The stunning scenery at Birling Gap, by the white Seven Sisters cliffs, belies the ferocious waves that can beat against the chalk here.  This re-visit revealed ongoing erosion, as the steel steps down to the beach had become free-standing and an extension platform was being added for access.  The National Trust cafe and associated buildings remain, a great vantage point on a stormy day.  This is a beach and setting that stay in your mind’s eye long after any visit.

Spring visit photo gallery

The restorative effect of the beach for Jo and David.

A magnificent vista on a misty morning at Birling Gap.

Season: winter

This is a stunning natural setting for a beach, under the high, white Seven Sisters, one of the longest stretches of undeveloped coastline on the south coast.  Moving to the coast from ancient downland, you can find yourself rock pooling below towering cliffs of chalk.  Spectacular, unspoilt views of the sea emerge from all angles.  There’s a National Trust café and bar on the cliff top, while the beach below is a great example of a marine nature reserve.  The cliffs are eroding at up to one metre a year.  On this visit, the stormy sea was tearing at the cliffs on a high tide.  If you venture inland to Crowlink, the area is rich with butterflies and downland flowers. Nearby sites of archaeological interest, like Belle Tout neolithic enclosure, have much to tempt families too.  Highly recommended.

 Winter visit photo gallery

The importance of the beach to Judith.

A wild, stormy scene, under the cliffs on a high tide at Birling Gap in mid-December.

It was a fine scene at Camber Sands for this spring re-visit, with warm weather and bright skies to complement the natural arc of the bay.  Sometimes there’s a harmony among people that you can feel palpably in a natural environment and this was such an occasion.  So thank you to my open interviewees.

Spring season photo gallery

The free-spirited Lynsey, Kristen, Jo, Andrew and Laura at Camber Sands.

A sense of the beach by the water.

Season: winter

Camber Sands is a popular sandy beach, with picturesque dunes and interesting wildlife, near to the village of Camber itself.  The marram grass that you see covering much of the dunes has a deep root system which helps to hold the sand in place. Traditional chestnut fences along the beach help sand to build up more quickly.  It’s this combination of plants and fences that prevents the dunes from moving and burying the village.  There is plenty of wildlife and vegetation to see, including the brown-tail moth caterpillar, skylarks, sea spurge and the lethal berries of the black nightshade.  The tide was full for this visit, running right up against the dunes.

Winter visit photo gallery

Sally’s appreciation of the freedom and so much more, offered by the beach.

High tide at Camber Sands, on a bright winter afternoon.

A benign spell of weather made this a bright morning at Selsey Bill, with the inshore boats bringing whelks, crab and lobster ashore as I arrived.  I asked a retired fisherman, Norman James Woodland, what the beach means to him.  Before the interview, he told me traceable generations of his family had been fishing at Selsey Bill for 932 years, an unbroken chain that other families can also claim.  It was therefore a great pleasure to hear his recollections of time spent aboard and on land with his father.

Spring visit photo gallery

The recollections of Norman James Woodland.

A morning scene at Selsey Bill in West Sussex.

Season: winter

The western shoreline at Selsey Bill is being protected and managed in two ways, with the West Sands Coastal Protection Scheme guarding the beach at the Holiday Park and the Medmerry Managed Realignment Scheme being developed by the Environment Agency.  That beach is on Manhood Peninsula, the most southerly tip of West Sussex.  This visit was to the eastern beach.  It’s a base for inshore fishermen and well known for Selsey crab, as well as hosting the Lifeboat Station.  The current station will soon be replaced by a new boat and launching system, as explained by coxswain Martin Rudwick, below.

Winter visit photo gallery

Fisherman David’s relationship with the beach.

An interview with coxswain Martin Rudwick of the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea.

Looking back towards East beach in Selsey, from the end of the Lifeboat House walkway.

