Back in 2001, fashion designer Sophie English and her family moved from London to the south coast, choosing the Sussex South Downs, a half hour’s cycle ride from the coast, as their new home. “I find it very restorative here, even on the shingle pebbles!” says Sophie, making a wry reference to her husband’s roots in Queensland, with its world-renowned tropical white sands.
“In winter we’ll go for blustery walks on the Downs, and in summer my daughters and I whip down to Lancing for a quick swim, have a coffee, then get fish and chips on the way back.”
The surrounding coastal landscape
