A Coastal Adventure - Worthing to Brighton
My plan
My plan for today is to arrive at Worthing around 14:30, and while in Worthing, ride the Ferris Wheel, walk the pier, and visit the souvenir shop. To walk 12 miles from Worthing through Lancing, Shoreham, Southwick canal, Hove and arrive at Brighton train station for around 20:30. And if time allowed, to walk Brighton Pier and if any souvenir shops were still open in Brighton to get a fridge magnet.
Beginning of the Day
At approximately 14:37, the train pulled into Worthing Train station. I got off the train, headed through the ticket barriers, and out of the station. After a 7-8 minute walk south, I arrived at the seafront with the pier and ferris wheel to the left and just ahead a mini fairground. There were quite a few people, making it hard to take photos. After taking a few quick snaps, I headed for the Ferris wheel. Fortunately, there was no queue, so I only had to wait a minute for the people already on to finish. As the Ferris wheel goes round, you get views of the pier, the coastline and the fields behind the houses. We had to go around three times for £6.
After riding the Ferris wheel, I headed to a nearby souvenir shop, which unfortunately was closed. Luckily, there was a shop next door that sold arts and crafts, and fortunately, a few fridge magnets of the area. After a little look around, I settled on one with a picture of the pier with slightly stormy seas and a gentle sunset in the background.
Worthing Pier and Ferris Wheel
Walking the Pier
My last point of call in Worthing is to walk along the pier, so as you may have guessed, that is my next stop after a very short walk. In less than a minute, I had arrived at the pier. The pier is free to enter. At the front of the pier is a shop selling the usual mix of icecreams, as well as hot and cold drinks. Next to it is the Worthing Pavilion Theatre, defining the beginning of the pier.
Time to walk the pier. It starts with a walk up to the pier Amusements, where you can find benches and artwork along the way. A quick walk around the pier amusements leads you to a set of stairs that take you to a lower level. From there, you can walk around the back of the pier or, if you’re feeling adventurous, try your hand at a bit of fishing.
As I was coming up the stairs, I noticed a restaurant, and I continued walking until I came across the amusement building, where I found a door open. I could see a machine or two, but couldn’t quite make out what they were. It was tempting to have a look, but I didn’t want to get sidetracked. By the time I finished looking around the pier and walked past the last few carnival stalls, there were hook-a-duck and dodgems. It was now 15:45, giving me 5 hours to walk approximately 10 miles.
Heading to Lancing
After a 40-minute walk, we arrive in Lancing, a small town by the coast with a pebbly beach. We are greeted by a large statue of a boat filled with flowers atop a stone wall. A feature that will continue as we pass through each of the smaller towns. As we continue to follow the coastline passing through rows of beach huts, we come to the Widewater Lagoon nature reserve—a small but absolutely beautiful area.
Widewater Lagoon Nature Reserve
Passing into Shoreham
After passing through the nature reserve, we come onto Shoreham beach, reminding me of the time I went to Dungeness, which has a pebbly beach. I remember the beach at Dungeness being flat, whereas the beaches here start flat and slope down towards the sea. Maybe it’s for sea defence. The tide at Dungeness was way out. I walked a few minutes to the beach, but I was still a long way from the sea.
After a short walk, we arrive at a green field called Beach Green. I take a left, cutting across Beach Green, and then turn right at the road in front. Following that for a few minutes leads us to the riverbank along the River Adur and Adur Ferry Bridge. Crossing the bridge takes us to shops and bars.
Heading to Southwick Canal
Taking a right after the bridge and following the road takes us into Southwick, where I decided to pop into McDonald’s for a strawberry milkshake to go. After walking for 20 minutes through industrial buildings and blocks of flats, we come to the Southwick ship canal. An interesting point is where you cross over several metal bridges over the River Adur, where you can catch glimpses of small boats tied to the dock.
Southwick Canal
After crossing the three bridges across the canal and a short walk down the road, you arrive at Southwick Beach. A dolphin sculpture welcomes you, and yes, another pebbly beach.
Following the promenade for another 10 minutes leads you to a mile-long straight road, with industries to the left and the beach to the right.
At this point, I was starting to feel the time pressure, as it was now 18:45. This gave us just 2 hours to go 4 miles, so it was time to get going, as I was still hopeful I would have time to walk Brighton Pier.
Coming into Hove
After a mile-long straight walk that felt like it was never going to end, we came into Hove. I had always wondered what this part looks like. About 10 years ago, someone came here for a concert, and since they were driving up, I decided to join them. I don’t remember what I did during the day, but I do remember that they went to the concert. I could either sit in the car and wait or, as I did, go for a walk. It was nighttime. So I decided to go for a walk. I walked for what felt like an eternity, though in hindsight, it was probably more like 10-15 minutes along the coast. It seemed to stretch on forever, so I decided to head back to the car and wait. Yet, it left me wondering what lay further down there!
As we enter Hove, we come across a water park. Looking into the distance, you can see the i360 and Brighton Pier, which I still hope to have time to explore. After another 20-minute walk past the beach huts and along the promenade, the i360 is just ahead, with the pier visible in the background. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the i360 was still open. I’m not sure if it stays open late only during the summer, though. But I can imagine it would be lovely to ride at night or during a sunset.
Brighton i360 and Brighton Pier
Now in Brighton
As I walked towards the i360, a group of around 60 people jogging with music blaring out went past. Surprising to see Brighton so lively at 8 pm. I could relax a bit since the train station was just a 15-20 minute walk away. However, I still wanted to arrive early, as I wasn’t sure how busy it would be. As I walked through the promenade and up to the beach, I noticed the i360 gift shop was still open, so I figured this was my chance to grab a Brighton fridge magnet. So I popped in, had a look around, and found one with a picture of the i360, bandstand, Brighton pier and the Royal Pavilion with a bottle opener at the end, which I thought made it an interesting shape. As I was paying for the fridge magnet, the group of joggers came back past.
At this point, I’m deciding whether I have time to go for a walk on Brighton Pier or head for the station. As much as I wanted to go for a walk on Brighton pier, the time it would of taken to get there and the time it would of taken to walk the dock would of left me in to much of a rush for the train especially if the station was going to be busy and queuing procedures where going to be in order. So I decided to head straight for the station after a 10-minute walk through the high street, and I was there. Turns out it wasn’t any busier than usual. Maybe it was an afternoon football match!?
Conclusion
On a sunny Friday, I planned a 12-mile trip from Worthing to Brighton, passing through Lancing, Shoreham, Southwick, and Hove, before reaching my final destination. My mission was to pick up fridge magnets in both Worthing and Brighton, and I was delighted to accomplish this goal.
The route took an interesting turn into Southwick Canal and passed a water park in Hove, leading me towards the final stretch to Brighton. The weather remained sunny, and as the sun began to lower in the sky, I enjoyed the scenic walk.
I walked past the i360, but after checking the time, I realised I didn’t have enough time to walk along Brighton Pier, which leaves an opportunity for a future adventure.
(Photo of the fridge magnets from the day)