Walk 52. Emsworth to Mengham

 Today’s walk starts at the missing ‘Hampshire’ sign. (Still not replaced - come on lads - bit of civic pride…)

A short walk along a couple of roads leads to the Emsworth Channel. Fortunately the tide is low and I can walk along the foreshore…

This leads to Emsworth Mill Pond which is protected from the sea by a causeway. This seems to be a popular place - there are loads of people about, many with dogs, enjoying the autumn sunshine!

The view from the causeway with the Mill Pond to the right…

The causeway ends at a marina and I continue along a sea wall…

Past Emsworth the path runs along the shore. At high tide this route becomes impassable and there is an alternative way inland. Time to repeat my favourite warning - when walking on the coast, always check your tide times!

Further on, round Conigar Point, it becomes very obvious how far in the sea comes…

Approaching Langstone the sea wall path begins again. Just like a couple of walks ago, the path is closed for repairs at one point. And, just like a couple of walks ago, I ignore the signs and walk straight past!

I can see a strange tower poking above the trees, and when I get closer I find a handy info board…

So it’s an old mill! Very nice…

From Langstone to Hayling Island the map shows a public right of way across the mudflats. Well, it’s only just past low tide and it doesn’t look walkable to me! Is it ever passable on foot I wonder?

So. Hayling Island. Yes, it has a bridge. And yes, you can walk across it. So that’s where I’m headed next!

Once over the bridge I turn left along a road. It quickly becomes apparent that the eastern side of Hayling is a bit of a disappointment for the walker. Most of it is private land with no public right of way. So I walk for a long time along inland roads, mostly with no pavements.

Near Gutner Point there is a short stretch of footpath along the north shore of a small inlet…

…but then it is back on the road! 

Reaching the Tournerbury area I find a couple more short footpaths that take me to an area marked as Mengham on the map. I stop at a small triangular ‘green’ and decide to call it a day for today, partly because there is a handy bus stop here which will take me back to the car!

Very much a walk of two halves, this one. The first bit, on the mainland, was really good with nice scenery. The second bit, on Hayling Island, was not unpleasant (the country lanes were very pleasant) but very same-y. And not very coastal - which on a coastal walk is a bit of a negative…

Walk 51. Prinsted to Emsworth

 Today I’m back at the little car park in Prinsted to start my walk around yet another peninsula!

At least, it looks like a peninsula, but technically the lower two-thirds are an island. There is a narrow body of water called the Great Deep (oooohh, scary name) that runs from one side to the other, but both sides are connected by short causeways.

The path leaves the car park through this wooden arrangement…

A couple of minutes later I pass through a marina…

The path then runs along the top of an embankment alongside marshy farmland…

Shortly I arrive at Thornham Point. There is an information board here telling the visitor about the wildlife and so on. There is also a stern warning in red print that there are no facilities on the island and you are on your own from here!

Undeterred, I head onwards!

Now the sharp eyed reader may have spotted a reference to a ‘guard room’ in the warning message. This is because the whole of Thorney Island (i.e. the actual ‘island’ bit!) is a military base and strictly off-limits to the general public. So how am I going to walk around it without getting shot? Well luckily there is a public footpath all the way around the edge - hence the lack of ‘facilities’!

The MOD have helpfully provided their own information board…

I have now reached the Great Deep, although it doesn’t look all that…

To cross it, and access the island and base, I have to go to the gate and press a button. A few seconds later it buzzes and I push it open and go through. I hope they let me out on the other side!

The path continues along the shore but the landward side is now fenced off! Through a gap in the bushes I can see the runway of the disused airfield…

About halfway down the eastern side of the island is West Thorney (named by someone in need of a compass!). I can’t see much of the medieval church from the path and I have to hurry past as it is nearly high tide! 

Just enough beach left…

The rest of the way down this side of the island offers great views across the Thorney Channel and Chichester Channel…

Eventually I come to Longmere Point at the southern tip of the island. Here Thorney Island has a bit of a surprise - a sandy beach complete with sand dunes!

According to the map this is called Pilsey Sand and at low tide is apparently quite extensive! Just across the water to the south is the spit at West Wittering which is similarly sandy and duney, so I suppose it shouldn’t really be that much of a surprise!

