Pagham

Pagham itself has few conventional hotels, but its location between Bognor Regis and Chichester means good options are always close at hand. In the village and along the seafront, expect mainly bed and breakfasts, guest houses and self-catering holiday lets, many overlooking the beach or within walking distance of Pagham Harbour. For a wider choice of hotel accommodation, Bognor Regis, two miles away, has a range of seafront and town-centre hotels to suit families and couples, while Chichester, around eight miles inland, offers everything from boutique townhouse hotels to larger chain options, all within easy striking distance of the coast.

Wherever you base yourself, Pagham works well as a day-trip destination from either town: the drive out takes minutes, and the harbour, beach and village pubs make for an easy change of pace from a busier seaside stay. Booking ahead is worth doing in summer, particularly around the school holidays and the village's Boxing Day pram race, when accommodation across the wider Bognor Regis area fills up quickly.

Pagham rewards slow exploring more than a checklist of sights, but there is plenty to fill a day or a long weekend.

• Pagham Harbour Local Nature Reserve (RSPB) — one of the best birdwatching sites on the South Coast, with the visitor centre at Sidlesham as a good starting point and the 1.75-mile Discovery Trail looping past the Ferry Pool. Brent geese arrive in their thousands each winter and a tern colony nests on Tern Island in summer.
• Pagham Beach — a long shingle beach backed by low dunes and beach houses, popular for walking, sea fishing and rockpooling at low tide, with wide-open views along the coast.
• Coastal walks to Church Norton and Selsey — footpaths trace the harbour's edge from Pagham round to Church Norton, with its ruined medieval chapel, and on towards Selsey Bill.
• St Thomas a Becket Church — a Grade I listed parish church at the heart of the old village, notable for its early stained glass and centuries of continuous worship.
• Pagham's Boxing Day pram race — reputedly the oldest event of its kind in the world, this fancy-dress fundraiser through the village has been a local institution for decades.
• Bognor Regis seafront and pier — a short drive or coastal path walk away, with traditional seaside amusements, a Blue Flag beach and the Hotham Park gardens.
• Chichester — the cathedral city is around seven miles inland, offering Roman city walls, the Chichester Festival Theatre, an art gallery and a busy Saturday market.

The village punches above its weight for pubs. The Lamb Inn, a seventeenth-century building with its original beams and fireplaces intact, serves ales alongside a full restaurant menu, while The Lion, said to date back to 1407 and once a haunt of local smugglers, offers a traditional pub menu with gluten-free and vegetarian options. The Bear Inn, an eighteenth-century former coaching inn with its own smuggling history, is another long-standing village local. For a wider spread of cafes and restaurants, Bognor Regis and Chichester are both close by.

Wild camping is illegal in England without the landowner's permission, so anyone wanting to camp near Pagham needs a proper site, and there are several within easy reach along this stretch of the West Sussex coast. The flat, low-lying terrain around Pagham Harbour and the surrounding villages of Sidlesham and Church Norton suits touring caravans and campervans particularly well, with a scattering of small, family-run touring and camping parks tucked among the farmland just inland from the shingle beaches. Expect a mix of grass touring pitches, static caravans and, increasingly, glamping options such as pods, bell tents and safari tents for those who want the outdoor feel without bringing their own kit.

The best camping season here runs from late spring through to early autumn, when the days are long enough to make the most of the harbour walks and the beach, and the ground is drier underfoot after winter's coastal weather. This part of the Sussex coast is exposed to onshore winds, so a pitch with some natural shelter, or a well-anchored awning, is worth seeking out outside the calmest summer weeks. Sea fishing, birdwatching and cycling the quiet lanes around the harbour are all easily done straight from a nearby campsite, and Bognor Regis and Chichester are both close enough for an evening out without a long drive back.

Because Pagham Harbour is a protected nature reserve, camping is not permitted on the reserve itself or on the beach and dunes, so it is worth checking a site's exact location before booking, particularly if direct harbour or sea views are important. Many of the touring parks in the area are geared towards a quieter, adults-welcome atmosphere as well as family pitches, so it is worth checking which suits your trip before you arrive.