Climping Beach (Atherington Beach)

Climping Beach, like many along the Sussex coast, has pebbles at high tide and is divided by wooden groynes. But a huge expanse of dark, fine, hard-packed sand is exposed at low tide, making it ideal for families and shallow swimming. It is very popular with kitesurfers and windsurfers, and there are large car park grass areas for setting up.

Climping Beach, also known as Atherington Beach, is a peaceful and relatively undeveloped stretch of coastline located near the village of Climping, a quieter coastline than its neighbour seaside towns of Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. If you walk eastwards from the car park towards Littlehampton, much of the area is now designated for scientific interest, and parts are a nature reserve. However, many sections of the sand dunes are now fenced off to protect against erosion and help local species to thrive.

The beach is exposed and struggles with coastal erosion, where its appearance can change between visits. As you walk westwards towards Bognor Regis, this is the stretch of beach that is eating into the farm fields more and more each year.

Climping Beach is dog-friendly all year round, along with many beaches to the west, making it a great beach dog-walking destination.

A great place to base a coastal walk, you can head in either direction. To the East, you have the dune ecosystem and Littlehampton. To the West, you are backed by countryside and then hit the many private beach estates (Elmer, Middleton-on-sea, Felpham) that line this stretch of Coast before Bognor Regis.

Facilities at the beach include car parking (charges apply), a cafe with outdoor seating, toilets, an outside shower, and a field available for hire. You also have a pub half a mile back up the road from the beach. Out of hours, the car park is closed, but a few spaces are available on the road by the beach.