Bexhill Littlehampton Bognor West Wittering Beach Camber Sands Eastbourne Hastings Brighton

Brighton Beaches & Yellowave Beachfront Sports Centre

Two beach areas along the Brighton and Hove seafront hold the prestigious Blue Flag status, achieving the highest water quality and litter free standards. These are Hove Lawns and the most popular stretch of Brighton beach - West Street which runs between the two piers. More of Brighton and Hove's 11km of seafront will no doubt be heading for Blue Flag status in the future. The Brighton and Hove beaches are famous for their greyish pebbles. You've no endless golden sands here, you'll find these elsewhere on the Sussex Coast at Camber near Rye and West Wittering Beach at Chichester Harbour, but somehow the pebbles add to Brighton's particular beach vibe which has an emphasis on fun with a capital F in Brighton, including family activities, lots of watersports, beach cafes, bars and restaurants, deckchair lounging and funfair rides. Swimming is certainly on the menu and there's plenty of beach space for all along Brighton and Hove's 11km stretch of coast.

Brighton beaches include ten bathing areas at Braemore Road, King Alfred, Second Avenue, West Pier, West Street, Palace Pier (now Brighton Pier), the Kemptown Slopes and beyond Brighton Marina to the east Ovingdean, Rottingdean and Saltdean. A popular beautiful lido is also at Saltdean. The indoor King Alfred Leisure Centre on Hove Seafront offers a huge indoor swimming pool with regular fun float sessions for kids. See the King Alfred Centre's webguide for opening times. Information boards are situated all along the Brighton seafront. A full lifeguard service operates on the Brighton and Hove beaches from the end of May to the middle of September. Look for the yellow and red flags on beaches with the red flag indicating it is unsafe to swim!

Brighton's popular naturist beach, the Cliff Bathing Beach, sits east near Brighton Marina and is a short walk from Brighton's Kemptown Gay Village below Duke's Mound. First opened in 1980, Brighton's naturist beach was the first naturist beach in a UK Seaside Resort and is hugely popular. Brighton's most crowded and popular beach stretch is closest to the city centre - the West Beach area between the piers. The King's Arches are along this stretch and boast a huge selection of beach cafes, bars, funfair amusements and rides.

Situated between Brighton Pier and Brighton Marina is the award winning Yellowave Beachfront sports centre offering a huge choice of sports including beach soccer, volleyball, bouldering, ultimate frisbee and beachminton. Great for kids and families, Yellowave offers kids clubs and sessions with plenty of spectator space and on-site beach bar/cafe.

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Hastings, Bexhill & Eastbourne Beaches East Sussex Coast

Hastings benefits from acres of beach space stretching from the Old Town in the east to the far western promenade at Bulverhythe. Pelham Beach is especially designed for families and has eight cartoon animals to identify the eight beach zones helping children to find their way. It won't take long to identify Pelham Beach which sits between Hastings Old Town and the pier backed on by the town centre and numerous seaside amusements and restaurants lining the promenade here. Pelham is always the busiest stretch of Hastings beach in the summer season. Find a choice of family restaurants and hotels lining the beachfront promenade which is flat level and perfect for strolling. Hastings Pier is another family favourite with more family eateries and amusements.

Elegant Bexhill-on-Sea with its central seafront modernist icon the De La Warr Pavilion, clean award winning beach and charming old town and spacious strolling promenade is another of the East Sussex Coast's highlights. The beach has a Quality Coast Award and this seaside town is a hotspot for sailing and kitesurfing. Both sailing and rowing clubs are in the town and kitesurfing is at Herbrand Walk.

West of the pier Eastbourne's stunning promenade fronts the resort's Blue Flag beach stretch from the Pier to the conical Martello Tower. As well as the Blue Flag Award, Eastbourne boasts a Quality Coast Fun in the Sea and Away from it All Award. Eastbourne Promenade is a picture postcard affair featuring to the west the magnificent Floral Carpet Gardens and beyond the heritage art deco bandstand all looked over by majestic heritage Eastbourne Hotels.

