Month: April 2021

Our Favourite Sussex Chocolatiers

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We’ve listed some of our favourite places to buy Sussex chocolate and they make perfect gifts, as there are so many unique flavours of chocolate and come beautifully packaged.

Only Coco

Only Coco has a shop in Hastings Old Town, with the most beautifully decorated wall of interesting chocolate bars you will ever see! Their chocolate bar flavours include salted caramel, peanut butter, popping candy, pistachio, passionfruit, Eton mess, gin & tonic, and raspberry & cardamom so there are plenty of exciting flavours to choose from to tantalise the taste buds.

The chocolate bars are all beautifully wrapped with their eye-catching and vibrant packaging! My personal favourites are the milk chocolate with orange and milk chocolate with popping candy.

As well as the chocolate bars, they also sell a selection of buttons including their ruby chocolate buttons, hot chocolate, truffles, and brownies. They also have a range of vegan and low sugar options to cater for all!

All their chocolate is handmade in small batches using only the best quality ingredients, and of course, made right here in Sussex – what’s not to love!

If you are inspired to try some of their chocolate products, you can pick this up online or visit their shop in Hastings.

Shop Address:

20 George Street, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 3EG

only coco chocolate

Montezuma’s

Montezuma’s is a household name in Sussex and beyond, and for good reason – its chocolate is scrumptious! Their milk, dark and white chocolate buttons are deliciously creamy and come in generously sized bags of 180g. If 180g of chocolate is not enough, they also sell huge 900g jars of their milk and dark chocolate buttons.

Whilst the buttons are probably my favourite product, I also love trying out the different flavours of their chocolate bars, which include butterscotch, peppermint, chilli & lime, salted caramel hazelnuts, and cherry pie. My personal favourite bar is the orangutang, which is white chocolate with orange and butterscotch – perfect for a sweet tooth!

A range of their dark chocolate flavours are suitable for vegans and they also sell their ‘Like no Udder’ chocolate which is a milk chocolate alternative suitable for vegans.

You can pick up their chocolate online or head to one of their stores listed below (only Sussex stores are listed but they do also have stores in London, Winchester and Norwich).

Store Addresses: 

30 Duke Street, Brighton, BN1 1AG

29 East Street, Chichester, PO19 1HS

Rowdy & Fancy’s

Rowdy & Fancy’s make hand-made and organic artisan chocolate from their workshop in Forest Row, East Sussex. Their 100g chocolate bars come in a whole host of flavours, some traditional and some more experimental flavours including sweet rose, very cherry, mocha, bees knees, and coffee cardamom.

My personal favourite chocolate bar is the honey crunch milk – although warning, this flavour is very moreish!

They also sell cute mini bars if you want to try out a range of flavours.

Their main bars are wrapped in beautiful Adam & Eve packaging and their packaging is eco-friendly as it is recyclable and compostable.

You can order their chocolate online, or they are stocked in a range of outlets across Sussex, including The Village Store in Alfriston, Wickle in Lewes, Charlie’s Farm Shop in Bury, and Crates Local in Horsham.

 

Take a look at our other local Sussex businesses for more ideas for gifts and eco-friendly products to buy!

Woodland Walks in West Sussex

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Woodlands are a peaceful place to enjoy a walk under the canopy of the trees, see the bluebells emerge and smell the fresh leafy smell after the rain has fallen on the forest plants. They are also wonderful places to run off some steam and let your dogs roam free. If you are looking for a woodland walk in West Sussex, then here are a few ideas across the county that may give you some inspiration.

Ebernoe Common

Ebernoe Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, near Petworth, West Sussex. There are many footpaths which you can wander through and make it into a short circular woodland walk starting from Ebernoe Church. Ebernoe Common is also home to many different species of bats! See our Ebernoe Common page for more details.

Forest Walk Ebernoe Common

Houghton Forest

Houghton Forest is a beautiful wood near Arundel, West Sussex that you can wander through and walk up to Bignor Hill if you fancy it. Parking is best at Whiteways, just off the roundabout at postcode BN18 9FD. From the car park, you can wander through the forest and head upwards to Bignor Hill. If you want to follow a full circular route, then read our Bignor Hill walk with an additional downloadable PDF for more details!

Kingley Vale, nr Chichester

Kingley Vale is just north of Chichester and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. One of its most distinctive features is the knarled yew trees which definitely make for a unique photograph! Parking at Kingley Vale is at West Stoke Car Park – Downs Rd, Chichester PO18 9BE.

tree at Kingley Vale Woodland Walk chichester

Accessible Walks in Sussex

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The wonderful countryside of Sussex should be available to everyone, so we’ve selected a few accessible walks in Sussex below, with paths suitable for wheelchairs, buggies and mobility vehicles.

