ENGLAND’S ‘largest village’ is right on the beach – and has its own train station and seaside hotels.
Lancing, in West Sussex, has the largest population of any village in Englandwith around 19,000 people calling home.
Although it is larger than some cities, it remains a village as it does not have a “market charter” that was formerly required to become a city.
Situated between Shoreham-by-Sea and Worthing, the coastal town has a huge 10-mile long beach.
During high tide, the beach is mainly gravel, but when the sea rises again, large expanses of soft, wet sand, perfect for building sandcastles, are discovered.
Along with pastel-colored beach huts along the boardwalk, it’s a great spot for surfing, windsurfing, and sailing.
There’s even The Perch, an award-winning cafe serving pizzas and hot drinks, among a host of other beach delights.
It was already known for having the best vegetarian roast in the country, among a number of other items on its menu that are worth ordering.
There is also the Widewater Lagoon, popular with wildlife fans who can spot herons, swans and other wild birds.
Other popular activities in the area include mountain biking in the nearby South Downs National Park, as well as E-Karting. race trails and a visit to the beautiful Lancing College chapel.
Swimmers can even pretend to be mermaids during the day at Sussex Mermaid School – with tail provided.
It’s quite right next to an airport – that being Brighton City Airport.
Unfortunately you can’t catch a plane to Spain from here as it is mainly used as a flying school.
One especially convinced person from the village was Robert Luff, who wrote in his housing blog: “Lancing is a beautiful extra-large village in West Sussex that lies between Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea.
“It has the gentle slopes of the South Downs as a backdrop and the English Channel as far as the eye can see.
“There is a pebble and sand beach that stretches for almost ten miles that is perfect if you are a walker, a water sports enthusiast or simply like to relax with a good book listening to the waves.”
The village is full of pubs and bars, as well as restaurants and, of course, fish and chip shops.
If you want to stay, you have a surprising amount of options for a villa.
There’s the beachfront Beach Green Hotel or Eastern Sands Holiday Park.
Otherwise, there are also several campsites and B&Bs to choose from.
Lancing has its own railway station which is on the West Coastway Line.
Connecting with Brighton and Southampton, direct trains from London Victoria take around 1h20.
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