A warm, hazy light greeted me for this spring re-visit.  The tide was out and there was a flattening in the steep shingle beach by the waterside.  The bay has a fine arc to it, with cafes and shops to hand at the top of the beach.  This is a well-supported local beach, a favourite with anglers too.  The halcyon commercial days of the twelfth century are long gone, due to the silting up of the old harbour long ago, but Pevensey is still proud of its Cinque Port history and tradition.

Spring visit photo gallery

Catch or no catch, the pleasure of being on the beach for Ross.

The scene at Pevensey Bay on a warm, hazy day.

Season: winter

Oddly in these times of rising sea levels and eroding coastlines, the constant erosion of Beachy Head at Eastbourne has allowed the pebbles to build up here.  Pevensey Bay is an old fishing village, at the end of the sea wall from Eastbourne . Even now it is only just above sea level, and at high tide in the winter, the sea sometimes breaks through the sea defences.  To the North East, the Pevensey Levels are a natural haven for wild birds, flowers and animals. The area is very flat and still marshy, with many areas flooding in the winter.  Pevensey is a popular tourist attraction, featuring the nearby, historical Pevensey Castle.

Winter visit photo gallery

How the beach provides a steady supplement to Frank, as well as a tonic.

The setting at Pevensey Bay, on a bright winter’s day.

There’s an up-market feel here and outstanding architecture, close by Bexhill’s promenade.  On the town side, Georgian and Victorian terraces and facades bear witness to fine summer seasons in the past.  By the beach, the De La Warr pavilion and the Colonnade are striking examples of confident design.  With beach huts, shops, cafes and restaurants all along the seafront, a walk by the beach at Bexhill-on-Sea is a feast for the eyes, both natural and contrived.

Spring visit photo gallery

The beach as a re-balance for Kathryn.

Bexhill on a hazy spring day.

Season: winter

Bexhill makes for a relaxing visit to the seaside.  Two miles of promenade run behind a long, gently shelving shingle beach, with fine stretches of sand covering the lower foreshore.  The scene setting film was taken in front of the Colonnade, with the striking De La Warr building behind.  There are beach huts for hire, rock pools to explore and seafront cafes to enjoy, or you can simply relax and unwind on the beach and in the sea.   As simple as that.

Winter visit photo gallery

Christine’s affinity for the beach.

On the beach at Bexhill in the middle of December, under a bright sky.

The most westerly of the manonabeach Sussex beaches, West Wittering is also one of the most beautiful, with uncharacteristically soft sand and a fine view across The Solent to the Isle of Wight.  Mild, dry weather greeted me on this re-visit and the tide was low enough to enjoy shell hunting in the flat lower reaches.  There are dunes and picturesque sand dunes behind the beach here, a popular escape from Chichester and beyond.  Highly recommended.

Spring visit photo gallery

What the beach mean s to Emma and Tom.

Low tide in the spring time at West Wittering beach.

Season: winter

The most westerly of the Sussex beaches, West Wittering looks across to the the Isle of Wight and the Solent.  There are also fine views of Chichester harbour and the South Downs beyond.  The beach itself has Blue Flag status.  It’s sandy and a family favourite.  With beach huts and a windsurf club, you’ll find all you need here for a healthy day out in beautiful surroundings.  Within easy walking distance is the National Trust’s East Head, a site of special scientific interest and a wetland site of international importance.  Highly recommended.

Winter visit photo gallery

What the beach means to Lycan.

By the beach huts on a wild day at West Wittering.

Bracklesham Bay and its beach are the nearest port of call for the residents of East Wittering.  This attractive edge of West Sussex looks across to the Isle of Wight and the Solent, with its yachting associations.  The mild weather coincided with a low tide, making plenty of the beach available.  Joanne makes reference to the poignancy of memories and a natural affiliation to the beach, including a sense of national identity, here on the coast.

Spring visit photo gallery

What the beach means to Joanne.

By the water, the shingle and the beach at Bracklesham.

