Lancing

Lancing itself has a modest range of places to stay, mostly guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering apartments and houses close to the seafront or handy for the railway station, which suits couples and families wanting a low-key coastal base without resort-town prices. Options directly overlooking the beach are limited, so many visitors base themselves a short walk or drive back from the front and simply stroll down for the day.

For a bigger choice of hotels, neighbouring Worthing offers everything from budget and mid-range chain hotels to independent seafront guest houses, all a few minutes away by train or car. Shoreham-by-Sea, on the other side of the River Adur, adds harbourside and town-centre options with easy access to its restaurants and the airport. Both towns make sensible alternative bases if you want more choice while still keeping Lancing's beach, chapel and lagoon within easy reach. Further afield, Brighton and Hove offer the widest selection of hotels on this stretch of coast, along with a livelier nightlife scene, at around 20 to 30 minutes away by train.

Whichever base you choose, booking ahead for July and August is worthwhile, as coastal accommodation across Worthing, Lancing and Shoreham fills up during the summer holidays and on fine-weather weekends.

Lancing punches well above its size for things to see and do, especially if you enjoy a mix of coast, countryside and a bit of architectural drama.

• Lancing College Chapel — an enormous Gothic Revival chapel on a hilltop above the village, built for Lancing College and holding the largest rose window in England. It is free to visit and the views over the Adur Valley from outside are worth the walk alone.
• Lancing Beach — a long shingle-and-sand shoreline with an outdoor sea-view gym, a skate park, a play park and a seafront café and ice cream kiosk. It is a popular spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing when the wind picks up.
• Widewater Lagoon — a designated Local Nature Reserve just behind the beach, separated from the sea by a narrow shingle bank. This brackish lagoon is a haven for herons, swans, cormorants and other wildfowl, with footpaths running its full length.
• South Downs National Park — the open chalk downland begins almost immediately north of the village, offering walking and cycling routes with sweeping views back down to the coast.
• Highdown Hill — a short drive or cycle west near Ferring, this Iron Age hillfort site gives one of the best panoramic viewpoints on this part of the coast, taking in Worthing, the Channel and the Downs.
• Shoreham-by-Sea — the neighbouring town across the River Adur has a working harbour, Shoreham Fort, an airport with a striking Art Deco terminal, and a lively High Street of independent shops.
• Brooklands Park — a family-friendly park with a boating lake, splash park and open green space, popular with local families year-round.

Lancing's seafront has a café and ice cream kiosk right by the beach green, good for a quick bite between walks. The village centre and North Lancing have a mix of independent cafés, an Indian restaurant and traditional fish and chip shops. For a wider choice, the short trip to Worthing brings options such as the Beach House Bar and Café on the promenade, while Shoreham-by-Sea's High Street has a well-regarded selection of independent restaurants and pubs, including several close to the harbour.

England has no general right to wild camping, so pitching a tent on Lancing Beach, Widewater Lagoon or the surrounding South Downs without the landowner's permission is not permitted, and rangers do patrol popular spots. The good news is that this part of West Sussex has a growing number of licensed campsites and glamping sites within a short drive, many making the most of the South Downs National Park setting just inland from Lancing, or the coastal plain running towards Climping and Littlehampton.

The terrain here is a contrast of two landscapes: the flat, open coastal strip around Lancing and Shoreham, exposed to sea breezes and salt air, and the steep chalk downland just north of the A27, which offers more shelter in the folds of the hills but can be exposed and windy on the tops. Sites tucked into the Downs tend to have a more sheltered, rural feel, while coastal pitches put you closer to the beach, the lagoon's birdlife and Lancing's seafront cafés.

The camping season generally runs from Easter through to late September, with the driest and warmest conditions typically in July and August, though this stretch of the Sussex coast is prone to sea breezes even in high summer, so a sturdy tent and warm layers for the evenings are sensible. Spring and early autumn can also be rewarding, with quieter sites, migrating birdlife on the lagoon and Downs, and lower prices, though nights are noticeably cooler.

For those who prefer more comfort than a tent, glamping has taken off across this part of West Sussex, with bell tents, shepherd's huts and safari-style lodges available on farms and small sites within a 20-minute drive of Lancing, particularly up towards the Downs villages of Findon, Steyning and the Adur Valley. These typically include proper beds, log burners or heating and sometimes private bathrooms, making them a good option for a shoulder-season break when a standard tent pitch might feel a little exposed.