Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
West Wittering Beach
BEACH West Wittering, a short drive from Chich-
ester, is one of southern England's best beaches, a natural, unspoiled south-facing
sweep of sand a mile or more long and backed by dunes. It's on private land, the West
Wittering Estate, hidden away down a narrow lane, so you have to pay to park, but
it's free for pedestrians. The parking lot is next to a big field behind the dunes, a place
for kicking a ball about and barbecues when the sea breeze is too strong. There's also
a cafe, a bucket and spade shop, and toilets. At one end is the National Trust's East
head, a sand dune spit where you can take salt-splashed strolls for free.
Off the A27 (from the middle of Chichester, follow signs to Wittering).
&
01243/514143.
www.west
witteringbeach.co.uk. Parking lot April-June and mid-Sept-mid-Oct £3 weekday, £5 weekend; July-
mid-Sept £5 weekday, £7 weekend; £2 rest of year. British Summer Time (late Mar-late Oct)
6:30am-8:30pm; rest of year 7am-6pm.
Where to Eat
Comme Ça
FRENCH This restaurant celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011,
and it's easy to see why, with its French dishes combined with local ingredients. The
decor is more English country than faux French, although the beautiful patio, draped
in greenery with wrought ironwork and canopy, does make you feel as if you should
be in Provence. There are two set menus, available for lunch or dinner, which include
dishes such as hare roulade with forest mushrooms and game farce (stuffing) served
with a port and lavender jus, or puff pastry feuilleté of mixed fish and seafood with
parsley and chive white-wine sauce. The bar, with log fire, has its own hearty menu,
which includes a smoked haddock tartiflette, mussels in wine, and charcuterie.
67 Broyle Rd., Chichester (a 10-min. walk from the middle of town).
&
01243/788724.
www.commeca.
co.uk. Reservations required. Fixed-price menu 2 courses lunch/dinner £22/£30, 3 courses £25/£35.
Bar menu main courses £16-£17. AE, DC, MC, V. Wed-Sun 11:30am-2pm; Tues-Sat 6-10pm.
Queen's Room Restaurant
ENGLISH This wonderful restaurant is in a
small upstairs hall in Amberley Castle. You sit among suits of armor, medieval weap-
ons, historic paintings, an open fire and candles, and under a barrel-vaulted 12th-
century ceiling. A pair of cannons are outside the door, and there really is a feeling of
being part of history. And the food is as good as you'd hope: roast loin of rabbit,
polenta, black pudding, spinach, and root vegetable purée, for instance; or roast par-
tridge, confit leg, sweet corn purée, and partridge reduction. And starters include fois
gras and Jerusalem artichoke risotto. There are wines from around £30, or you can
treat yourself to a Chateau Petrus 2002 for £4,450. It's a fabulous experience, in a
fabulous setting. The fairytale Mistletoe Lodge treehouse in the grounds is also avail-
able as a private dining room for two, and the chef will create a personal menu.
Amberley Castle hotel (see below), Amberley, near Arundel.
&
01798/831992.
www.amberleycastle.
co.uk. Reservations required. Set lunch £28 for 2 courses, £33 for 3 courses; set dinner £53 for 2 courses,
£63 for 3 courses. Tasting menu £85. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily noon-2pm and 7-9pm.
Entertainment & Nightlife
Chichester Festival Theatre
A 5-minute walk from the Chichester Cathe-
dral, this 1,400-seat theatre sits on the edge of Oaklands Park. It opened in 1962, and
its first director was Lord Laurence Olivier. The theatre
features plays and musicals,
likely to star top names, plus orchestras, jazz, opera, theatre, ballet, and a Christmas
show. The Minerva Studio Theatre
,
from the late 1980s, features more experimental
performances. The famed Chichester Festival is actually a season of performances
that runs from April to September and includes plays both classic and contemporary,
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