to be really disappointed after visiting worthing today? (say yes!)

[TooMuchRain]

In September we will be moving to near Brighton (can't afford actual Brighton unfortunately) and I was getting quite excited about Worthing until we went to visit today... it just felt a bit run down and I couldn't see what we would do there - no independent cinema, not much by way of watersports and stupid things like we couldn't find a naice cafe in west worthing (where we were house-hunting)

So, can you tell me if IABU and we stupidly missed the great bits or if I am looking at the wrong town??

I live in ferring, I hate Worthing I always head more Chichester way for any activities.
I adore Arundel too

Worthing ugh ugh ugh, my Mum lives there and it's vile. Beach is lovely, in fairness, but otherwise it's grim, grey, depressing and - given the age of the residents - surprisingly crime ridden. Chichester is lovely, as is Horsham, Lancing at a push but Worthing...just no.

We went to Worthing and found it very boring.
I love Bexhill though! Lovely little place

I grew up there (and now wondering if I know any of the other Worthing-ites on this thread) It used to be a retirement town. That has now changed as younger people got priced out of Brighton etc. My objective(ish) summary would be

What's right with it?

• It's between the sea and the downs. Good windsurfing off Goring and good hiking/ running across the Downs. Quite a lot of nice little walks if you know where they are. If you like outdoors stuff, there's a lot of scope for it.
• It's got a Waitrose
• The town centre is shit (see "what's wrong) but it's close to Horsham and Chichester where the shopping is quite good (and Brighton, but I don't like Brighton shopping that much if I'm honest).
• It's got some goodish schools

What's wrong with it?

• The town centre is really not great. Far too many pound shops/ low end chain stores. Teville Gate has been scheduled for redevelopment since I was 8. I'm now nearly 40. Most of this is because the council are basically incompetent and cant make a decision to save their lives.
• It doesn't have a huge number of naice cafes and good restuarants, although the surrounding area is quite good (albeit not London standards or anything).

West Worthing is a bit suburban but it's fine. The nicest area of Worthing are Offington and High Salvington/ Findon. Or could you afford East Preston or Angmering? They are nicer/ more villagey.

Have a look at Southwick - there are some really pleasant areas of it (not all of Southwick is naice), and it's close to the Old Shoreham Road and seafront routes into Brighton. I wouldn't go the Peacehaven or Telscome Cliffs side of Brighton 'cos the seafront road is more or less the only route in and out, and is totally chocka in the rush hours.

We moved to Worthing a year ago from Hove as we couldn't afford a family home in Hove and I've been surprised at how pleasant it is. I don't miss Hove at all. We have nice parks, brand new pool, nice cafes all within walking distance. We have lovely neighbours, loads of young families on our street and I've met lots of nice people (most of whom moved from Brighton, Hove or London for same reasons as us). Our girls are due to start at an outstanding school in Sept and it seems lovely. Only downside is lack of pubs and nice restaurants (crescent road one is good). All in all though, I am pleased we moved here, it's been good for our family.

Some people grew up there, and maybe are attached to the place, or have no choice. Just constantly calling places "shite" is really horrible, as well as lazy, and not even witty. I never read "crap towns" website for the same reason.

Limings Mexican is good. I think the restaurants will improve now more people are moving down here who have been priced out of Brighton/Hove/Shoreham.

rya.org.uk shows 10 sailing clubs within 15 miles. Some will be yacht, some dinghy, some canoe - plenty of choice. Someone also mentioned Hove Lagoon which does all three.

Seafront walks produced loads of cafes - had a dog with us so couldn't go into all of them but looked plenty of choice to me.

and you will be by the sea. What's not to like?

Err ferring definitely isn,t worthing. I could happily live in ferring now but would hate to be in worthing town center.

I loved living by the sea and really really miss it - but certainly not enough to live in Worthing. Depressing, gloomy little place.

The best place for coffee and cake for me :) is -
www.parklifefood.co.uk/cakes

canoe club
sailing club
wind surfing
cinema
theatre (2)
assembly hall
high street shops
pier
night clubs

college

senior schools

primary schools

huge new swimming pool (on the beach)

lots more :)

Yes, parklife coffee and cakes lovely!

Oh I love park life

Shoreham a dump? Really? Was there just last week and thinking how nice the pedestrianised bit is with it's Real Patisserie, very naice coffee shop and farmers market. I'd live there in a flash but go check out the property prices - hardly any different to Brighton.

I think the issue is that all towns have nice parts and not nice parts, and actually, despite Worthing not being the most exciting place in the world, I had a really happy childhood/ teenager years there. Went to Worthing College for A-levels which I loved. My parents still live just outside. The real issue with Worthing is the town centre, which has really really suffered from the lack of vision of the council IMO, but the town has a lot going for it, some nice parks etc.

I love Worthing. I guess it's all relative.

Relatively speaking, having spend my childhood u north, where the main street was cordoned off with ambulances on standby every fri and saturday night to contain drunken shitheads who fight...Worthing is a dream.

