BSumC25: Trip to LA: Come for the Views, Stay for the Buoys

This event is intended for participants at Big Summer Camp 2025

'If we sail eastnortheast by the sun, we should hit the coast somewhere around Littlehampton. I've always wanted to go there. All that lovely sand!' (Carry On Jack, 1964) 

If you've also always wanted to go to Littlehampton (or 'Little 'Ampton' and hence 'LA') like Captain Fearless, or just fancy an easy-peasy, sea-breezy walk to quell the previous night's overindulgence that starts at the camp site, then this is for you. Other reasons why you should come include: tea and cake for elevenses; chips on the Prom for lunch, splendid views all the way from the Isle of Wight to Beachy Head from a hill; a host of examples of domestic architecture from flint cottages to Regency terraces to International Moderne; and, a lounge on the sand mentioned above. Plus, to make it even easier, a bus will return us almost to the campsite for about 4pm, in good time for Sports Day.

The sights:

Highdown Hill: A small but isolated promontory off the main South Downs belt, just 81m high but giving great views. In the property of the National Trust and the traditional burial-place of the Saxon kings of Sussex. Late Bronze Age (around 1000 BC) enclosure and early Iron Age (around 600 BC) hill fort. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery with around 90 graves has been excavated. In the C18, local miller John Olliver had his tomb built on the hill 27 years before his death in 1793. It is said that he was the leader of local smugglers and used the tomb to store contraband. He would set the sails of his windmill at different angles to indicate the absence of customs men to his followers out at sea. A runaway millstone from Ecclesden Mill is said to have given its name to a local farm and now garden centre. 

Highdown Gardens: Transformed from a chalk quarry by Sir Frederick Stern and his wife between 1909 and 1967, cultivating rare plants collected from expeditions to China and the Himalayas. Lady Stern gifted the gardens to the public in 1968. From 1990 to 1993, the adjoining mansion became the legendary Sterns nightclub, famous for its four themed rooms and 30 kW 'Underground' bunker built into the hillside, hosting pioneering DJs and techno acts such as Moby, The Prodigy, Carl Cox, and Sasha before its closure in 1998. Ravers would get so hot in the main room that their sweat would condense on the ceiling and drip back on to them, a phenomenon called 'Stern's Rain'.

Kingston Gorse: A private estate of 'individually designed houses built after 1930 but mostly 1960s or later larger replacements offering a good chance to see many cliches of domestic design' (The Buildings of England - Sussex: West (Williamson, Hudson, Musson and Nairn)). Of the three best houses of the Modern Movement, only one is visible: Sea Lane House, 1936-7 by Marcel Breuer with FRS Yorke. Marcel Breuer worked at the Bauhaus where he was mentored by Walter Gropius before working in Britain between 1933 and 1938. His most famous work is the Wassily Chair and he was the lead character in the film The Brutalist.

Ferring: An old flint cobble village swallowed up by seaside bungalows, typical of the Sussex coast. The core, by the C13 roughcast church of St Andrew, along Church Lane is quite pretty.  

Rustington: A quiet and lightly-developed stretch of coast, historically part of a small fishing and farming village mentioned in the Domesday Book. Development accelerated in the late C19 and early C20 centuries with holidaymakers drawn to its wide shingle beach and gentle promenade, but staying in guest houses rather than large hotels.

Littlehampton - history and topography: 'Littlehampton' says The Buildings of England - Sussex: West, 'is pleasant, but like most West Sussex seaside towns, disjointed. The joy of it is in the landscape of the river and beach. The old town, with its quay, lies on the E bank of the Arun...[and] was a village and minor port. Its further development as port and resort was largely due to investment by the Dukes of Norfolk...Though the 12th Duke capitalized on seaside fever, it was only after the arrival of the direct railway connection in 1863 that the resort expanded significantly.' The East Beach has not held Blue Flag status in recent years but maintains good water quality, abundant facilities and is patrolled by lifeguards in the summer. 

