Ferring combines a pebble beach on the southern boundary of the parish with the entirely rural north around Highdown Hill. It also has a public nature area and evidence of several historical periods.

Coast and Nature Area

Ferring Beach forms the southern boundary of the parish. The pebble beach has a café, parking and beach huts available to hire. As visitor facilities may change, check their current status before travelling. At low tide, people ride horses on the beach; local bylaws apply. Check the current rules before your visit. Ferring Beach is also home to plants of vegetated shingle beach communities.

Ferring Rife is a publicly accessible open space with well-signposted footpaths leading to it from all directions. It provides habitat for water voles, little egrets, kingfishers and snipes; wildflowers, including rare orchids, also grow there. Wildlife sightings vary seasonally. Ferring Rife is designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. It is a flagship project within the wider Goring and Ferring nature corridor.

The northern part of Ferring around Highdown Hill is entirely rural and lies within the South Downs National Park.

History at Different Locations

Highdown Hill Camp is a Scheduled Monument in the parish of Ferring, within the South Downs National Park. The monument includes a Bronze Age enclosure, an Anglo-Saxon cemetery and a medieval post mill. These features span the periods from the Bronze Age through the Anglo-Saxon era to the Middle Ages.

St Andrew’s is a historic church in the heart of Ferring. It features 13th-century fabric and Perpendicular Gothic windows. Visitors are welcome to walk through the churchyard.

Another chapter in the area’s history is marked by Ferring’s Type 26 pillbox from the Second World War. It is located on what is now Patterson’s Walk and is one of only two surviving structures between Selsey Bill and Shoreham.

Activities and Practical Information

Ferring Country Centre offers riding lessons for all levels, including for people with learning disabilities. Younger children can enjoy an indoor play area with a farm theme. Families can also meet friendly animals and explore a nature trail there. Activities may change; check which options are available before your visit.

Stagecoach South’s route 11 bus stops at Ferring War Memorial, about 500 metres from Ferring Country Centre. As bus routes may change, check the current route before travelling.

Planning depends on what you’re interested in: horse riding on the beach depends on low tide, wildlife sightings at the Rife vary seasonally, and activities at the Country Centre may change.

Discover more destinations: Bolney, Lancing, Bognor Regis, Westbourne, Findon, Wisborough Green, West Wittering, Worthing.

For the wider travel guide: West Sussex.