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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Selsey
Go for one night, or as a half-day from Chichester: a quiet Manhood Peninsula seaside town with a Bill viewpoint, not a resort to base a week in.
Selsey sits at the tip of the Manhood Peninsula in West Sussex, about 8 miles south of Chichester. It is a small, low-key seaside town with a pebble beach, a caravan-and-camping scene at West Sands, and a handful of pubs and cafés. Most travellers see it as a half-day or one-night stop, or as a base for Pagham Harbour birdwatching and the Chichester area. There is no railway station; the B2145 is the only road in.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, many seasonal businesses shut)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Fish and chips | £10–15 |
| Pub main course | £12–20 |
| Pint of beer | £4.50–6 |
| Bus 51 Chichester → Selsey, single | £3–4 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LGW · London Gatwick
- About 1 h 15 min by car via the A27; train to Chichester then bus 51
- SOU · Southampton
- About 1 h 15 min by car; train to Chichester then bus 51
Typical fares
- Bus 51 Chichester → Selsey
- about £3–4 single, about 45 min (check)
- Taxi Selsey → Chichester
- £25–35 (check)
- Car park, East Beach
- check local charges
Get around
Selsey is small but spread out: walking between the High Street, East Beach and West Sands can be 1 km or more of residential streets. Stagecoach Gold bus 51 runs from Chichester roughly every 15–30 min and takes about 45 min. Local taxi and minicab firms are the practical option for evenings.Selsey is small but spread out: walking between the High Street, East Beach and West Sands can be 0.6 mi or more of residential streets. Stagecoach Gold bus 51 runs from Chichester roughly every 15–30 min and takes about 45 min. Local taxi and minicab firms are the practical option for evenings.
See and do
Known for
- Selsey Bill viewpoint
- Pagham Harbour RSPB reserve
- West Sands caravan and holiday parks
- Quiet pebble beach and boat launching
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chichester | Stagecoach Gold bus 51, about 45 min | About 1 h |
| Bracklesham Bay | Car via narrow lanes back towards Chichester, or a long coastal walk | About 30–40 min by car |
| Arundel | Car via Chichester and the A27, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Worthing | Car via the A27, about 45 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Selsey town centre / High Street
- Pubs with rooms, B&Bs and shops within walking distance; best if you have no car.
- West Sands
- Caravan parks and holiday villages; family-oriented, near the fun fair and beach.
- East Beach
- Quieter seafront end, near the boat slipway and dive shop.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Excuse me / Sorry |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- The B2145 is the only road into Selsey; summer traffic and caravan convoys can be slow.
- EE and Three have next-to-no mobile signal in Selsey and on the approach roads; O2 and Vodafone have 4G. No 5G.
- Many seafront cafés and attractions are seasonal and shut outside the summer.
- The beach is pebble and steep in places; check tide times before swimming.
Selsey is a low-crime small town and safe for tourists. The real issues are the single access road, patchy mobile signal, seasonal closures and cold water at the beach.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Selsey yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Selsey Bill viewpoint
- Pagham Harbour RSPB reserve
- West Sands caravan and holiday parks
- Quiet pebble beach and boat launching
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- RSPB Pagham Harbour: www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserves-a-z/reserves-by-name/p/paghamharbour/directions.aspx
- Visit West Sussex: www.visitwestsussex.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Selsey, revision 5244925 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5244925
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Selsey
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Selsey; the US Embassy is in London. Consulates-general are in London, Edinburgh and Belfast.
English is spoken throughout; no phrasebook needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/selsey). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.