beach

Coast walking and talking … the best therapy!

/ Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Sunday 12th October 2025

We were blessed today to be joined on our walk by Hannah, aka Miss Keely – Milton Keynes’ most loved primary school teacher. Hannah kindly picked us up in Hove and drove us to Worthing which gave us a head start – it was just a matter then of a bus to Littlehampton. The combination of it being Sunday bus times and, the number 11 bus we boarded taking us around the houses, meant that we got to our start somewhat later than we had estimated … oh we laughed! But the pretty Marina was our starting point and although a little overcast it all pointed towards being a positive day.

Setting off from Littlehampton Marina … with Hannah

Now I have to confess, the next 8 miles over the next 3 hours absolutely flew by because I think, Hannah and I particularly, hardly came up for air – we had SO much to catch up on. Steve got an occasional word in too. We kept the walk at an easy pace and just enjoyed each others’ company. But I was aware of this coastal stretch being scenic and pleasant underfoot – luckily Steve was concentrating a little more and capturing the essence of this stretch with his fabulous photos. There was everything – sea views, colourful beach huts, beachfront properties to make us green with envy, sailing competitions and general prettiness.

More beach huts

Some of the beachside properties were outstanding – so hope that they’re lived in!

Hannah and I putting the world to rights!

This was a display on one of the toilet blocks walls – knitted fishes

Before we knew it we were strolling down the promenade into Worthing and it was a fantastic opportunity to take in more of this glamorous seaside town. The sun had fully come out by now and we were being treated to that wonderful seaside feel-good factor. We did search for a cup of tea, honestly, but it was very busy and the only seat we could find was by “Shrimpley the Best” beach hut, selling seafood and soft drinks/alcohol only. So wine and beer it was.

Worthing promenade

Cheers – “Shrimpley the Best”

So the walk from Littlehampton to Worthing was just over 8 miles – would definitely recommend it as a pleasant walk. But far better than the coastline miles clocked up was the value of great company – walking might be good for the legs but friendship is so good for the heart. Always treasured. xxx

Worthing to Hove … a little flat!

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Friday 10th October 2025

I have to admit that this was mostly an uninspiring stretch to walk – there were no hills, thrills or spills, just straightforward flat walking for 11.5 miles – the overcast weather added to the atmosphere of the day. So not a section to choose if you fancied an ‘interesting or glamorous stroll’ – we were literally joining up the dots, as we do.

Starting off from Worthing Pier – a pretty start

Worthing Pier

An interesting shop window display in Worthing

Having said that, there were pockets of seaside charm along the way …. in Worthing, Lancing and Shoreham … and for parts of it we had great beach views. Some stunning seafront properties – I can see there’s a bit of oneupmanship here – architect designed houses with oversized windows, balconies and swimming pools. All very lovely – not at all envious!!!

It was a mixed bag – noisy roadside walking, pretty promenade, thoughtful boardwalk to protect us from those pesky pebbles, sea views (loads of swimmers), retail units, building projects, harbour and marina, power station, sewerage works, steel works, port area and row upon row of beach huts (I counted 681 between Worthing and Hove … how sad am I)? Felt general relief when reaching the Hove Lagoon, so ending our 11.5 miles on a more glamorous and heavily populated stretch of promenade.

Shoreham Harbour

The wonderful boardwalk

Just love a beach hut – there’s plenty to choose from.

Thought this was very clever – made us chuckle!

These saunas seem all the rage on the Sussex beaches

This sort of sums up a lot of the day though!!

Rewarding ourselves at the end with a beer, at Rockwater on the Hove esplanade.

Saturday 11th October 2025

A short walk to Hove Park for this week’s parkrun, lovely course, thoroughly enjoyed.

And we have the rest of the day for leisure – yippee. Meeting our lovely friends Andrea and Keith later for an early dinner in Hove – life’s good.

Let’s get to ‘The Point’

/ Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Sunday 9th March 2025

Woke up to yet another beautiful blue sky day – perfect Spring weather. Up and out sharpish as today we were walking Spurn Head Spit, where tides can be an issue – we weren’t going to take any chances. Decided to drive as the bus journey was going to take two hours. Didn’t end up saving ourselves loads of that time due to tremendously stressful traffic diversion and congestion in the city – road closures – and then further on the roads were largely restricted to 30 and 40mph. We drove through some gorgeous villages though, some with magnificent churches, and it gave us a clearer picture for further days of walking.

We managed to take the last parking spot in the car park at Spurn and predicted this was going to be a busy old place. Turned out there was a European Angling Competition taking place and the anglers were all spaced out, with all the gear, along the whole stretch of beach. We got chatting to one competitor who told us the first prize was £4,000 for the weightiest cod or ray. He loved talking all things fish but seemed completely uninterested in our coastal walking chatter – funny that!! We continued our walk up the sandy beach, a little miffed that the fishermen were hogging all the firmer sand … mustn’t grumble. After two miles we were led on to a path that took us off the beach and behind some sand dunes. This shortly turned into a concrete path … being nature lovers we’re ashamed to say that we love a concrete path occasionally – today it was a lifesaver.

Setting off on today’s walk of Spurn Head Spit

The eager Anglers

Spurn is a narrow sandy spit that juts out into the Humber Estuary and curves round to the North Sea. It has a lot of history as a defence location, it has a lighthouse (open for visitors and refreshments) and a redundant lifeboat station. The spit’s main purpose now is a Wildlife Haven – you just have to be aware of the unpredictable tides that can leave you stranded. We were aiming for ‘The Point’ at the furthermost tip, so an out and back which we reckoned on being about 6 miles. We felt comfortable, although not many but other walkers heading the same way – we reckoned we’d be safe.

Spurn Pilot Station

There were glorious views the whole stretch, sea all around and sandy beaches, just wonderful. Shortly past the lighthouse, the signs for ‘The Point’ took us through a long and winding stretch of sand dunes. Steve did suggest we skip this bit and just head back but I said it was a shame to get this far without getting to ‘the point’ … ha ha! Did I ever regret that comment. Because (1) ‘The Point’ was literally a bench with one of those signposts that tells you how many miles it is to Timbuktoo and (2) after that it led us back to the beach. Now I love a beach but not walking another 4 miles of it on soft sand, I’d much rather admire it from something firmer. I confess to getting a little grumpy. If ever you find yourself on Spurn Head, take my advice … maximise the use of the concrete path.

This is ‘The Point’ of it all ….

By the time we got back to the car we had clocked up nearly 9 miles, 3 more miles than estimated. We found a spot on the beach to tuck into our picnic lunch and hot chocolate – always a great soother. We could relax while watching the anglers do their stuff – well not much really, they just seem to sit and look at their lines … saw no fish activity at all.

So, despite some grumbles and some achey legs from soft sand walking, the point is … we had another fabulous day.