Bellus: The Milky Way Over the Cottages at Cuckmere

Cuckmere Haven holds a special place in my astrophotography journey—it's one of those iconic Sussex locations that I return to again and again. The historic coastguard cottages, the meandering Cuckmere River, and the dramatic Seven Sisters cliffs create this perfect foreground for night sky photography. I'd been waiting for the right conditions: clear skies, low light pollution, and the Milky Way's galactic core positioned perfectly over the cottages.

This May evening delivered everything I'd hoped for. The sky was crystal clear, and as darkness fell, the Milky Way began to reveal itself above Cuckmere Haven. The Seven Sisters cliffs stood proudly in the background, their white chalk faces catching the faintest ambient light from the eastern horizon. The still waters of the Cuckmere River reflected the scene, doubling the magic and adding to the serene atmosphere of this South Downs coastal gem.

What makes this image special is the scale—the sheer vastness of our galaxy stretching across the sky, its dense core glowing in hues of gold, magenta, and deep purple. I shot this as a blend: carefully exposed foreground captures for the cottages and landscape, then a 120-second tracked exposure stacked across 14 frames to bring out the incredible detail in the Milky Way. The galactic core, with all its star clouds and dark dust lanes, turns this familiar Sussex location into something truly otherworldly.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that sense of connection—standing at Cuckmere Haven under the cosmos, where the history of these 1820s coastguard cottages meets the infinite expanse of our galaxy above the English Channel.