If you want to explore the Sussex coast, there is plenty to discover. Stretching for 225 km from Chichester Harbour to Camber Sands, it is rich in history, wildlife, culture, colour, sand, open spaces and buzzing towns.
In addition to all of which, all along the coast, you’ll find a vibrant and colourful cultural scene which incudes art trails, museums, street art, virtual art, sculpture, literature, history and folklore. All washed down with some great coastal restaurants.
Sussex coast beaches
Last count, there were a total of 50 Sussex beaches (27 beaches in West Sussex and 23 in East Sussex). There are three award-winning Blue Flag beaches in Sussex namely Hove Lawns, Marina St Leonards, and West Wittering. Other Sussex towns that have won Seaside Awards include Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Worthing, Saltdean, Brighton and Pelham Beach in Hastings.
Sussex coast towns
The Sussex coast is dotted with dozens of towns and villages all of which vary vastly in character.
The bigger coastal towns include Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Worthing, Shoreham, Brighton and Hove, Newhaven, Seaford, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings.
For smaller villages and towns, head to Selsey, Lancing, Rottingdean and Pevensey but in between these you’ll still find hamlets and villages as varied as there are many. Historic Bosham and Itchenor contrast beautifully with nearby sandy West Wittering. Unspoilt Climping is very different from the urban-scape of Lancing, while the nature reserve at Fairlight Cove feels very different from the vast open spaces of Camber Sands.
Nature reserves
You’ll find nature reserves a plenty on the Sussex coast. In West Sussex look out for nature reserves at Chichester Harbour, Medmerry, Pagham Harbour, Littlehampton and Shoreham. In East Sussex enjoy Castle Hill, the Ouse Estuary, Seven Sisters Country Park, Hastings Country Park, and Rye Harbour.
Interesting coastal landmarks
There were once 47 Martello Towers on Sussex shores between Rye and Seaford. These days, as you travel along the coast, you’ll come across 10 although some of them are now residential.
There are also a number of lighthouses, most notably at Beachy Head (two), Newhaven and Shoreham and let’s not forget the piers at Bognor, Littlehampton, Worthing, Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings, as well as lots of memorials.
If it’s ruins and shipwrecks you want, there is the ruined pier at Brighton and a number of important shipwrecks either out at sea or buried beneath the sand, such as the wreck of the Amsterdam near Bexhill. And there is even an abandoned village at Tide Mills and an abandoned island (Thorney Island).
You’ll find marinas too at Chichester, Littlehampton, Brighton, Newhaven, Eastbourne. Then there is the occasional windmill, like the one at Rottingdean and spring wells, like the one at Holywell. There are forts too at Eastbourne, Littlehampton, Shoreham, Newhaven and Pevensey and within a short distance from the coast, there are castles, like the hill top castle at Hastings. And of course, as well as flat estuaries and beaches, there are lots of cliffs and cliff top walks.
Seaside cafés and restaurants
Along the coastline are dozens of beachfront eateries, so you will never be short of somewhere to refuel. You’ll find enticing names like The Crab and Lobster, The Lobster Pot and Crabshack in West Sussex, Goat Ledge and Relais Cooden Beach Hotel in East Sussex along with Perch in Worthing and Lancing, Rockwater in Hove, and Eat at the Stade in Hastings to mention just a few.
The Sussex Coastal Path
The King Charles III New Coastal Walk runs all the way from Thorney Island in the west as far east to Camber Sands. If you’re interested in exploring the Sussex coast by foot, bike or boat, try one of these:
West Sussex
- Explore Remote Thorney Island off the Sussex Coast – currently closed
- Stunning 12 km Sussex Coastal Walk at Chidham
- Discover East Head
- Wittering to Itchenor
- Pagham Harbour 5 km Circular Route
- King Charles III Shoreham Coastal Walk
- Stunning 12 km Sussex Coastal Walk at Chidham
- Littlehampton Coastal Walk
- Selsey Tram Way
East Sussex
- Cycling the Kemptown to Peacehaven Coastal Trail. Part 1
- Cycling the Kemptown to Peacehaven Coastal Trail. Part 2
- East Sussex Walk: New England Coast Path: Newhaven to Peacehaven
- Seaford Walks
- Fabulous Seven Sisters Walk, East Sussex
- Walk to Beachy Head Lighthouse
- East Sussex Walks: Bulverhythe Coastal Link
- Rye Harbour to Hastings Old Town: an Epic walk
- Camber Sands
Cultural coast experiences
We’ll be adding to our series of trails to explore the Sussex coast which we’ll be sharing soon. On the meantime, :
- Explore The Sussex Coast With a Sussex Boat Trip
- Sussex Island Hopping at Chichester Harbour
- Pagham to Medmerry Cycle Route & Other Adventures
- Exploring Selsey
- Dutch Shipwrecks on the Sussex Coast
- Explore, Relax & Unwind in Felpham, West Sussex
Places to stay
Wake up to thee sound of the sea, at these gorgeous places to stay.
Getting to the Sussex coast
You don’t have to be a walker to enjoy the Sussex coast because there is a fantastic network of buses, and a number of areas that are suitable for cyclists. There is also a reasonable rail network from London to Bognor, Worthing, Brighton, Seaford, Eastbourne and Hastings, and a coastal rail service serving some areas.
