SHORE TO SATISFY

Date14 July 2021
Published date14 July 2021
Publication titleEvening Chronicle
We've just arrived at the Beachcroft Hotel, which is quite literally on the beach at Felpham, West Sussex, and as soon as we had dropped our bags in the room, my daughter, Marie, dragged me to sign out the hotel's paddleboards and we headed straight on to the water.

The sense of escape from the routine of day-to-day life is immediate as we crash into each other's boards, attempting to topple each other into the water.

Our combative cries are loud and raucous and I look around to make sure we are not disturbing anyone, but the families nearby seem to be in the midst of their own water battles as well.

After eventually calling a truce, we peel of four wetsuits and tuck into the hamper lunch which has been provided by the hotel, complete with mini bottles of Prosecco to toast our mini staycation.

We may only be a stone's throw from the famous Butlin's resort at Bognor Regis, but with our wicker hamper and the surprisingly warm sea lapping at our feet, I feel like I have been transported to a different country - the nearest it appears we will be getting to going abroad this summer!

After lunch, we carry the boards back over the promenade to the hotel, where we properly explore our penthouse room, which is home for the weekend. Marie and my partner rush to the balcony which looks over the hotel's Blakes beachfront bar and out to sea, which under the cloudless summer sky is vibrantly blue.

The penthouse is made up of two bedrooms, a double and a twin, with the option of taking an adjacent third room, along with a spacious lounge decorated with a seaside theme and filled with a comfortable leather sofa and chairs.

The hotel, which has 40 rooms, also has four quirky beach hut style maisonettes directly on to the promenade, with a modern mezzanine design.

Once unpacked, the girls decide to spend the afternoon shopping in the boutiques of nearby Chichester, a small attractive city with a splendid cathedral at its heart, while I take the chance to ride of fon my mountain bike along part of the South Downs Way.

The chalk paths of the ancient thoroughfare, which run from Winchester to Eastbourne, pass not too far north of Chichester, giving great views and making villages such as

South Harting appear like a child's toy.

A gentle breeze accompanies me as I ride through corn fields, swaying the crops as if someone was grooming them with a brush.

After sweating to the top of the downs, I finally head downhill on a bumpy fast descent to Cocking, the adrenaline rush...

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