Littlehampton to Worthing

I do confess that I didn't have Worthing down as being quite such a big place - big enough to have east, west and central train stations.
Add in the almost continuous suburbia that stretches into neighbouring East Preston and Littlehampton and this is a significantly built-up bit of Sussex coast.

Great for fans of railway level crossings, kiteboarding, and micro pubs.

We set out westbound from our Worthing base to explore a little further afield.  This started with a walk along the promenade until the wicked gusty winds got the better of us and we ducked inland at Goring to catch a bus to Littlehampton.

Littlehampton didn't immediately win me over when hopping off the bus.

Not even with someone's enthusiastic knitting adorning the trees and wooden benches on the pedestrianised main shopping street.

The town is home to just over 27,500 people who get to enjoy award winning beaches, three chip shops, a dozen pubs, a town museum, and a miniature railway.
The arcade was looking good...

Although it is remarkably missing a unit converted into a micropub.

Probably for the best, as Mrs PropUptheBar was sensibly insisting out first point of call should include a proper plate of food.  Which is how we came to be in the White Hart.

The White Hart (32 Surrey Street, Littlehampton, BN17 5BH)
The CAMRA website doesn't provide a wealth of information in this instance.  Here's the entry in full:
"This pub has double bow fronted windows. It was originally called the Cob and Pen."

Well, I do like a double bow fronted window, even if I'm not so keen on Wainwright or Hobgoblin beer served in those dreadful glasses with a dimple three quarters of the way down.

There were a real cross-section of folks in this sizable open-plan pub - couples eating, Carling-drinking blokes, kids on roller skates (our choice of table was notably as far away from them as possible), locals with carrier bags sat under a TV displaying a 'there is a technical fault' blue screen.  The seating by the fireplace looked comfy; the rear section was dominated by two pool tables; there was a nagging sense that you could somehow rearrange the furniture in a more effective way.

The 'Hobgoblin' was passable, whilst a hefty plate of home-cooked food filled us up nicely, 
With an empty glass and spotless plate in front of me, I whisked myself away for the quick diversion into Wetherspoon's a couple of doors along the road.
Not my best pub picture...

The George Inn  (14-18 Surrey Street, Littlehampton, BN17 5BG)
This was predictably busy, highlighting the challenge that the White Hart faces when trying to tempt people in when they're fifty meters from the familiar menu, meal deals and cheap drinks of Spoons.
£2.99 a pint for my pick of one of the guest beers: 'Cuckoo', a 4.3% amber ale from Mauldons in Suffolk.  Not the cheapest end of the JDW pricing scale and I don't think I ever did get any CAMRA 50p vouchers last year. Never mind, I'd have left them on the bookshelf at home anyway.

Nothing exciting happened in my short time in The George, an unremarkable L-shaped pub that looks exactly like you knew it would without having to actually step inside.

Littlehampton reveals its charms when you reach the harbour on the River Arun.  
Okay, perhaps not the quirky decorations on this particular house... 

Nearby, there are gulls circling holidaymaker fish and chips, an amusement park, and a lovely green area between the majestic whitewashed apartments of South Terrace and the pebbled beach.
The grey skies are defeating the blue over the boats in the harbour...

Stretching along the seafront is 'the longest bench' providing some practical seating and wackier art installation moments.  It's great.

Littlehampton's current Beer Guide listed pub is a short walk out the town centre, but perfectly placed just a few strides inland from the East Beach Green, café and pitch & putt.

The New Inn (5 Norfolk Road, Littlehampton, BN17 5PL)
"Home is where the heart is" states the pub's website.
Or, in Mrs PropUptheBar's case, where you can hang your wet socks by the fireplace.  Beach incident involving trying to coax the dog into the water and an unexpectedly big wave.  No sympathy required.

The front room consisted the main bar counter and L-shaped seating areas, with a snug and a pool table to the rear.
I picked the Bowman 'Swift One' - a golden quaffing ale (the brewery's description, not mine) - served on good form and...erm...quaffable.

We were completely out of sync with bus times, finishing the Bowman beer 28-minutes before the next bus to the shopping parade at Rustington.
As it was only 30-minutes walk, we set out on foot through some dull housing estates.  Our target was a new 2026 Beer Guide entry called The Quill...

