Sussex Photography

Sussex Photography Exploring forgotten history, hidden oddities, and timeless landscapes — mostly on foot. Photography, videography, and storytelling from East Sussex and beyond.

Exploring the forgotten corners of East Sussex.
🎥 Reels of hidden history, oddities & ancient landmarks
📷 Moody UK landscapes & countryside walks
Prints & high-res images available on request

13/06/2026

South Downs poppy season 2026 across four East Sussex locations: Balmer Down, Itford Hill, Beddingham Hill and Firle Beacon.

This short video follows the route as one poppy field led to another. The first location at Balmer Down came through local social media and my Sussex Photography page. From there I spotted more red across the Downs towards Itford Hill. Then another field appeared below Beddingham Hill along the A26, before the final discovery at Firle Beacon, seen from the A27 while driving home.

Poppy fields are unpredictable. They often appear where farmland has been disturbed, cultivated, left fallow or changed in use, which is why they can be spectacular one year and almost vanish the next.

For photography, they bring their own challenges: wind, changing light, flower direction, access, and finding compositions that show both the close-up poppies and the wider South Downs landscape.

Full blog post with the four locations and photo stories on Sussex Photography.

Morning walk around the poppy field on the escarpment of Firle beacon on the south downs east Sussex. Was following th...
13/06/2026

Morning walk around the poppy field on the escarpment of Firle beacon on the south downs east Sussex. Was following the footpath around the field and up Beddingham hill then back over firle beacon. Some dramatic light and cloud but missed the best of it on the drive there.

10/06/2026

A South Downs Short from below Beddingham Hill in East Sussex, where a red poppy field appeared beneath the Firle ridge near the A26 towards Newhaven.

This was filmed during a photo scout along the South Downs Way, after spotting the poppies from the road. The walk gives wide views across the Ouse Valley, Kingston Ridge, Blackcap and the surrounding East Sussex countryside.

The poppies were facing the right way for a wide-angle composition, with their dark centres visible against the green Downs landscape and broken summer cloud.

09/06/2026

Tiny splash of electric blue on the South Downs…

Spotted on the chalk grassland escarpment below Firle Beacon near Beddingham Hill.

My best guess: Male Adonis Blue (around 80% confidence) rather than Common Blue — mainly because of that intense blue colour and the classic South Downs chalk habitat.

But butterfly people… prove me wrong.

One of the things I love about walking these hills is noticing that even the smallest wildlife turns into a little mystery.

What do you think — Adonis Blue or Common Blue?

07/06/2026

A short look back at some of the best High Weald woodland walks from May 2026, exploring the woods around Mountfield, Crowhurst, Darwell and Beckley in East Sussex.

This video includes the last of the bluebells in Crowhurst Wood, thick carpets of wild garlic in Spring Wood near Mountfield, stream walks through Darwell and Crowhurst, small sandstone waterfalls, and herds of deer in Beckley Woods.

May is one of the best months to explore the High Weald, with spring woodland colour, fresh green canopy, running water, birdsong and hidden paths through some of the quieter woods of East Sussex.

A final poppy field from the Firle Beacon ridge, looking across the South Downs towards Mount Caburn, with Kingston Ridg...
07/06/2026

A final poppy field from the Firle Beacon ridge, looking across the South Downs towards Mount Caburn, with Kingston Ridge further west.

I’d already explored several nearby poppy fields around Balmer Down, Itford Hill and Beddingham Hill, and was heading home along the A27 when I spotted this huge splash of red on the hillside.

I was tired, the light was far from ideal, and the wind made the photography tricky. The poppies were also mostly facing east, which limited some of the stronger compositions looking across the Downs. But with fields like this, you sometimes have to take the chance while it is there.

I had hoped to return in better light, but the storms and heavy rain may have changed the field completely now. Poppies can be brief, fragile, and unpredictable — which is part of what makes finding them so rewarding.

06/06/2026

Itford hill poppy field at sunset. with views north to mount caburn and the sun setting behind Kingston ridge to the west. Only had my mobile film with my while scouting it out missed some good photos of the sun setting behind. The intention to discover new compositions then return. Likely to wet now with all the rain so enjoy if your stuck indoors

Another poppy field found below Beddingham Hill on the South Downs.I noticed this one from the A26 while heading towards...
06/06/2026

Another poppy field found below Beddingham Hill on the South Downs.

I noticed this one from the A26 while heading towards the Itford Hill poppies. You can park in the layby beside the South Downs Way path, then follow the ridge towards Beddingham Hill, though reaching the field means a fairly long walk and a steep drop down from the escarpment.

This composition looks across the poppies towards the South Downs landscape, with the flowers facing the right way for a wide-angle shot. Poppies generally face towards the morning light, which helped here, as the black centres of the flowers were visible rather than turned away from the camera.

The plain daylight also helped keep the reds looking natural and saturated. Golden hour or blue hour can be beautiful, but it changes the true colour of the flowers. Here the poppies had that full, strong red against the greens of the Downs, with enough cloud detail in the sky to give the scene some extra depth.

A hard walk, but worth it for a proper South Downs poppy view.

Poppies below Itford Hill, East SussexA wonderful splash of red across the South Downs landscape below Itford Hill, on t...
05/06/2026

Poppies below Itford Hill, East Sussex

A wonderful splash of red across the South Downs landscape below Itford Hill, on the western side of the Firle Beacon ridge near the A26 towards Newhaven.

The poppies were growing around a cultivated area where the land seemed to have been left undisturbed, creating this striking band of colour among the greens and yellows of the surrounding fields. In the distance are Blackcap Hill and Kingston Ridge, giving the scene that unmistakable Sussex Downs feeling.

Rather than getting close to the flowers, I wanted to show how the poppy field sits within the wider landscape — a sudden burst of summer colour across the valley.

04/06/2026

Balmer Down Poppy field near Falmer, Brighton on the south downs east Sussex.

Explored this field one evening as only one I knew of in the area. Some great views west from Balmer down back to mount caburn and Firle beacon. From there noticed some other poppy fields along the Firle ridge.

More to come

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