travelandlife — Blog — The Fair Maidens

August marks the end of summer in the UK so we decided to make the most of the weather by taking a day trip to West Wittering Beach and East Head which is part of the National Trust.

The train journey from London Victoria station took an hour and a half to Chichester station followed by a 15 minute bus ride (bus numbers 52 or 53) to the nearest bus stop (Old House At Home bus stop) where we then walked about 15 minutes to the beach. We noticed that a lot of people came by car and set up barbecues and tents on the beach as well as on the parking ground.

As we got to the entrance of the car park which is literally next to the entrance to the beach, there were restrooms and shower booths and also food stalls lined up near the car park. We headed straight to the beach and took a stroll along the beach huts making our way towards East Head. The walk took about 30 minutes as we were stopping to take photos.

People still swimming on a 20 degree day

The wetland just opposite the sand dunes

We had a really lovely time here and a day trip is enough to explore the beach and East Head. We even brought our own packed lunch and snacks. If you drive here, there is a small fee for the car park and cars must leave the car park by 8.30pm. We saw lots of families gathering together and what a better way to make an end to the British summer! We were extremely lucky with the weather so this day trip was really worth it. Maybe we could squeeze in a few more trips before we come face to face with the British winter?

After Oia, we took a taxi to our next stop which was Imerovigli where we stayed for a further two nights at Chromata Hotel.

As soon as we arrived at Imerovigli, we loved it. It is less crowded than Oia and definitely more relaxed. We were given a tour of Chromata Hotel and were then escorted to our suite where we were given a free bottle of champagne and fruit (as we made the booking through Mr and Mrs Smith).

Outdoor lounge and sunbeds at Chromata Hotel

Thira is a 20 minute walk from our hotel and we made the decision to explore just before sunset as that is when it is cool enough to walk. The Greek sun can be quite difficult to walk under during the day so if you want to explore the town and Thira, I recommend to do this after 6pm as you can see the pink skies just before the sunset.

A white dome roof along the way to Thira

What better way to have the view of the Aegean Sea beside you as you explore Imerovigli and Thira by foot?

West Wittering Beach & East Head

Santorini - Imerovigli