Shoreham Beach

Shoreham beach is primarily a stony beach with a shelf that drops down into the sea at high tide. But the beauty of Shoreham beach is that at low tide, in this pebbled isle, there is, yes, a breath of sand! Enough to build a castle, or at least a waterworks, or you can bury your friend, or, or, or… I’m getting carried away. The discovery of sand this close to Brighton was certainly a surprise. There’s a pleasant atmosphere here too, among the locals, who come down to walk dogs, take in the breeze and have a chat with the regular beachgoers. Houses are much closer to the sea than they are further along in Brighton, which I think makes for a friendlier atmosphere, as people nip out onto the beach at the slightest provocation. Having said that, there’s a lot more empty space than in the centre of town, and it’s well worth heading out here on a sunny day if you don’t fancy the midtown crush of bodies.
There are conservation projects out here as well, seeing as there’s still something to conserve. There’s a shingle vegetation project to conserve plant growth and educate the local kids about not pulling up plants and suchlike. There’s also a beachcombing project, which looks fun, if a bit impenetrable from the beardlike point of view. Altogether it’s worth a visit if you fancy a bit more wildness than Brighton can give you.