Seabank Selsey

Seabank offers beachside stays in a holiday home built around a pair of historic railway carriages that are permanently stationed in Selsey. It’s a seaside settlement that occupies the most southerly point in West Sussex — and Seabank sits right on the shingle. You simply don’t get closer to the beach than this. A stay here offers ever-changing views across the water, which inspired the Desert Island theme tune, Sleepy Lagoon. To reach the beach for fishing and swimming, you can hop straight over the sea wall. This is the place for a good old-fashioned seaside holiday — especially as your accommodation harks back to the good old days too.

At the heart of this four-bedroomed, timber-clad cottage are two 19th-century Stroudley railway carriages that once served on the London-to-Brighton line. They may have been halted here on the Sussex Coast for upwards of a century, but they retain the romance of the rails inside. Walk down the corridor to the bedrooms and you’ll feel like you’re at the station between two trains. There are slam doors with highly-polished brass handles, curve-cornered windows, and fancy lettering indicating that these are first class.

Inside, once the blinds are pulled, the curved roof reminds you where you are, but there are proper beds — a lot comfier than the train (though it's worth noting you need to bring your own bed linen and towels). Two rooms are doubles and two are twins with bunks; this place is definitely family-friendly, and we predict your kids are going to love it. It's stocked with toys, books and games, and let’s not forget you’re right on the beach. The location infuses the property with light, informing the design choices too — largely blue like the sea, with other paintwork in the hue of vanilla ice cream. A modern kitchen, dining room and small sitting area with a log burner are on the cottage’s beachside. The bathroom is tucked at the back, with the comfy lounge and bedrooms in between.

Outside, your private space is a shingle garden and a deck. It goes without saying that the sea is a stone’s throw away; there’s only the sea wall and a coastal path in between. That's handy for a walk, and there’s fish and chips, Selsey Fun Fair and pubs with suitable names like The Lifeboat a short stroll away. But there’s more to this Sussex location than that: RSPB Pagham Harbour is just up the road, and beyond, there’s well-to-do Chichester and the Sussex countryside.