Season: winter

Bracklesham Bay is a great location to observe and collect fossils. The sea erodes fossil bearing clay, formed during the Eocene epoch around 46 million years ago. Each day, as the tide retreats, a variety of fossils can be found deposited on the sand, including: bivalve and gastropod shells, shark and ray teeth, corals and many other marine fossils.  Access is good.  The beach itself is sandy and has a gently shelving shore, making it perfect for swimming, sailing, fishing, surfing and diving.  Water sport enthusiasts will enjoy the wind surfing and kite surfing too.  Finally, it is an important stop for migrating birds.

Winter visit photo gallery

Eddie charts the changes on this beach.

A stormy day at Bracklesham Bay..

Bright sunshine greeted me for this seasonal re-visit, with a rising tide at Pagham.  The beach is made up of steep shingle and care needs to be taken when bathing.  The Yacht Club is the hub of the beach at the weekend and there was plenty of social activity and sailing in front of the club.  It’s a pleasure to walk along the shingle, towards the nature reserve just across the water from this part of the beach.

Spring visit photo gallery

Family times on the beach in all weathers for Paul.

By the shingle and the sea at Pagham beach.

Season: winter

Pagham Beach is shingle and although the tide does not go out very far, it still provides a safe and relaxing placed to visit and enjoy.  Within walking distance, there is a local café and gift shop, with plenty of places to eat and stay nearby.  The highlight of this area is the 1500 acre Pagham Nature Reserve situated a short distance away to the West of the beach.  In the summer Pagham is a popular visitor destination.  It’s a south east facing shingle beach and has a large shingle bar at the harbour entrance, which makes this a good beach for windsurfing and sailing. A WW2 Mulberry Harbour platform is visible at low tide.  Of local historic interest are the old railway carriages, still in use for some of the beach houses.

Winter visit photo gallery

Gail’s view on the beach, in the teeth of the wind and rain.

A wild December day on the beach at Pagham..

The weather was kinder for this seasonal re-visit.  The weekend had encouraged day trippers to enjoy Bognor Regis’ beach and there was plenty of activity on the promenade, as the shops, booths and cafes began a new season.  There was a spring in the step of the visitors, a tonic after a long period of mixed weather.

Spring season photo gallery

Different stimuli at the beach for Neil and Vicki.

The scene on a weekend town beach in spring.

Season: winter

There are two central beaches in Bognor Regis.  West Beach sits to the west of the Bognor Regis Pier entrance, with East Beach predictably on the other side.  With shingle on the shore end and large expanses of flat sands at low tide, both are family beaches.  The large number of groynes or breakwaters are excellent windbreaks for hot, breezy days on the beach.  The magnificent Royal Hotel overlooks West beach.  To the east of the pier entrance is East beach.  It’s close to the main town centre and all the facilities you’d want, with car parks close by.

Winter visit photo gallery

Alan is a long way from home, examining the beach.

The scene on a stormy winter’s day at Bognor Regis.

Felpham is a town beach and attracts local and visitors alike, particularly on a weekend like this, for my re-visit.  The sailing club was in full swing and I chatted to Peter on the terrace outside the club.  Despite its proximity to Bognor Regis, this beach has a more genteel field, emphasised by the tidy lines of beach huts and the green area in front, between the huts and the promenade next to the beach itself.

Spring visit photo gallery

Peter’s eulogy to the beach and Felpham.

On the waterline at Felpham in West Sussex.

Season: winter

Like most of the West Sussex beaches, Felpham is made up of pebbles and sand, divided by groynes as sea defences.  The receding tide reveals rock pools and large areas of flat beach. There are rows of beach huts and it’s more built up, with a promenade, than its more easterly neighbours like Middleton-on-Sea.  Felpham attracts more locals than visitors, due to its location behind the village, with most tourists heading to West Beach and East Beach in Bognor Regis itself.

Winter visit photo gallery

What the beach means to Hannah.

Rain lashes the shore at Felpham in December.