It's not all old fogies, many years ago maybe, but not now.

I love that the town centre hasn't got the same shopping pricinct that every bloody town centre in the country has.

I love the dome, it is so beautiful

The town centre management is really amazing, from a farmers market, to a normal market every wednesday, to stilt walkers, singers, calypso bands, jazz bands, folk bands all playing during the summer.

I am dissapointed that we have a poundland, but that's a sign of the times. but we've got monsoon and laura ashley too - just to put a balance on it

This weekend we had the childrens parade through the town centre, all the kids dresed up, costumes etc. was fab.

Warwick street is cafe street, but there are some lovely little cafe's around if you look

I am a 5 min walk from the sea, i cycle along the seafront and everytime i catch my breath as i can't believe how lucky i am.

Worthing isn't the best night out for drunks, couple of little nightclubs and and in the town centre not that many rocking pubs ( although the DJ at the vintners might argue with that) and you can't get a curry after midnight ( shocker to a norther bird)

There are lots of lovely pubs with great food, great for families.

I find the town centre clean, and when i am walking to work every morning, the guys are picking up litter and making it nice.

I love the artists down near splash point, and we even have an artists open house thing.

the new leisure centre is great, the kids pool amazing, and use of all facilities over 200 classes, state of the art gym equipment all brand new for £40 per month - bargain.

Like all towns there are parts which are better than others, but house prices will reflect this.

And living here - this is crucial - living here is quite quite differnt from coming for a holiday.

I hate the car park over the bowling alley, it is a blot on the landscape, but everytime DH and i park there we say together " WE LIVE HERE!" Its now become a joke, something we just always say as we look across the lido to the sea.

Welcome to sunny Worthing is the catch phrase, and it is true. I can't believe someone earlier said it was grey! It has the highest recorded HOURS of sunshine.

we are a really small town compatatively and we have THREE cinemas, we have a theatre - a theatre!

If you are into the arts, there is a theatre/ artists scene. If you are into sports - ditto - yacht clubs abound.

What i am worried about is all the yuppie flats being built, but that in itslef should give you an indication that it isn't the desolate place previous posters have described.

I don't work for the tourist Information Office :)...but we have one

you can't get better placed for visiting places by train, chichester ( i was pissed there only last night) or brighton ( i don't like brighton tbh).

Portsmouth quays for outlet shopping ( or lots of beer)

Southampton for beer - i#m sure it has other things too.
Shoreham for poncy food and wine

commuting to london victoria in just over an hour!

by car you have all the other towns nearby like horsham which is nice.

40 mins to gatwick

We have the Downs just at the back and a beach at the front.

The Hospital
I went to A&E with dd last weekend - SATURDAY NIGHT - there were 4 people waiting, no one was pissed up, we were seen in 10 mins

on
a
saturday
night.

yes indeed i love Worthing

Worthing is very nice Lots of little cafes and the seafront has an old fashioned traditional feel. We often sit there with an ice cream and it is like going back in time. I know several people from brighton who have moved there and have liked it but I also know some who are there and feel stuck as it is a bit cheaper than Brighton and they can't really move back now. The town centre is indeed quite individual and not carbon copy and it is a lot cleaner than Brighton but also does feel more suburban. If you love Brighton and want to live here Worthing will fall short. But if you want to live somewhere lovely by the sea near brighton then its fab.

Thank you all!! I think we will go back this week and I will try Parklife and look at everything else you have mentioned

And then maybe we will go to Shoreham to get something to compare it too

Love shoreham! Are you sure you can't afford Brighton? There are some cheaper areas still near good schools. I love it here so am abit biased

I grew up in Worthing, well we moved there age 12 from Guildford and I loved it. It was run down then, but I liked the scruffy ness and much more down to earth than G'ford had been. Sea Lane cafe is fab, along from Goring I think. I remember the Dome when smoking was still allowed in cinemas, and the stench of the seaweed in the height of summer, ahhh such fond memories

Custardo, just out of interest, when you say there are lots of lovely family friendly pubs, which ones? I am v keen to find some

Do you need to live by the sea? Come up to my end of Sussex! I live in Crawley. The reputation it has is bollocks (deemed as the devils bum hole of Sussex). I've lived here my whole life thanks to my Grandparents moving down here from the new town commission and they are just building 2 new neighbourhoods so adding more variety to the boring commission housing (the old part has no character as all the same style houses ).

We are right on the Surrey border but the cheapest house prices in the county. Close to the airport so handy for holidays. Plus we are on the main trainline for Brighton and London and smack bang in the middle of both so can be in both in half an hour. Driving it's a half hour drive too (I work at the hospital in Brighton and can be there in half hour ;) ). We have all the naice coffee shops bar Starbucks, apart from in our 15 screen cineworld cinema with IMAX (was the biggest in the country at one point as was a virgin cinema and as virgin has it's head offices here Ol' Dicky Branson gave us the best cinema).