The Quill (106 The Street, Rustington, BN16 3NJ)
This is somewhere at completely the opposite end of the micro pub spectrum to Worthing's Green Man or Anchored, or to the originals in Kent.
It's been open since early December 2023 in what was originally an electrical shop.
Far too smart for my liking.  Green leather cushioned bar stools, a bit of botanical wallpaper, flowers, the name in lights at the end of the room.

 

The trade was good, with all tables taken inside, as many (if not more) folks on the wine as the cask ale.
Great choice of cask though, which I had extra time to peruse thanks to the obnoxious lady who all but shoved me out the way in an all important insistence at being served first.
"You can't possibly buy these, you brought us lunch", "No I insist", "No really we'll get the white wines", "No, I've already got my card out..."   Arggggggg!

The outdoor tables in the sunshine may have been taken, but we were happy to escape to peace and quiet in the shade with views of the local shops.
The local Arundel 'Castle Ale' was on decent form but a fairly ordinary bitter.  Then realising we had a bit of time to spare, I popped back to the bar for the Three Acre 'West Coast Ale' - a very good, peachy 5.6% IPA.  A mistake, as we almost missed the bus thanks to me having to queue for the solitary gents toilet.

We caught bus 701 to the Strand, leaving us a 10-minute walk between the railway line and a ploughed field.  Where's the sunshine gone...

At the end of the footpath you'll find the Henty Arms...

The Henty Arms (2 Ferring Lane, Ferring, BN12 6QY)
This is a good-looking large pub, named after the brewers Henty & Constable who took over in 1927 (the Chichester brewery would later be gobbled up by the Watney empire in 1954).  Prior to that, this pub had been the New Inn since its construction in 1830.
It's a rarity these days to find the lounge and public bars completely separate and served by their own entrances, a bar counter straddling both inside.

We entered the lounge bar and I ordered a half of 'Sussex Best'.
How long to the next bus Mrs PropUptheBar?
"Four minutes."
Dammit.  Four minutes with the jeopardy of a level-crossing between us and the bus stop meant about 30-seconds for the beer.  Does that even count as a pub tick?

We hopped aboard the number 11, running early, and let this take us back into the western reaches of Worthing to another micro.

The Fynn (54 Goring Road, Worthing, BN12 4AD)
The Flynn was doing a roaring trade, plenty of people within the narrow bar, several outside in front where the sun appears to have come out again since that grey walk across the fields.

It originally opened as the Georgi Fin in 2017 in a former men's clothes store.  New owners took over in 2024 and undertook a bit of a refurb and a name change that didn't veer too far from the original.

 

I rather liked it.  Lots of character, helped by the crowd of folks and soundtrack of multiple conversations, space for a dart board, and ample pump clip decoration.
The drinks range included crafty keg lines, several ciders, and four cask pumps with beers from Pentrich, Long Man, Time & Tide, and Silent Brew.  The latter was a 'Rich Millionaire' chocolate caramel and biscuit stout.  Easy pick for me, then.
An odd disparity in pint and half-pint pricing saw cask at £4.50 for a big one, £2.60 for a half, which I really don't agree with - 70p for the extra glass-wash for anyone trying to halves?

Although I do agree with the free cheese from the weekend buffet, which briefly filled a gap and allowed us to squeeze in one more micro before making a beeline for tea at The Original Chipwick (excellent!).

We returned glasses to the bar at The Flynn and scooted up Reigate Road towards West Worthing station.
The football crowd had deterred us from The Foresters when we passed this on our first day in town, so second time lucky with a decent number of custom but space for us to sit comfortably at the back.

I enjoyed a super stout from New Mills' Torrside Brewery in the Foresters.  A fine beer to end an excursion through the towns and 'burbs to the west of Worthing centre.

I'll close this post with the bright picture of the pier that was missing from the previous Worthing post.

Thanks for reading/skimming/looking at the pictures/worrying about Mrs PropUptheBar's wet feet.

Worthing Pub Explorations

A Sussex long-weekender took us to Worthing where we could admire the pier, enjoy our fill of micropubs, drink Harvey's, and hop on a train to Chichester when we'd have enough of being by the seaside.
So, what have I found out about the place?...

