Welcome to Birchwood Lodge
The closest village is Southwater which is about 1 mile distant. There are three pubs in the village itself, the The Cock Inn bar and Indian Restaurant, the Hen and Chicken. and the Lintot, a modern pub forming part of the Lintot Square re-development. The Lintot is family friendly and offers food at reasonable prices.

Southwater has a small shopping centre called Lintot Square. Facilities in the square include a supermarket (Co-op), a bank (Natwest), a post office, an Indian restaurant, a Chinese takeaway, a fish and chip shop, a dry cleaners, doctors' and dentists' surgeries and other shops. On Friday evenings there is a small farmers' market in the square. There are usually stalls selling bread, pork, including bacon and sausages, chutneys, jam and fruit and vegetables. There is also a notice board giving tourist information.

About five miles away lies the ancient market town of Horsham. Other towns and cities within reach are Arundel, Bognor Regis, Brighton, Chichester, Crawley, Guildford, London, Portsmouth and Worthing. These are all best accessed by car apart from London. Trains to London from Horsham and Christ's Hospital stations are run by Southern Trains. London is also accessible via the Gatwick Express which runs as a shuttle service between Gatwick Airport station and London, Victoria Station both during the day and at night . Gatwick airport is about 40 minutes drive from Southwater.

West Sussex County Council has a page devoted to tourism on their website which gives a very wide overview of attractions in the county generally. Details of art exhibitions and other cultural events can be found on the artists+makers website.

Horsham has a theatre and cinema at the Capitol. Other theatres and cinemas within driving distance are:

A baby sitting service is provided by members of a local group of the National Childbirth Trust. Contact Emma Day on 01403 734634 to make the necessary arrangements. Babysitting costs are £1.50 per 15 minutes.

Apart from the pubs in Southwater village there are two country pubs within pleasant walking distance mostly via footpaths and bridleways (walking boots or shoes recommended). Alternatively bikes can be hired locally from Southwater Cycles. Southwater has a very nice Country Park with good walks, a lake, watersports, children's paddling beach and visitor centre with café.

Retaurants and gastropubs we recommend:

These can be reliably recommended. The Green Man is our personal favourite. It has a car park, table service, a beautiful garden and pleasant staff. Bryces has a car park and a table service restaurant, but but it is some distance away. Cote offers French style food in smart surroundings but has no car park. At the Black Jug there is no car park at the pub itself but there are car parks nearby. The Black Jug has pleasant staff, good food and a lively atmosphere. It is very popular, so it is best to reserve a table in advance. It is not suitable for children. When you order, you need to open a tab for your drinks and food, which is ordered from the bar. The Haldi in Southwater is fine if you like Indian food. The Hornbrook has good pub food, a good garden and a large car park. South Lodge is a very expensive and very upmarket country hotel. The East Beach Cafe has award-winning architecture and is situated on the seafront at Littlehampton. We recommend fish and chips for lunch followed by a walk along the seafront.

There are many other pubs and restaurants that may be OK on occasion.

There are a number of historic houses and gardens within driving distance:

For the more sporting we list a number of venues:

Finally general days out for all ages:

Enquiries please telephone 01403 731949

International enquiries 44 1403 731949