8 Great Ways To Fill Your Summer Holidays

Have you booked this year’s summer holiday? Are you waiting for July and August when school’s out? Are you hoping to visit when the weather’s still balmy but the south coast is a little quieter come late May or early September? Whenever you wish to visit, Quay Quarters, near Chichester, West Sussex, has the perfect child-friendly holiday cottages for you to use as your home from home.

Having lived in the Chichester area for almost 60 years, the Sawday family has visited a fair few attractions in Chichester, Goodwood, Arundel and the wider local area. Here’s our pick of the best events and places for you and yours to visit while staying in our ideally placed family holiday accommodation:

  1. Arundel Castle and WWT
    Open end of March until end of October, Arundel’s restored medieval castle and stately home is a sight for sore eyes and has almost 1000 years’ fascinating history of royals and wrong’uns. With gorgeous gardens and an action-packed calendar of events from castle sieges to medieval jousting tournaments to open air theatre and living history days. Arundel Castle has something for everyone. Just down the road lies Arundel Wetland Centre, where you can take a safari in a super-quiet electric boat from which you might spot water voles, birds of prey and rare wildfowl. You can get up close to a variety of wildlife, go pond dipping, visit the discovery hide, let off some steam in the play area or enjoy a tranquil cuppa in a cafe with wonderful views.
  2. Goodwood Motor Sports.
    This year is Goodwood Festival of Speed‘s 25th anniversary so if you like fast cars and want to celebrate everything from rally racing to F1 and motorsports’ greatest heroes, this is the weekend-long extravaganza for you. For those who prefer the old fashioned romance of 1940’s – 1960s motorsports – as well as the glitz and glamour that era’s trends and music brought – and want to experience a vivacious vintage foray, Goodwood Revival is more in your lane. It’s a wonderful excuses to dress up and it’s fun for all the family, tiny motor-heads and all.
    3. Goodwood Racecourse
    At nearby Goodwood racecourse, you can expect all sorts of four-legged fun. The most popular event is the Qatar Goodwood Festival (also known as Glorious Goodwood) which occurs over five days in July/August. Though considered one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world, Goodwood isn’t all about the horses. They combine racing, music and DJs for a more “hip” crowd with their Three Friday Nights offerings and a Family Race Day also in June that’s suitable for younger children. Located less than 20 minutes’ car journey from Quay Quarters, you’ll be sorted across the board.
    4. Beautiful Beaches
    Come the warmer weather, West Wittering, East Wittering and East Head are firm favourites. East Wittering beach is a clean shingle beach, which stays relatively quiet and has a separate stretch for walkies (for those staying in our dog-friendly holiday cottages). It’s clost to all the village amenities making it great for a no-fuss day out. While the more popular West Wittering offers an unspoilt sandy beach, high water quality, Blue Flag status and stunning views across to Hayling Island and the Isle of Wight. Nearby at East Head you’ll find the wild and wonderful sand dunes and salt marsh, a National Trust protected areas that’s a haven for wildlife, from skylarks to seals. With views across Chichester Harbour and the South Downs, it’s also heavenly for a walk at sunrise or sunset – a cinch when you’re staying in a holiday cottage by the sea!
    5. Victorious Festival
    A three-day music festival held on Southsea seafront in Portsmouth, Victorious Festival has been delighting the south coast with excellent pop and rock music since 2011. Every August Bank Holiday Weekend, there’s a fantastic programme of music acts which in the recent past have included Elbow, Stereophonics, Texas, Will Young and Basement Jaxx. For 2018, Prodigy and Paul Weller are at the top of the bill and it promises to be another melodic marvel. But it’s not just about drinking beer out of plastic cups in the sunshine while listening to music, there’s a full-on family focus with a dedicated area of amusements and amenities for kids too.
    6. Chichester Festival Theatre
    One of the UK’s flagship regional theatres with a world-wide reputation for producing first-rate stage productions, Chichester Festival Theatre should take a bow for the sparkling programme it has to offer for the 2018 season. From mystery with the likes of The Midnight Gang to beloved sing-a-long musicals like Me And My Girl to fairy tale classics like Sleeping Beauty, there’s no need to make a scene because there’s something to suit theatre-goers young and old. We’re waiting in the wings to take your holiday cottage booking once you’ve decided which of these dramatic delights tickle your fancy.
    7. West Dean Gardens and the Weald and Downland Museum
    If you’ve not visited West Dean’s world famous chilli Fiesta then you don’t know what you’re missing – it’s hot stuff! The UK’s largest chilli festival, with live music and dance, spicy food samples and cookery demonstrations that attract celebrity chefs, this annual August affair is well worth a visit. West Dean Gardens also plays host to horticultural talks and open air theatre in June and July with this year’s playlist including The Rivals and The Roundabout. Next door, at the Weald and Downland Living Museum, you can find out about life in this area of the south of England over a 950 year period. An open-air exhibit of rescued rural buildings, working animals and a calendar of historical shows and food fairs, this is a must-visit location only seven miles from Chichester. We love the Working Animals Show (formerly Rare Breeds Show) and the Vintage and Steam weekend.
    8. CASS Sculpture Foundation
    A large-scale display of sculptures in the heart on the South Downs National Park, CASS presents works by some of the most significant contemporary artists. Spread across 26 acre of woodland that’s ideal for an afternoon wander or a full day (if you take a picnic lunch), Goodwood’s CASS Sculpture Foundation is open year-round and features sculptures by the likes of Tony Cragg and Antony Gormley. With ever-changing exhibitions and creative workshops, there’s always something crafty to see and do at CASS.In addition to all these fabulous ideas to entertain you and the kids while holidaying with us on the south coast, there’s also the Festival of Chichester which runs mid-June to mid-July and features a rich programme of arts events to suit culture-vultures of all ages. Check out their website for the full programme.
    Book a child-friendly holiday cottage for your summer break.Boasting child-friendly holiday cottages with all the mod-cons – from a fully-equipped kitchen to free wireless internet access to a flat screen TV to a patio area where you can enjoy BBQs as a family – Quay Quarters should be your first port of call once you’ve decided what activities you’d like to do and when. Give us a call on 01243 839900 and we’ll let you know our availability and prices with a view to getting you well on your way to this year’s summer holiday.