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Camber Sands Beach East Sussex Coast

Stunning Camber to the east of Rye on the East Sussex Coast is most famous for its long, flat and sandy Camber Sands Beach stretching for around 7 miles. The beach is backed by sand dunes and just beyond the sand dunes sits Camber Village. The dunes provide an important barrier between the sea and village. A superb choice of family holiday parks and caravan parks are situated in the Camber Sands area boosting Camber's popularity with families. More family attractions are situated at nearby Hastings to the west. Camber Sands beach is one of the most popular family beaches on the Sussex coast with an MCS Recommended Water Quality Award. An extensive car park sits adjacent to Camber Sands beach.

Popular not just with families but also for beach activities including horse riding, kite surfing and surfing, Camber Sands Beach is within 400m of the ample car parking area. The beach is very popular during the peak summer season. Beach space is conveniently zoned, with areas designated for kite surfing separate from family beach areas.

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Worthing, Littlehampton & Bognor Regis Beaches West Sussex Coast

Worthing Beach is a Quality Coast Award Winner which means it has achieved a good standard of water quality, beach cleanliness, provision of well maintained toilets for all and signed car parking. Worthing's Foreshore team and lifeguards are located between the Pier and Lido.

Blue Flag Award Winner, Littlehampton Coastguards Beach is a large shingle beach and perfect for families. At low tide a huge expanse of sand appears. A safe swimming area operates where no watercraft are allowed and a Kid Care scheme with free colour coded wristbands which are linked to beach zones is also in operation here on this family friendly beach. The sand and shingle beach has flat level access off the promenade and ample facilities available adjacent including the East Beach Cafe and choice of restaurants and fast food outlets at Harbour Park. The East Beach stretch is most popular with families whilst towards the west and pier watersports like windsurfing and kitesurfing are popular. An RLSS Beach Lifeguard service is in operation.

European Blue Flag and Seaside Award winner, Bognor Regis Beach is tops for families. Facilities are extensive along the seafront including a Kids Care scheme with colour coded areas and wristbands, children's rides along the seafront, gardens and parks, crazy golf, beachfront family restaurants and amusement arcades and local parks and gardens with miniature trains. Bognor Beach has flat level access from the promenade making it acessible for both families with young children and for visitors with mobility difficulties. Bognor's bustling seafront promenade stretches for 2.5 miles.

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Selsey Diving & West Wittering Blue Flag Beach Chichester Harbour

Selsey's fishing industry plays a part in the popular leisure pursuit of diving off the coast here. Scraps thrown overboard from the fishing boats attracts marine life making the Selsey waters particularly interesting for divers. Wrecks are off the coast too, including wrecks dating from the Second World War. This part of the Sussex coast was heavily patrolled by German U-Boats in both of the World Wars and contains a large number of reefs full of marine life such as lobsters, eels, shellfish, crabs and cuttlefish as well as numerous sponges and corals. Divers in Selsey should note that the best diving and snorkelling in the area is under and around the Lifeboat Station. A slipway and boat lane operates at Selsey's East Beach so diving is off limits here. The best of the shore diving is around the old Lifeboat station and by boat a quick 5 minute ride sees you at top diving spots Far Mulberry and Mixon Hole.

You're in Blue Flag beach territory around the popular Witterings coastline within easy reach of Chichester via the A286. Facing onto Chichester Harbour, West Wittering Blue Flag beach has long been a favourite with families. The sea with its superb water quality which picks up the wind here, is a favourite spot for surfing, kite surfing and windsurfing. The expansive sands of Blue Flag West Wittering beach ranks as best beach for Sussex. More Blue Flag beaches are nearby at Hayling Island Central Beach and Hayling Island West Beach.

West Wittering beach is particularly popular with families (Child Safe Zones and full lifeguard service operates at West Wittering) and has a car park adjacent with a countryside backdrop and extensive mown grass areas perfect for barbeques, picnics and games. The carpark is extensive mown grass and no part of it is more than 100 metres from the beach area. Paddle and swim in the gentle sheltered sandy tidal pools. At low tide the waist deep lagoon on the West Wittering estate is perfect for windsurfing tuition. High tide brings on the waves, perfect for surfing and kitesurfing. Other sports are popular on the beach at designated times including horse riding.

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