Selsey

Selsey sits at the very tip of the Manhood Peninsula in West Sussex, a flat, breezy spit of land jutting further south than almost anywhere else in England. The town itself is unassuming and low-rise, built mostly in the twentieth century around a much older fishing settlement, but its setting is anything but ordinary: sea on three sides, big open skies, and the sense of being at the edge of things. Selsey Bill, the headland that gives the town its name, marks the point where the coastline pivots from facing south to facing east, and the currents that meet there have made it one of the most treacherous stretches of water on the south coast.

That exposure is central to Selsey's identity. This has been a lifeboat town since 1861, a fishing town for longer than that, and in recent decades it has become a magnet for anglers, birdwatchers and families drawn to its long shingle beaches and the wild, watery landscapes of Pagham Harbour and Medmerry just along the coast. It is quieter and less polished than nearby Chichester or the Witterings, and that is largely the appeal: a genuine working coastal town with a strong sense of its own history, surrounded by nature reserves, oyster beds and some of the best crab and lobster in Sussex.

Top things to do in Selsey

Selsey rewards a slower pace. Most of what makes it worth visiting is free, outdoors, and tied to the sea in one way or another.

• Selsey Bill — the headland itself, a rocky, current-swept point at the southern tip of the Manhood Peninsula where the coastline turns from south-facing to east-facing. It's one of the most exposed spots on the Sussex coast and a well-known spot for sea fishing and watching the tide race.
• Selsey RNLI Lifeboat Station — a modern station built on stilts over the water in 2017, home to a Shannon class all-weather lifeboat and a smaller D class inshore boat. The free visitor centre has a viewing gallery and exhibits on the crew's history, which stretches back to 1861 and includes ten gallantry awards.
• Fossil hunting on the beach — the shingle and clay around Selsey are known for yielding Eocene-era fossils, including sharks' teeth and fossilised molluscs, washed out of the low cliffs and foreshore after storms.
• Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve — a few miles north of town, this 1,500-acre RSPB reserve of mudflats, saltmarsh and lagoons is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the best birdwatching spots on the south coast, with a free visitor centre and waymarked trails.
• Medmerry Nature Reserve — a large managed realignment site to the west of Selsey, created after coastal flood defences were redrawn inland. It's now a haven for wading birds and has become a favourite for quiet walks and cycling along the sea wall.
• East Beach — a long stretch of shingle where local fishermen sell the day's catch straight from beach huts, including dressed crab and lobster landed just yards away.
• Selsey (Medmerry) Windmill — a restored red-brick smock mill dating from the early 19th century, one of the few reminders of Selsey's agricultural past before the town grew up around tourism and fishing.

Getting to Selsey

Selsey is at the end of the road, quite literally: the B2145 is the only route in and out, running south from Chichester through the Manhood Peninsula villages of Sidlesham and Sidlesham Common before terminating at the town. By car it's around 20-25 minutes from Chichester, which itself sits just off the A27 between Portsmouth and Brighton, making Selsey an easy detour for anyone travelling along the south coast. There's no railway station in the town — the nearest mainline station is Chichester, from where regular bus services run down to Selsey. Chichester itself is well connected by rail to London Victoria (around 90 minutes) and along the coast towards Brighton and Southampton. Given its peninsula location, Selsey isn't a place you pass through on the way to somewhere else, so most visitors arrive with the town itself as the destination.

Best time to visit Selsey

Summer is the obvious choice for beach days, fossil hunting at low tide and watching the RNLI crew put the lifeboat through its paces, with long light evenings well suited to the shingle beaches and harbourside walks. Spring and autumn suit birdwatchers best, since Pagham Harbour and Medmerry come alive with migrating waders and wildfowl passing through on their way to and from Africa and the Arctic. Winter is much quieter, but the exposed position of Selsey Bill means storm-watching and beachcombing after rough weather can turn up genuinely interesting fossil finds. As with much of the Sussex coast, book ahead for peak summer weekends, when the town's static caravan parks and cottages fill up quickly.

Where to stay in Selsey

Accommodation in and around Selsey leans heavily towards holiday parks and static caravans, reflecting its long history as a family seaside destination. Seal Bay Resort, on a mile-long stretch of beach at the edge of town, is the largest of these, with indoor pools, entertainment and a full range of leisure facilities alongside touring and camping pitches. Smaller, quieter sites such as Westmount Caravan Park cater to those after a simpler, more traditional stay. Beyond the parks, there's a modest but growing choice of holiday cottages and B&Bs in the town itself and in the surrounding Manhood Peninsula villages, useful for visitors who want to be close to the beach and the harbour reserves without staying in a caravan.

Food and drink in Selsey

Fresh seafood is the obvious draw, given the fishing boats that still work out of Selsey. East Beach's fishermen's huts, including Julie's Hut and Honest Bill's, sell fresh crab, lobster and whatever else has been landed that day. In town, the Crab & Lobster restaurant has built a strong reputation and a mention in the Michelin Guide, while The Boulevard is a popular spot for breakfast and brunch. For something different, Penny's American Diner and The Vault, serving Mediterranean food, add some variety to the town's dining scene. Dog-friendly pubs are plentiful, including the Lifeboat Inn, the Crown Inn and the Hopp Inn, all good for a pint after a day on the beach. A couple of miles north at Sidlesham, overlooking Pagham Harbour, the Crab and Lobster pub-restaurant is widely regarded as the best meal out in the wider area, built around fresh local seafood and harbour views.