Lancing Beach Green

The grassy strip that runs along Lancing's seafront is where locals actually spend their time, rather than fighting for space on the shingle beach below. It's a proper working green - kids chase footballs, dog walkers circuit it twice before heading home, and on a decent day you'll find families sprawled on the grass with a Thermos and a sandwich.

What you get here is straightforward Sussex coast: views across the Channel on clear days, the South Downs rising behind the town, and the kind of unremarkable but honest seaside experience you won't find prettified in a guidebook. The Lancing College chapel dominates the skyline to the east - a Victorian Gothic statement that's hard to ignore once you've spotted it. There's no fanfare, no visitor centre, just green space that feels used rather than managed.

It's ideal if you're camped at Beach Park or The Barn just a five-minute walk away, or if you need an hour to stretch your legs without committing to a proper coastal walk. Families with younger kids appreciate the flat terrain and the lack of pebble-wrestling. The green doesn't demand hours of your time - it's more of a "pop over this morning and then head elsewhere" kind of spot.

Timing-wise, go when the weather's decent. Windswept February afternoons here aren't anyone's idea of recreation. Come summer weekends and you'll see why locals bother with the beach at all. Free, obviously. Just turn up.