This year (2009) our trip to England took us to West Sussex. Unlike the last English holiday in 2003, careful thought had to be given to location because our trusty old ‘people carrier’ is no more. Travelling in a normal 4-5 seater car meant that two of us would be flying and we would rely heavily on public transport during our stay.

The village of Walberton in West Sussex was an ideal choice. By car a comfortable drive from Dover, it’s only about a mile away from Barnham railway station from where there are regular rail links to London and the coast.

The complete picture gallery is at the very bottom of the page.

The Journey

By air: Those who flew took a Swiss flight from Zurich to London Heathrow on Friday morning and enjoyed a day seeing the sights of London before catching the train to Barnham and arriving at Walberton at six o’clock.

By car: We set off on Thursday morning and entered France at Basel. Taking the motorway via Strasbourg to the coast we spent the night at St. Quentin, just a couple of hours or so from Calais. We sailed from Calais to Dover, had lunch on the ferry, and arrived in Walberton just before six o’clock. – excellent timing!

The Railways

OK. I’ll be the first to admit that in recent years I’ve uttered some very unkind things about England’s rail network. In fairness though, it must be said that those unkind things were indeed based on personal experience.

Imagine then my astonishment when the first train we caught was on time! In fact all the Southern region trains used during our holiday were on time. The acustic and visual information system on the train reminded me continually which train I was on and even which coach I was in... obviously ideal if I wanted somebody to join me on the train, but as a commuter perhaps just a little annoying?

Several years ago I remember asking a railway man at Euston Station in London which platform I had to go to for the Birmingham train. He replied knowledgeably “Next to the Manchester one mate”.

But this time all the staff seemed to actually know which train was leaving from which platform, and they even gave me some valuable information about saving money when travelling in groups.

On Brighton station there was an interesting notice to passengers, stating that the doors would in fact be locked up to thirty seconds before departure... to ensure the train could leave on time.

Everything went smoothly and efficiently.... only the gaps remain.

Places

Brighton

I read somewhere that Brighton is one of the most vibrant, colourful and creative cities in Europe. ( Brighton has been a city since 2000)

Our first visit was on a Saturday afternoon, just to pick the seventh member of our party up from the coach stop and to do a bit of grocery shopping.

Finding a car park was quite an experience and, as I soon discovered, quite expensive. £15 - yes fifteen pounds - to park the car for a few hours! I could understand that perhaps in the middle of London or some famous, bustling European tourist hot spot – but Brighton in April? I suppose that must be the price we have to pay for visiting a coach stop and buying a few tins of beans in one of the most vibrant, colourful and creative cities in Europe

We did have time to visit the famous pier though, and I took full advantage of a rock offer and bought three sticks! The seagulls enjoyed stealing our Fish ‘n Chips, and there were good views of the stately buildings lining the front.

Our second visit was by train. No parking fees and a chance to marvel at the magnificent railway station architecture The Railway came to Brighton in 1840 bringing with it hoards of day trippers from London.

Chichester

Runner up in the “Great Town of the Year 2009” awards, Chichester did not disappoint.
The town/city centre is dominated by the superb Cathedral. Dating from the 12^th century the building reeks of history and packed lunches.

On the day we visited, there was to be a concert in the early afternoon and, to my amazement, people..... some of whom looked as if they had worked on the original building.... sat greedily tucking in to their sandwiches and slurping their plastic beakers of tea enthusiastically.

We enjoyed an hour or two of shopping in the pedestrian shopping area and refreshed ourselves with tea and fat butter cream buns in a very pink little tea room.

Isle of Wight

The very thought of ‘doing’ the Isle of Wight in half a day is pure fantasy. We took the Super-Cat ferry service to cover the 8km. from Portsmouth to Ryde Pier and then boarded the old, and I mean very old, ex-London Tube train known as the “Island Line” to Shanklin, an experience in itself.

Shanklin is situated towards the south of Sandown bay on the island’s east coast. We were greeted at the railway station by our relatives and enjoyed a stroll through the old village where we stopped for coffee. We then sauntered off along the beach towards Sandown where a table in one of the welcoming restaurants had been reserved. We eagerly tucked into traditional fayre and I enjoyed a pint of the islands best ale.

The time on the island was indeed very short but most enjoyable, particularly if, like me, you enjoy riding on strange trains, strolling along beaches and eating!

Littlehampton

Although the town centre looked a little tired in parts, I was pleasantly surprised with the Harbour area. After having a bite or two of Fish and Chips from Fred’s Café, we also popped in for a coffee at the Harbour Lights Café situated in the “Look & Sea” visitors centre.

The River Arun has flowed into the English Channel from here since about 1500 and the place has obviously a very nautical history.

Walberton

Situated roughly between Chichester and Arundel in West Sussex, Walberton proved an ideal location to explore the south coast between the Isle of Wight and Brighton. The village has a post office, a village shop selling everything from groceries to magazines, an estate agent and even a laundrette. It also has a pub and a couple of bus stops.

We stayed at 'Lion House', a self catering accomodation with a large kitchen/diner, spacious lounge and plenty of sleeping space for all seven of us. I would happily recommend it to anyone.