Mr & Mrs Smith

The Crab & Lobster keep laminated local maps that they cheerfully loan out to take on walks. We wanted to see the sea, so they recommended a walking route around Pagham Harbour that took us right out to the coast via a wonderful walk beside the estuary. It was a sunny day, so on the way back we stopped at the 'Friends of Pagham Harbour' shed and bought local ice creams made in the village, absolutely delicious.

There is a shack selling crab etc on the seafront in West Itchenor from May. Unfortunately, we were there in April but West Itchenor is a lovely village to visit anyway.

After wandering around near by Chichester and the Cathedral you must go to West Stoke House Restaurant for lunch or dinner- the food and service are second to none.

A lovely place to stay in a very relaxing location. Good breakfasts and the convenience of having a restaurant to dine in serving good quality local produce.

We took a walk and a drink at nearby Bosham Harbour which is incredibly pretty and great if you are a fan of sailing as there is a very active sailing club there so plenty to watch. There is only one pub in the village and its right on the estuary edge so there are great sea views to contemplate as you sip a good glass of wine! We also went for a walk along the beach at West Wittering which is a real gem on the South Coast – sandy, clean and a lovely nature reserve for sheltered picnics and some respite from the breeze; gorgeous on a sunny day. Both were about 10–15 minutes' drive from The Crab and Lobster. Perfect.

Arundel town center was charming and if you're after an unusual gift, the shop 'Sparks Yard' offers gifts from unique children's toys, to funky kitchenware and hard to obtain foods and sweets. It also has a cafe upstairs with a good choice of coffee.
Some of the antique shops can seem a little daunting to enter, but once inside, all were very friendly, and the parking at the bottom of the high street was very reasonable too.

We should have loved to have travelled the area and stumbled upon a great restaurant. However, our visit coincided with the south of England's worst snow storm for almost 20 years, and having arrived at the Crab and Lobster we were compelled to remain there for the duration – including for an additional night that the manager insisted that we and the other guests take for own own safety and at no cost. Fortunately, it transpired that the Crab and Lobster's own resturant 'just has to be eaten in'. Twice in our case!

The Crab & Lobster is in a dream location on the edge of a nature reserve and just a short walk to the beach at Pagham Harbour. If your soul aches for stillness, nothing will help better than a slow amble and a bit of bird spotting. Afterwards, we felt we definitely deserved our amazing meal in the gastropub and drinks in front of the log fire, before falling into our bed.