Excelsior: The Milky Way from Beachy Head Cliffs

Standing on the edge of Beachy Head's clifftops at night is an experience that never gets old. At 162 metres, these are some of the highest chalk sea cliffs in Britain, and they offer one of the most dramatic viewpoints along the entire South Downs coastline. Far below, Beachy Head Lighthouse—built in 1902 and standing 43 metres tall—sends its beam across the English Channel every 20 seconds, a beacon of safety for ships navigating these waters.

I'd been monitoring the weather for weeks, waiting for this perfect September night. Clear skies, minimal light pollution, and the Milky Way's galactic core positioned to arc overhead from this specific clifftop location. The trek out in darkness is always slightly nerve-wracking—the sheer drop is never far away—but as I set up my camera and tripod, the first stars began appearing, and I knew it was going to be worth it.

As darkness deepened, the Milky Way revealed itself in spectacular fashion. The galactic core stretched overhead in this incredible display of infinite depth—billions of stars, nebulae, and cosmic dust creating bands of gold, blue, and deep purple across the night sky. Below, Beachy Head Lighthouse continued its faithful rotation, that red and white striped tower dwarfed by the towering chalk cliffs that have watched over it for over a century. The rugged cliff edge in the foreground adds drama and scale, leading your eye naturally down toward the lighthouse and then up into the vastness beyond.

I shot this as a blend: careful foreground exposures at f/2.8 to capture the clifftop grasses and lighthouse below, then an 11-frame tracked stack at 60 seconds per exposure to bring out the incredible detail in the Milky Way. The soft glow on the eastern horizon—the distant lights of Eastbourne—contrasts beautifully with the cool blues and deep blacks of the night sky.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that sense of standing at the edge of the world—on top of Beachy Head's famous chalk cliffs, with the English Channel stretching endlessly before you and the infinite cosmos arching overhead, while Beachy Head Lighthouse continues its eternal vigil below.