🠶 With a hefty population of over 113,000, Worthing is the 22nd biggest town in the UK.
🠶 There's a 10-year wait for a beach hut.
🠶 Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, and Harold Pinter wrote stuff whilst staying or living in Worthing.
🠶 Billy Idol attended High School in the town. 

With a rebel yell, we were on our way to explore a pub or two.
As the picture of our first stop below shows, there was no need to pack the factor 50 or swimming shorts.

The Corner House (80 High Street, Worthing, BN11 1DJ)
Through the gloom and drizzle we reached the Corner House on a roundabout next to Waitrose, an early Good Beer Guide tick that was also looking like a good option for lunch.

The building dates back to 1895 although it's had a 21st century pub makeover within: tiled bar counter, stylishly worn wooden floors and olive green paint job.
We received a nice friendly welcome and settled on a comfy cushioned bench to the side of the door.

Three cask ale options were on offer, all from Sussex within 35-miles of the pub: Gun 'Project Babylon' from Hailsham, Harvey's 'Sussex Best' from Lewes, or Arundel Brewery 'Service Please.'  I picked the latter, a crisp pale 4.6% ale, supplementing a very tasty and filling halloumi burger.

A quick 5-minute hop around the corner provided me with a second GBG '26 tick at Wetherspoon's.

The Three Fishes (56 Chapel Road, Worthing, BN11 1BE)
Is this one that gets called 'lively' in descriptions?  It certainly should have been on my visit.  Busy enough that I got the last vacant table (we're not very amenable to sharing tables in Spoons, are we?).  A dozen late teens trying to look menacing in Stone Island jackets.  A bloke describing some sort of video game in great detail to 'enthralled' ladies at an unnecessarily loud volume.  A sizeable number of empties waiting to be collected and lots of tipsy looking folk.
Double mobility scooter parking outside and handwritten "cash only" signs on the front door.

Guest beers get it into the Good Beer Guide...

Dorking Brewery had almost achieved a tap takeover with five of their beers spread across two banks of hand pumps.
The 'Misbrooks Brown Ale' for me - a fine, sensible-strength, malty brew.

The Three Fishes is housed in what used to be the Worthing Corporation Electricity Board showrooms although, as my picture shows, it's identikit Spoons towards the back.  There's a small upstairs seating area, nice mural of the pier overlooking the staircase (top pic) and the smallest Wetherspoon bathrooms I can recall encountering.
I wasn't there for long.  Mrs PropUptheBar had headed straight to the next pub with the hound who could never fool anyone that he's a service dog and wouldn't have liked the Three Fishes anyway.

If the weather hadn't put me off going in the water, the street art en-route did...

Despite the lack of blue sky and sunshine brightening up the colourful pub (and house) frontages, the Toad in the Hole was looking good...

The Toad in the Hole (1 Newland Road, Central, Worthing, BN11 1JR)
It's named after the traditional Sussex pub game which I've only ever seen played twice - at the extensive games section they used to have at the Great British Beer Festival and the Black Horse Inn in Lewes.
Here's the game table in the corner of the pub - not to be mistaken for a commode...

The Toad was formerly the Castle Alehouse until it was acquired by Brighton's Hand Brew Co. in 2022.  So I was keen to sample one of their ales: 'Bird' or 'Cove' on offer on cask alongside an Electric Bear 'Gizmo' or Ascension cider.

The 'Cove' was a lovely chocolatey dark mild packing in the flavour at 3.4%.
I arrived to AC/DC 'Whole Lotta Rosie', proceeded by foot-tappin' to Led Zep, The Doors, and the Stones.
I loved the Toad in the Hole: classic rock, pot plants, pump clips on the ceiling, and two pianos.  A ramshackle local that was filling up nicely with a diverse crowd during our visit and where I'd imagine I'd spend a fair bit of time if I was a Worthing resident.

We had a half-mile walk to reach the next place on our list - up past the railway station, over the level crossing at South Farm Road, and onward to the Brooksteed micro.