Littlehampton - architecture: Mewsbrook Park (opened 1939) features Art Deco shelters from the same era. South Terrace and Norfolk Place, laid out in the early C19, reflect Regency resort planning and bring a little of Brighton to the place. Modern redevelopment funded by the Sea Change government investment programme to revitsalise declining seaside resorts includes the riverside promenade, regenerated harbour area, and striking contemporary architecture like the East Beach Café (2005) designed by Thomas Heatherwick, and the curved, timber-clad “World’s Longest Bench” (2010 and 1 km long) along the seafront, which weaves between shelters and playgrounds. 

Littlehampton - comedy connections: For a town of just 13,000 people, Littlehampton seems to punch above its weight culturally, perhaps because it is an English archetype, melding childhood day trips with a faded chintzy charm. Character actor Stanley Holloway (1890-1982) died there; it doubled for Swanage in an episode of The Inbetweeners; a short-lived comedy starring John Inman called Odd Man Out was set there; Ronnie Barker was inspired to write Open All Hours based on his experiences of living there and using a corner shop; The Littlehampton Libels case gave rise to the film Wicked Little Letters which was partly filmed there; Carry On Jack makes frequent reference to it; and Paul O'Grady briefly lived and loved there in the early 1980s before starting his career in London (he called it 'a graveyard in the sun').

Swimming and seawater quality:

The beach has recently held a Blue Flag award and there are lifeguards patrolling it. We'll stop for a while on the beach and if you wish, you could go for a swim. However please be aware that this is optional, and as OutdoorLads is not insured for swimming, it is not part of the OutdoorLads event and therefore entirely at your own risk. 

The most recent bathing water quality at the bathing location was rated 'Good'. The water quality has always been deemed 'Good', but check here (Environment Agency) or here (Surfers Against Sewage). 

The route (please click the link to see it):

We start by heading north from the campsite near Angmering village centre. Heading east along the High Street, we'll ascend Highdown Hill which we'll descend after seeing the fort ramparts and having had a break at the cafe. After crossing the A259 and railway line we'll briefly head west and southwest through the suburbs of Ferring and cross Ferring Rife to go to Kingston Gorse. We'll then head west along the beach. We'll walk right along the beach shingle and the esplanade, briefly detouring to see the Art Deco shelters and lake at Mewsbrooks Park. After a spell at the beach, we'll walk along the River Arun into town to catch the bus back. 

Getting the bus back:

The Stagecoach No. 701 bus departs Littlehampton town centre at 06, 26 and 46 minutes past the hour. It takes 20 minutes to get to Angmering. There is then a 10-minute walk back to the campsite. Payment is £3 by any means. If we catch the 15.26 service, you'll be back by 16.00, in good time for Sports Day at 17.00.

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statement, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend. 

(Picture credits: Looking Eastwards down Highdown Hill by Chris Thomas-Atkin; Littlehampton Beach: Photo © Mr Ignavy (cc-by-sa/2.0); The Nineteen Acres, The In Close, Upper West Field by Simon Carey; Trig point on Highdown Hill by Robin Webster; Highdown Hill by Simon Carey; The Miller's Tomb by David Martin; Highdown Hill by Chris Thomas-Atkin; Looking West from Highdown Hill by Chris Thomas-Atkin; Windmill on the downs above Angmering by David Martin; Post box in the wall by Sandy B; Enjoying the Coastline by Sandy B; Kingston Beach by Simon Carey; Ferring Rife by Peter Webster; Maytree Cottage/ Evergreen Cottage, Church Lane/Ferring Street, Ferring by Simon Carey. The Greensward: Photo © Peter Jeffery (cc-by-sa/2.0); Mewsbrook Park Boating Lake, Littlehampton: Photo © Robin Webster (cc-by-sa/2.0); Beach Huts, Littlehampton: Photo © PAUL FARMER (cc-by-sa/2.0); The East Beach Cafe, Littlehampton: Photo © Alan Hunt (cc-by-sa/2.0); River Arun, Littlehampton: Photo © Alan Hunt (cc-by-sa/2.0); River Arun, Littlehampton: Photo © Malc McDonald (cc-by-sa/2.0). Images permitted for use under Creative Commons License CC BY-SA 2.0. All other images were taken by the leader on different reconnaissances.)