Family days out

How to choose a family day out in West Sussex

Pick one factor that matters most right now: the age of your youngest child, tomorrow’s weather, the attention span of your group, or the facilities you need. That single factor will narrow the options faster than any generic list. Then cross-check against transport, tide times and opening season. The method below gives you a decision rule for each common starting point.

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Choose by age

Under-5s need flat, pushchair-friendly surfaces, shelter from wind and rain, and toilets with baby changing within a short walk. The Equality Act 2010 requires all paid-entry family attractions to provide baby changing, accessible toilets and first aid, but outdoor sites may still have gates, steps or muddy sections that are not obvious from a website. For example, Kingley Vale’s ancient yew wood is marked as a short walk, but the path near the oldest trees has exposed roots and a steep section that is impractical for a standard three-wheel pushchair. A safer choice for under-5s is the boardwalk at the Arundel Wetland Centre (WWT), which is flat, all-weather and has indoor toilets and cafe. The South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) lists 20+ family-friendly walking routes on its website (2025), each with a pushchair suitability rating, check the rating, not just the distance.

5-12 year olds typically sustain 45-90 minutes of focused interest per activity, according to child development guidance from West Sussex County Council’s family resources. A single attraction that fills two hours is better than a long walk with one viewpoint. The Weald and Downland Living Museum (near Singleton) has working crafts, livestock and historic buildings spread over 40 acres; children can move between activities without losing interest. Amberley Museum (in a former limeworks) adds a narrow-gauge railway and vintage buses, which extend attention span for this age group. Both are open seasonally; check the venue’s own website for current dates, as published hours may be 1-2 hours shorter in shoulder seasons (a common gap between advertised and real availability).

Teens (13-18) often prefer choice and independence. Goodwood Estate offers motor sport, golf and an airfield, but the Festival of Speed and Glorious Goodwood have dates that change annually, check the Goodwood website for the current year. For a lower-cost option, the South Downs Way (National Trail, 100 miles) has West Sussex sections from Cocking to Ditchling Beacon; teens can walk a segment and navigate using the SDNPA’s downloadable route maps (2025). The train journey from London to Chichester via Horsham is a main line with no planned closure (National Rail timetables change in May and December each year), so a rail-based day out is reliable for this age group.

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Choose by weather

Rain or low cloud, Avoid the Downs. Chalk paths turn to slippery, sticky mud after heavy rain, and visibility on the scarp can be zero. Use indoor or covered attractions: Bignor Roman Villa (near Pulborough) has the largest collection of in-situ mosaics in Britain, under a thatched roof; Fishbourne Roman Palace (near Chichester) has a museum and the largest known in-situ mosaic north of the Alps. Both are open seasonally, check the venue’s own website for closure days. The Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst (Kew’s wild botanic garden in the High Weald) is a dry, warm indoor space with interactive displays; the garden itself is open in rain but paths can be muddy on clay soil.

Sunny and warm, Prioritise shade and water. The South Downs has very little natural shade on the open downland; the beech hangers (steep wooded slopes) at Chanctonbury Ring and Cissbury Ring provide cover but are steep and not pushchair-friendly. For families, Chichester Harbour (AONB) has coastal paths with shade from hedgerows and trees along the eastern shore. Check tide times before walking, the harbour is tidal and the incoming tide can cut off sections of path. The Met Office 1991-2020 averages show West Sussex receives 750-850 mm of rain per year, with wettest months October to January; a sunny day in May or June is the most reliable window for outdoor activities.

High winds, Many outdoor attractions close or restrict access when the Met Office issues an amber or red wind warning. This includes the South Downs Way, Chichester Harbour footpaths, and any site with large trees (e.g., Kingley Vale, Wakehurst). Check the Met Office warning level on the day, then call the venue directly, published opening hours may not reflect a wind closure. Indoor alternatives that rarely close for wind include the Weald and Downland Living Museum (covered buildings) and the Arundel Wetland Centre (indoor hide and cafe).

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Choose by attention span

Short attention span (under 1 hour total), Pick a single, compact attraction. The viewpoint at Cissbury Ring (largest hillfort in Sussex, with Neolithic flint mines and coastal views) can be done in 45 minutes from the car park, but the walk from the car park to the main viewpoint is uphill and not pushchair-friendly. For a flat, quick option, the promenade at Worthing Pier (Victorian pier with a cafe) takes 20 minutes to walk end to end, with benches and a pavilion. Both are free, but Worthing Pier has no baby changing, check West Sussex County Council’s public toilet map.

Medium attention span (1-2 hours), One main activity plus a short walk or play. Petworth Park (the deer park, not the house) is free and open dawn to dusk; the deer park has flat, grassy paths and a playground near the car park. The house (National Trust) has a separate entrance and fee. For families, the park alone is enough for 1-2 hours. Pulborough Brooks (RSPB nature reserve on the River Arun) has a flat, pushchair-friendly trail around the wetland, with a hide and a cafe; the full loop takes 90 minutes at a child’s pace.

Long attention span (2+ hours), Combine two attractions within walking distance or a short drive. Arundel has the castle (Norman, with extensive gardens) and the Wetland Centre (WWT) on the same floodplain; they are 1 km apart on foot, with a flat, pushchair-friendly path along the river. The castle is open seasonally; the Wetland Centre is open year-round but may have reduced hours in winter. Alternatively, Midhurst has the Cowdray Estate (ruined Tudor palace and parkland) and access to the South Downs Way; the walk from the town centre to the Downs takes 20 minutes uphill.

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Choose by facilities

Toilets and baby changing, All paid-entry attractions must provide these (Equality Act 2010), but free sites may not. Kingley Vale has no toilets; the nearest public toilets are in the village of Bow Hill, which may be locked outside season. Cissbury Ring has no toilets at all. For guaranteed facilities, use a National Trust or RSPB site: Petworth House (NT), Wakehurst (NT/Kew), Pulborough Brooks (RSPB), and Pagham Harbour (RSPB) all have toilets and baby changing. Check the venue’s own website for current opening hours; published hours for small venues are often 1-2 hours shorter in practice, especially on weekdays in shoulder seasons.

Dog-friendly, A venue may claim to be “dog-friendly” but ban dogs from the main cafe, restaurant or garden. Petworth Park allows dogs on leads in the park but not in the house or formal garden. Arundel Wetland Centre allows dogs on leads on the boardwalk but not in the cafe or indoor hides. For a genuinely dog-inclusive day out, the South Downs Way (National Trail) allows dogs under close control, and many pubs in Steyning and Midhurst allow dogs in the bar area only, check the pub’s own policy on the day, as websites often say “dog-friendly” without specifying restrictions.

Pushchair suitability, A trail marked as “pushchair-friendly” may have a single stile, a steep gradient, or a narrow gate. The SDNPA’s family-friendly walking routes (2025) give a pushchair suitability rating, but the rating is often aspirational. For a guaranteed flat, all-weather surface, use the boardwalk at Arundel Wetland Centre (WWT) or the promenade at Worthing Pier. The coastal path at Chichester Harbour (eastern shore, from Bosham to Chichester) is flat and firm, but check tide times, the path may be flooded at high tide.

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Adjacent questions

The overview of practical planning for West Sussex is covered on the /practical/ page. For specific towns and landscapes, see the relevant pillar pages: South Downs, Chichester, Arundel, Worthing. This page answers only the question of how to choose a family day out.