Sandwiched between the better-known resorts of Worthing and Bognor Regis, Littlehampton is the sort of English seaside town that rewards a second look. It sits where the River Arun meets the English Channel, and that riverside setting gives it something most South Coast towns lack: two very different beaches separated by a working harbour, a short white lighthouse and a red swing bridge.
Start on the east side if you want classic seaside. East Beach mixes sand and shingle behind a promenade and big seafront greens, lined with cheerful beach huts in yellows, blues and purples that you can actually book for personal use. This is where the cafés, amusements and fish-and-chip queue live — Osca's Fish & Chips is the local classic, while 47 Mussel Row serves crab, scallops and mussels straight off the boat. Riverside Fish, a nearby fishmonger, covers the self-catering crowd.
Cross the river and the mood changes completely. West Beach, about 15 minutes' walk from the harbour bridge along the riverbank, is one of only three sand dune systems in West Sussex and genuinely one of England's loveliest. Expect sand flats, shingle, grassy dunes and rare wildlife in a protected landscape — stick to the boardwalks and marked paths rather than cutting across the vegetation. Time a long walk west of town for low tide, when the beach opens up into a wide sandy expanse that's unusual for this stretch of coast. There's a ruined Napoleonic-era fort nearby and fossils along the shore. If you fancy a proper leg-stretch, the riverside path runs roughly five miles upstream to Arundel, a handsome market town crowned by a castle.
Littlehampton also has a surprising design streak. The East Beach Café, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, is a rippling, weathered-steel structure meant to echo the textures of the shoreline, and just along the promenade sits the Long Bench by Studio Weave — 354 yards of reclaimed hardwood winding around lampposts, its length engraved with messages from locals and visitors. The modest pier, hovering over the water at the harbour mouth, is worth a look even if it can't compete with Southend's epic Victorian effort. Pier Road leads back into town past independent shops, including Pier Road Coffee & Art, which doubles as a gallery for local artists, and an RNLI charity shop for maritime gifts.
The practicalities are painless. Direct trains run from London, and Brighton is around 50 minutes away by rail, so Littlehampton slots neatly into a wider Sussex coastal trip. Everything — station, town centre, riverfront and both beaches — is walkable, making it an easy day trip: dunes in the morning, East Beach and a riverside stroll in the afternoon, harbour-view lunch in between.
For travellers bored of the same South Coast heavyweights, Littlehampton offers the rare combination of a proper family beach and a genuinely wild dune landscape within a five-minute stroll of each other — plus some of the freshest seafood on this stretch of coast.
Original coverage: Islands