Downs link path

Easy Access Trail at Seven Sisters – The route starts opposite the Seven Sisters Visitor Centre and the route is 2km long to get to the beach. Suitable for all. Postcode for Visitor Centre: BN25 4AD.

Chichester Canal – There is some parking at the car park near Hunston on the B2145 just before the village sign into Hunston and just before the Canoe Club. Head out of the car park towards the village sign and the canal path is on the right-hand side and you can walk along the canal till you reach the canal basin in Chichester.

Centurion Way – The Centurion Way is a 5.5 miles route that runs from Chichester through Lavant and finishes at West Dean. The path is flat and wide and suitable for all users. Visit the westsussex.gov website for more information.

Pulborough Brooks – There are 5 accessible parking spaces here directly in front of the Visitor Centre. There is a Wetland Trail you can do here which is suitable for all and is suitable for manual wheelchairs with a strong helper. You can also book a motorised buggy.

Downs Link – The Downs Link is a 37-mile accessible path for all and stretches from Surrey down to Shoreham-by-Sea. Depending on which stretch you do depends on where you park, but there are disabled parking spaces at Southwater Country Park which is right next to the Downs Link. You can also park at West Grinstead at the disused railway station, which is now the Downs Link. Other areas to park are Steyning, Bramber and Shoreham-by-Sea.

Stanmer Park – Stanmer Park has recently undergone a number of changes to improve accessibility. These include a new off-road path leading into the village, signs to show routes around the park, additional disabled car parking spaces and more easy access trails and paths.

Wakehurst Place – Wakehurst has some parking spaces near the visitor centre for blue badge users. There are many gravel and other hand surface paths around Wakehurst, making it a good choice for a nice accessible route. You can also borrow mobility scooters from the entrance.

Parham House – There is a public footpath through Parham Park which is nice and accessible and well signposted. Deer and other animals are often wandering so dogs must be kept on leads and please stick to the footpath.

If you have enjoyed any of these walks or have suggestions of your own that we have missed, then you can tag us or message us on Instagram and we may reshare your pictures!

Where to See Bluebells in Sussex

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Updated April 2023

You know Spring is on the way when the bluebells start emerging! The swathes of bluebells like a violet carpet are magical in their own right and a sight not to be missed every year. If you are wanting to see bluebells in Sussex this year, then we’ve rounded up some of the most beautiful bluebell areas in the county.

Did you know? Bees can steal a bluebells nectar by biting a hole in the bottom of the flower.

Angmering Woods
A mostly flat route through the woods and can be muddy. Parking is available in the car park at the end of Dover Lane where there is a path leading into the woods.

Ashington Bluebell Walk
A 6-mile circular route around Ashington taking in some lovely bluebells around the Capite Wood. See our circular Ashington walk for the full route directions.

Eartham Woods
Eartham Woods are part of the Slindon Estate which has 1400 hectares to explore and different footpaths you can take so can spend a long time here. There is parking at Eartham Woods car park, Eartham, Chichester PO18 0LU. Also, the nearby Nore Folly is worth visiting to enjoy the views which isalso within Slindon Estate.

Ebernoe Common
Ebernoe Common is another peaceful spot with many footpaths through the woodland. It can be muddy at times! See our Ebernoe Common walk for more information.

Burton Mill Pond

There are plenty of bluebells walking around the Burton Mill Pond trail, just south of Petworth. Additionally, if you park in Burton Mill Pond car park, come out of the car park and turn left on the main road. Walk down the road, passing the pond on your right and there is a footpath on your left that takes you into some woodland with plenty of bluebells!

Wakehurst Place
Bluebells can be found in abundance at Wakehurst place, at Bethlehem Wood and Coates Wood in particular. Visit Wakehurst from late April until the end of May to enjoy the sea of bluebells! View our Wakehurst Place page for more information.

Nymans
Enjoy the lovely woodland walks at Nymans and see the carpet of bluebells amongst other wildflowers. Nymans woodland has easily signposted walks, so you can enjoy the length of walk right for you. View our Nymans page for more information.

High Beeches Gardens
High Beeches Gardens is a woodland and water garden, with woodland glades perfect for seeing bluebells. You can find High Beeches just outside of Handcross and it is also dog friendly.

Woods off Spithandle Lane, Steyning
The woods off Spithandle Lane near Steyning have many bluebells in them. There are a few woods along this lane including Calcot Wood and Great and Little Pepper Woods and Guessgate woods, where bluebells are found.

Arlington Bluebell Walk and Farm Trail
A wheelchair friendly one-way route through Beatons Wood, allowing you to experience wood anemones and bluebells.
Bates Green Farm, Arlington, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6SH

 

Bluebells can be found in most woodlands, take a look at our other walks in Sussex for inspiration and you may see some there too! If you take any spectacular photos of bluebells this year, tag us on Instagram and we may feature your photo!