Sadly the sun isn’t shining for our next walk along the coast, but off we go anyway to Littlehampton.  Catch the Coastrider bus back to Goring by Sea.. The roads are incredibly busy around here and it would have been a frustratingly long journey back had we not had the entertainment of our fellow bus passengers.

We were seated in our favourite seats at the front of the top of the bus alongside a mother and son who were obviously locals. They didn’t stop to catch their breath between conversations the whole way and we couldn’t help but overhear. At first we were a little confused as to the topic of conversation but they soon revealed themselves to be traffic wardens. Their discussions moved from the level of fines on double yellow and single yellow lines; the parking bays beside a local shopping area that were a nightmare to patrol because drivers ignored the lines to the different signs for restricted parking. I felt as if I knew their job inside out and all the nuances of their work colleagues and managers in just a twenty minute bus journey!

We were somewhat disappointed to have to leave our eavesdropping entertainment behind and leave the bus in Goring by Sea, but this was the spot where we needed to start our walk back to Littlehampton.

Other than the Brighton section this is surely our busiest part of the walk with no undulations at all. The village if Goring by Sea ran seamlessly into Ferring, Kingston Gorse, West Kingston to the definitely more upmarket Rustington and finally the larger seaside town of Littlehampton.

The most notable aspect of this walk was the ribbons of wide open grassland running between the coastal houses and the sea. These lovely grassy areas, which appeared to mostly be privately owned, had signs saying no picnicking and gave the area a lovely open feeling. They were connected by a series of twittens (a commonly used Sussex name for a narrow path bordered by walls or hedges) which were often bordered or ran through the middle of tamarisk bushes. Tamarix x gallica is a quintessential coastal shrub which we have often seen before on our coastal walks.  It is commonly called salt cedar, I’m guessing because it has good resistance to the salty sea winds and the leaves are not dissimilar to that of the cedar tree?

We enjoyed a lovely lunch in the coastal garden of the Bluebird Cafe in Ferring. Having perused the extensive menu, beautifully presented on a wooden clipboard, we all opted for burgers – chicken, cheese and bacon topped or blue cheese topped. They arrived promptly, again presented well and were extremely tasty, washed down with a cold beer.

With the tide now ebbing we walked some of the latter section on the smaller stones by the lapping waves, making several dashes inland when they tried to catch us out! The groynes were significantly submerged and I feared doing little to slow the sea done (if that’s what they’re for?) but gave the walk entertainment value and frequent “shall I go over it? Shall I go under it?” decisions!!

We stopped for breath on some large granite boulders, I guess positioned to do the job of the new defunct groynes? Resisting the temptation to eat our emergency chocolate bars, because of our still full tummies from the Bluebird Burger, we then carried on into Littlehampton.

This West Sussex town had a genteel feel along the seafront, again backed with a green grassy area. The longest bench in the UK which weaved through shelters and along the promenade, winding around lamp posts and bins, was being widely used. Sadly my phone battery had run out by this time but by all accounts it was a hotspot for Pokémon’s!

At our final destination – where the river Arun met the sea we had walked 8 miles. We wondered over the speed of the river and its joining of forces with the incoming tide then followed the river’s edge inland. The promenade and planting were reminiscent of the London 2012 Olympics site and no doubt inspired by that. It is a lovely area to walk along with integrated steps and seating, lovely planting and some sympathetic designed housing with river frontage to admire the moored and passing boats.

At this point we were pleased to be able to walk to our car and head straight back home, with no need to find a bus.