The Brooksteed (38 South Farm Road, Worthing, BN14 7AE)
This current CAMRA regional pub of the year has been open since 2014 at which point it was the second micro to open in the town.
Next to the entrance was an electronic beer board, just missing the feature of your Untappd check-in appearing, and - perhaps more importantly - prices.

Cask and cider were fetched from a chiller room located just behind the bar - a Loud Shirt 'Small Batch 09' for me, please.

This pleasant place was nicely busy, Mrs PropUptheBar nabbing the last available table, reserved for someone's birthday well after we'd be on our way.  There was a mix of high and low seating, plus a nice covered back garden and proper outdoor gents WC.  A hubbub of conversation and happy folk.

I discovered that Worthing Town were playing a local fixture with Eastbourne Borough that afternoon.  Rank amateur timing on my part as we walked down Pavilion Road, right past the ground just as the match finished.
Okay, so it's not quite walking against the tide of an Old Trafford crowd making their way to the metro stop, but Eastbourne Borough did warrant a police escort.
And several of the crowd headed straight into our next micro ensuring it was standing room only.

Green Man Ale & Cider House (17 South Street, Tarring, Worthing, BN14 7LG)
As with the last pub, beers were racked in a glass-fronted chiller room and served on gravity by the friendly owner.  It's an old-school 'proper' micro with no bar counter and drinks brought to your table (or perching spot).  A good selection of ales on our visit from Firebird, Burning Sky, Howling Hops, Downton, Hopback, and - my pick - Rother Valley.  Hailing from Rye, the 'Storm Surge' was £5.20 a pint for your 5.4% deep dark Sussex stout.

The owner found time to check if I was enjoying the stout.  The dog barked at him.  Irritable, as he likes a table in the corner, regular height seating, and a treat.

We planned to call in to the Foresters nearby to make it three-in-a-row for micro pubs.  But a post-footy crowd spilling out onto the street convinced us we should try again another day when it was quieter.
We now found ourselves beyond Worthing West station, realising it was a mile-and-a-half trek back to the town centre.
That mile-and-a-half took us past the Brewhouse and Kitchen (I seem to have lost my enthusiasm for them) and into neat side-streets with too many parked cars in front of the pub.

Hare and Hounds (9-81 Portland Road, Worthing, BN11 1QG)
The Hare and Hounds is a timeless proper pub, complete with red carpet, beamed ceiling, wood panelling, and plentiful black & white pictures of the town on the walls.  It dates back to 1814 when it would have been a lot smaller - an extension into the ground floor of the adjoining building happening in the 1990s.  The U-shaped bar serves front and back areas, both pleasantly busy (but not grab the last table busy) with a crowd of all ages.
Cask ale on offer was Gun 'Babylon', a St Austell rugby special 'Ruck and Roll', or Harvey's 'Best Bitter'.  About time for a Harvey's, I reckoned, on great form here.

 

No mild smut in a picture-heavy gents WC, but you do get a mild bit of Del Boy...

The final venue on our list was completely different to anywhere else we'd been, promising us craft beer in a town centre courtyard.

Tasting Rooms (Unit 8 Stanford Square, Warwick Street, Worthing, BN11 3EZ)
This small bar was opened with the help of crowdfunding in April 2023 by the folks behind the local Merakai Brewing Company.  They concocted their ales at Uckfield until recently, but have now moved the kit to a space at the side of the Tasting Rooms, ensuring we got our Untappd 'At Source' badge. 
Six taps: a house lager by Arundel, a strong pale from Loud Shirt, and a couple their own on offer.  The coffee stout for me, 'Espresso for my Depresso', a tricky beer to look up online being as a similarly named company called Meraki actually make an espresso machine. 

The Tasting Rooms was a very civilised place. Bar snacks were delivered from a smart restaurant across the road and were ambitiously-priced but tasty.

As the dark was descending on Worthing it was time for us to head back to the low ceilings of our micro-cottage lodgings.  Mustn't get too carried away, so as to leave the energy and enthusiasm to explore a bit more of this coastline the next day.
I'd be all right just as long as I could get past the Egremont without being tempted in by Harvey's Old Ale...

...doh! Of course I was.
But we still managed to explore further afield the next day and even saw a bit of sunshine.  More waffling about West Sussex in the next post