West Wittering beach is just over there…

I am now heading back up the western side of the island. The water to the left is now called the Emsworth Channel and I have to walk on pebbles as the coast curves round a very gentle bay.

By the time I have reached Marker Point the path is once again on top of a grassy embankment. From here the coast zig-zags northwards…

About an hour after leaving the dunes I find the west gate blocking the path. 

I press the buzzer and a few seconds later I am let out. Not that I was worried about being trapped…

Anyway. Moving on.

The Great Deep looks a bit more impressive from this end…

Ahead of me is a long, straight causeway…

There must be a culvert between the Great Deep and the sea under the causeway because there is quite a mini whirlpool on the seaward side…

…and an obvious outflow on the other side…

About a mile on I arrive back in civilisation in the form of the marina at Emsworth.

Once through the marina, I just have a short walk to the road bridge leading into Emsworth and the end point of today’s walk. 

When I get here I am a bit miffed. This is the border with Hampshire - another county finished! Hooray and all that kind of thing! BUT. There should be a ‘welcome to Hampshire’ sign on these two grey posts and I was hoping to get a nice photo of it. But the bloody thing has fell off! Sort it out, Hampshire…

Walk 50. Bosham to Prinsted

 This walk will be around another peninsula - the Chidham Peninsula. This is bounded by the Bosham Channel to the east and the Thorney Channel to the west, which both flow into the Chichester Channel. It’s a complicated bit of coastline, the technical term being ‘very squiggly’…

I start back at my finish point from last time. I have decided to follow the road for about one third of a mile to the next public footpath. There is no public right of way along the waterside for this stretch, and last time the mud didn’t look passable!

It only takes a few minutes to reach the path heading south…

This section of path is an easy walk with the creek to the left and farmland to the right.

There are even some swans to look at…

Halloween must be coming…

I soon arrive in Chidham, which seems to be the only settlement on the peninsula apart from a couple of farms. They have a pond and an info board…

The coast path heads down this private road…

At the bottom of the road there is a gap in the bushes…

This leads back to the creek and a nice view of Bosham across the water…

I continue for about a mile or so, then the path cuts inland to skirt the Cobnor outdoor activity centre where there are some kids on a boat and others shooting arrows (at targets, obviously - not at the boat!).

Once past the activity centre, the path runs along a causeway to Cobnor Point at the southern tip of the peninsula. It’s a nice walk but a bit breezy!

Since passing the activity centre I have been seeing notices nailed to the footpath signposts warning of path closures ahead. The start date is today - if I had done this walk yesterday I would have been OK! I ignore the notices and continue on anyway. Maybe they haven’t started in any kind of serious way yet? Or maybe I can just bypass the path? Or blag my way through?

So I’m pleased when the causeway ends as I round Cobnor Point and I find that there is a thin strip of beach to walk on. They can’t fence off a bit of tidal beach! I think?

To the left are lines of rotting wooden stakes - apparently the remains of an unsuccessful Victorian land reclamation scheme…

About three-quarters of a mile up the beach from Cobnor Point the public footpath leaves the beach and runs parallel to the coast a few yards inland along a raised bank. It is here that the maintainance is happening. Or rather, not happening! There are a few cones, a ‘closed’ sign that has blown over in the wind, and a couple of shovels!

So, stay on the beach or try the path? I can’t see how passable the beach is ahead so I step over the shovels. A few yards further on are some bushes and a mini digger. On the far side of the bushes is a pickup truck with a couple of blokes wearing hi-viz and drinking tea. They ignore me and I ignore them. Hurray! I’m through!

Potential problem sorted, the path ahead is an easy walk into the distance…

But ten minutes later there is a noise in the air, getting louder! Oh no, the Council have called in helicopter backup…!

Fortunately the chopper crew fail to spot me and I continue along the embankment. Soon afterwards, it rejoins the water’s edge.

A few minutes later the path turns to the west and I leave the Chidham peninsula. I follow the path for nearly a mile more…

…until I reach a small place called Prinsted, my finish point for today!