who takes us deep under the sea and high over the cliffs. We dig down through layers of soil to uncover hidden treasures and strange tales connecting the past with the present. Find out why Jo has put down roots on the Edge of England, has his head in the stars, and has developed a special bond with a skeleton. The latest episode of the podcast exploring the fascinating people, places and stories of the South Coast. Let your ears bring you here. For more information on the centre visit The Beachy Head Story.

Mabel the podcast dog surveys the valley inland of Beachy Head, looking out towards Belle Tout and the sea

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Parson Darby’s Hole

On a lovely day, with far too many people about (according to Cole), we go in search of the truth about a local legend, Parson Darby. Just who was the vicar who spent hours sitting in a hole in a cliff shining a light? Where was that hole? Did he save lives? Help smugglers? Die of a broken heart? Another fascinating story from the Edge of England, uncovered and told by award-winning broadcasters Cole Moreton and Emily Jeffery.

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Hope Gap

What’s even better than a good walk and talk in the glorious outdoors? Doing it with a new friend who takes us to a new place. When writer and podcaster Giles-Paley-Phillips joins us near his home in Seaford we wander past a row of unit vehicles on location for the film ‘Hope Gap’. It’s now been released on Netflix, so along with our audio ‘pictures’ of this amazing landscape, you can watch the film and see what we’re on about. Despite Emily’s best efforts she didn’t spot Bill Nighy – maybe he’ll agree to be a guest on a future episode. What we did encounter were dazzling white cliffs, a hidden cove, enticing rock pools and a Spitfire. (Watch out for that Spitfire in coming episodes: strangely, it becomes a recurring them). The latest shiny new edit of an episode of Edge of England with Cole Moreton and Emily Jeffery, released each week during lockdown.

Giles Paley-Phillips shows Emily Jeffery the view from Hope Gap

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Belle Tout Lighthouse

A shiny new edit of an episode of the Edge of England podcast every Saturday during lockdown, with Emily Jeffery and Cole Moreton. Fascinating people, places and stories from the stunning landscape around Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters on the South Coast. This time we visit the beautiful Belle Tout lighthouse, perched (safely) near the edge of a four hundred foot drop.

Edge of England with Emily and Cole at the beautiful Belle Tout lighthouse

Owner David Shaw brought the lighthouse back from the edge of ruin, which cost a fortune. Its walls contain tales of a King, a queen and a She-Devil and you’ll hear an alarmingly entertaining story about a lighthouse keeper, madness and murder. But the Belle Tout, a few miles west of Eastbourne, is now a unique and gorgeous bed and breakfast with the most amazing 360 degree views of the sea and the South Downs.

Maybe one day you will be able to come and stay in David’s lighthouse? Get in touch, perhaps we can walk the South Downs together and tackle the rise and fall of the Seven Sisters.  Until then, take us with you in your ears wherever you are.

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Back to the beginning: Birling Gap

We’re going to put out a shiny new edit of an episode of the Edge of England every Saturday, hoping that by the time we reach the end lockdown will be over and we can make some more. Lots of people have said kind things about the podcast, so why not get away from it all with your lovely ears by coming on a walk with us?

It all begins on a blustery spring day, one of those days that catches you out with eye –stinging, nose-watering coldness, despite the daffodils being out. A conversation in a sea front café between the pier and the bandstand. At one end, taking shelter from the wind, rain and sea spray, is a man who sleeps rough, keeping warm with a steaming coffee thanks to the kindness of the café owner. At the other end of the café, Cole, Emily and Mabel the dog have an amiable argument about work, life, that sort of thing. There are lots of things they never will see eye to eye on, but they are united in the way this part of the world has got under their skin. Taken hold. Taken them by surprise. The Edge of England.

This is a place full of stories. Stories of people and place where the land meets the sea. From the dramatic and crumbling coastline of Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters in Sussex on the south coast of England to the seemingly endless low-lying, under-the-radar expanses of land beyond Eastbourne and the harbour. This is a place that makes you feel something. A place that can change you. This is landscape that changes. From brutal and threatening to curious and welcoming. There are stories to tell here, from the past, and in the present. As story tellers, we decide to try to tell them and explore how we fit into the unfolding story of this place too. So, please come back with us to that blustery spring day and take a walk with us, the first of many, this time up onto the South Downs, and the podcast begins. Thank you for being here and welcome to the Edge of England.

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Season Two, Episode Four: The Mystery of the Son

In which we pick up with part two of the remarkable story of Parson Darby, his hole and his life-saving life. Cole and Emily go to find out the truth about this local legend from historian Elizabeth Wright, who reveals a surprising twist in the tale. Why did a young man turn up in France claiming to be the first-born son of the light keeper of Beachy Head? Why are there no records of his birth? What part did this mystery man play in the fight for an independent America? Are his modern relatives right to claim a link back to the tragic, heroic Darbys?

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Season Two, Episode One: Detectorists With Wings

In which Cole and Emily meet a man who makes supermodels look even better for a living, but who heads for the cliffs in his own time to spot birds as they arrive on their extraordinary journeys from the south reaches of Africa to the green hills of England. Why do they do that? What can you hear? We explore the wonders of nature and the nature of obsession, find out what it’s like to be a twitcher’s girlfriend and get a bit transcendental. Walk with us, chill, listen, wander, wonder … 

(If you’ve seen the show Detectorists, it’s a bit like that with wings. Or not.)

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