West Beach and Climping Gap

From West Beach car park, on the west side of the Arun at Littlehampton, the walk goes through the dunes to the beach and turns west. The dunes of the West Beach nature reserve lie behind the shingle at first, then open fields with no buildings: Climping Gap. After about 2.3 km the walk reaches the end of Climping Street, where the old beach car park stood until the sea took it. The return is the same way.

It is 4.7 km with 10 m of ascent; allow about 1 hour. The grade is Easy: level, on a path behind the beach, sand and some shingle.

Walk it at low or half tide, when there is firm sand below the shingle; at high water only the steep shingle is left and it is hard going. The road to West Beach has been closed by tidal flooding at times, and the coast at Climping is being cut back by the sea. Climping Beach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, for its dunes and vegetated shingle, so keep dogs under control. Do not rely on parking at the Climping end: the car park, café and toilets there have gone.

West Beach car park charges: £2.50 for an hour, £3.70 for two and £4.90 for three until 31 October, less in winter. Littlehampton station is about 1 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.