On 17 Jun 2015 at 10:17am Serena wrote:
Hey, we are a family just moved down from London, where do you take your kids swimming in the summer? Brighton beach not great for kids.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 10:30am Local wrote:
Hey, we've lived here for years and didn't move down from London.
Depends how you define "best"?
Easist to park, quietest, most "attractions", least "attractions".
If you are looking for a sandy beach then you should have done your homework before moving down, as you are in the wrong part of Sussex - few beaches around here offer much sand except at low tide, most are pebbles.
Shoreham beach (down by the power station) has a ittle sand, parking, and a small beach front cafe if that's what you want.
Head east to Camber Sands beyond Rye for a wide expanse fo sand, but it will get busy. Head west towards Worthing, Littlehampton or Climping for sand.
For unspoilt, quiet local beaches, albeit pebbles and stones, try Tidemills, Seaford and Cuckmere Haven. Cuckmere is about 15mins walk from pay & display car parking at Seven Sisters Country Park and has no faciltiies at all, tidemills is 5 mins walk from the limited free car parking and again has no faciltiies, seaford you can park on the promenade (think its still free), there are toilets at one end (east), a couple of coffee/snack bars, and there is also the grassy park "The Salts?"if you want a change from the pebbles.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 10:43am Serena wrote:
Super, great, will check them out when weather improves! Much appreciated indeed!
On 17 Jun 2015 at 2:24pm Rob at the Pells wrote:
Hope you enjoy the beaches (I'd say Tidemills personally). But if you are looking for somewhere outdoors to swim, then hope you've discovered the Pells Pool in Lewes? I have to declare an interest since I am one of the people on the community association which runs the Pool! Happy to post up info if you haven't heard of us yet.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 2:30pm Up from lewes wrote:
Serena what's worth seeing in London thinking of leaving my birth town for the dizzy lights
On 17 Jun 2015 at 3:11pm Paul wrote:
Hope Gap
On 17 Jun 2015 at 3:59pm Serena wrote:
I would go for Tower of London!!! Thanks for pells pool tip, amazing place!
On 17 Jun 2015 at 4:29pm Rods Tiger wrote:
I always take visitors with children to the beach in front of Holywell Gardens at the west end of Eastbourne. Gently shelving, sand from mid tide and a reef off shore which keeps the 'lagoon' warmer and wave free. Toilets available and a little café at the back for ice creams and refreshments. For some reason it doesn't get too crowded either.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 5:13pm DFL wrote:
Yes!!! There are more of us!!! If you want to meet like minded DFLs we regularly meet in bills on a Saturday afternoon...don't worry about parking as I always park my Range Rover out the front and nobody's ever told me otherwise...see you soon 
On 17 Jun 2015 at 5:15pm DFL2 wrote:
That's right, we're all loaded and drive 4x4s. We're not ordinary people doing ordinary jobs (just ones that happen to be in London) and struggling to afford the mortgage on a semi in Nevill or a small terrace on Leicester Road.
even the rich DFLs I know would not be seen dead in a Range Rover, given they're all terribly right on. Are you not confusing them with the loaded county set - who've always been there?
On 17 Jun 2015 at 5:17pm Ivor Weiner wrote:
The beach @ Newhaven that belongs to the French, you'll have to get used to them owning things here in Sussex. We won't be druv, but we get crept up on by them
On 17 Jun 2015 at 5:26pm Earl of Lewes wrote:
Birling Gap has a nice sandy beach and rock pools - when the tide's out. Otherwise it's pebbly, so check the tide tables.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 5:30pm Good advice Earl wrote:
and always check the tides - be safe on our beaches.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 6:08pm Paul Newman wrote:
Welcome Serena don`t pay any attention to the Forum DFL stuff most people are very nice really.
Still we are not well served for sandy beaches hereabouts when we want a day on the beach we make a day of it and either go to Camber Sands ( where you can also have a wander around Rye ..) or West Wittering which is a fantastic beach
Quite along drive either way but if you are up early I think its worth it and if you have a tent then I suggest one of the camp sites at West Wittering and make a whole w/e of it
Bit of sun and you cant beat it
On 17 Jun 2015 at 7:21pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Saltdean is quite nice if the tides are right. At low tide, there are sandy bits and rocky bits, there is a nice café just above the beach and free parking on the other side of the A259, with a pedestrian underpass direct from the car park.
