This was my second visit to Littlehampton. The passage of time, just five years in this case, and visits to more recently refurbished sites, made the site feel less impressive than I remembered it. It remains a very good site, however. The pitches are of a good size, largely weed free and the site has bright, open and clean feel to it. It is well looked after with a good toilet block. The location is great.

Littlehampton is rough and rundown, but it is pleasant down on the front, in the old town and along the river. I walked along the front to Rustington, which is a delight, and then to the shops which contrast sharply with Littlehampton and are very lovely. For buses you need the 9 to the town or to Arundel the other way. The excellent 700 service no longer serves Arundel and, hence, nor the site. The nearest stop for the 700 is in Courtwick Road in Wick, about ten minutes’ walk. This bus runs along the coast to Brighton, or you can change to go to Chichester and even Portsmouth the other way. The 9 also runs to Shoreham, but the 700 is a superior bus and much more frequent. Arundel is lovely and the Catholic cathedral worth a visit. A Morrisons and a few other selective shops are very close the site, which is perfect, in my view, for motorhomers.

I am not remotely bothered by traffic noise – or planes or trains come to that. I find these ambient sounds reassuring and they are a positive for me. Here, the A284, runs along 1½ sides of the site, carries a constant stream of traffic from early until late, and, with the nearby railway crossing, vehicles frequently stop and start – leading sometimes to the beat from a high-volume entertainment system. Choose your pitch carefully if traffic noise is an issue for you.

I get stressed with localized noise; loud neighbours, al-fresco parties, intrusive music, excessive door banging etc. My pitch, at a dead end, secluded and private, with few passers-by, looked perfect; but, behind the high hedge, to my off-side, was reception and the arrivals’ lane. From 1pm, there were fairly constant cab and car doors banging, engines starting, or worse left to idle, Sevel fans blowing, and the barrier repeatedly groaning like a sick cow. It made me realize that nearness of reception was not something I had ever factored into pitch choice before in 35 years! In future, I will consider it.

A food van comes on Friday. I had large cod and chips and curry sauce. I am sorry to report that this was positively awful. The pack-bought fish was not cooked through and, if it was large, I’d hate to see small. The curry sauce was a sweet, gingery, barely edible concoction full of cornflour. I think the chips were oven chips; certainly, no chips were fried on the van I am sure. There’s more, but I’ll spare you. I would never use this again. Maybe, some dishes are good?

Despite the pitch issue, and the truly terrible catering van, both of which were avoidable, this remains a favourite site of mine and I shall return.