Coombes is a hamlet in the lower Adur Valley beneath the South Downs, and between Shoreham-by-Sea and Steyning. It has a tiny 11th century church, set back from the road, in a field by Church Farm. This church has some of the most important medieval wall paintings in England. The hamlet has a population of only around 50 people and is really just the farm and a handful of cottages.

Botolphs is a tiny village in the Adur Valley 1.5 miles southeast of Steyning on the road between Steyning and Coombes. It lies on the South Downs Way long distance footpath. The ancient parish church dates from 950 AD. The current village population is only around 50 to 60 people, but Botolphs once had a sizeable population when the tidal River Adur supported trade in navigation. Its decline by the 1500s was largely due to the silting up of the river.