At high tide, there is no beach at all!
If you want sand, Camber is hard to beat but the parking is expensive and the traffic can be horrendous on a hot weekend.
I went to Climping a few years ago, as the OS map clearly showed it as sandy. When we got there, the beach was covered with big pebbles. A local told us that they had been put there the previous year by the Environment Agency as part of flood prevention works.
They may have been washed away by now though.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 8:44pm Pete wrote:
If you fancy a bit of wild swimming (nudge nudge wink wink) without the kids try Barcombe Mills late on a sultry summers evening - nice.
On 17 Jun 2015 at 9:34pm The Tooth Fairy wrote:
I remember when 'wild swimming' was just known as 'swimming'
A bit like 'binge drinking' was just 'drinking'
On 17 Jun 2015 at 10:59pm lewes wrote:
You can't beat Birling gap it's amazing and there is a nice cafe and the views are out of this world!!! Also set back slightly inland is the tiger inn which has a nice social green outside where the kids can run around whilst you enjoy a nice cold drink!
On 18 Jun 2015 at 8:25am Fairmeadow wrote:
Before trying Barcombe Mills read the latest Environment Agency report on the extent of pollution from the many upstream sewage works (Haywards Heath, Uckfield, etc), etc, on water quality in the Ouse. Glynde Reach in the competition to be the most polluted river in East Sussex (fish dead, thanks to the overloaded Ringmer sewage works), but the Ouse is challenging hard.
On 18 Jun 2015 at 1:34pm Zzz.. wrote:
Yuck. It is proven that at times of low flow (i.e. most of the summer) 60% of the water flowing through Barcombe Mills comes from the 26 sewage treatment works that discharge into the river. You'd have to be unhinged (or uninformed) to want to swim in the Sussex Ouse.
On 18 Jun 2015 at 2:08pm belladonna wrote:
The water quality at Barcombe according to the EA map is moderate or poor. Below Barcombe it becomes good/high quality. Funny how it changes, same river, same tidal flow - you'd think any nasties would be carried down to the coast......
Check it out here »
On 18 Jun 2015 at 3:22pm Fairmeadow wrote:
Pity South East Water take their drinking water from the Ouse just above Barcombe Mills then!
I suspect the tides flush up as far as the Mills though, and that probably dilutes the effluent.
There was an embryo plan to divert the output of Crawley sewage works south into the Ouse, so that there would be more water available for the drinking water works at Barcombe Mills. That had to be abandoned, as it turned out that without Crawley's sewage the River Mole in Dorking would dry up completely every dry summer.
I guess that they know what they are talking about when they describe Sussex/Surrey/Kent as a water-stressed area. Doesn't seem too sensible to try to pack hordes more people in.
On 21 Jun 2015 at 10:43am mrs.F wrote:
I personally find Bishopstone the nicest. never too busy, a 10-15 train journey or drive and though it may be pebbly it has a lovely atmosphere and never gets too heaving.
On 21 Jun 2015 at 4:28pm Pete Manyata wrote:
Why do people get so hung up about pebbles? Personally I prefer them to sand, which gets everywhere, blows in your eyes and up your nose. All you need is something comfortable to sit/lie on and some rubber swimming shoes so your feet don't hurt when you head off to the sea for a swim
On 22 Jun 2015 at 8:55am Kate M wrote:
I think there are plenty of lovely sandy beaches around. My kids & I (3&6 years old) go to birling gap, and tide mills at low tide when both have lots of sand and are beautiful. Littlehampton for more sand, great cafes and scooting options & a beachy day out.
Enjoy!
On 23 Jun 2015 at 1:21pm Pebbles wrote:
We like Ovingdean (great rockpools at low tide) and Rottingdean (rocks for kids to climb on, also rockpools at low tide, some sandy bits, cafes etc nearby, good prom for cycling and scooting). Try Cooden Beach (a minute from station, quite sandy) for a beach day out by train.