Vole Explosion

Thursday 7^th September 2023

BOSHAM TO EMSWORTH

   In the morning I pack up my tent and leave the campsite for the final day’s walk of this leg. Today’s walk consists of a hike around the shores of two peninsulas in the north of Chichester Harbour, and it should be a relatively short day.

   I get back to Bosham Station and then I have to walk on a cycle path by a busy road for a while. Eventually I turn south and walk along the shore of the Chidham Peninsula, and it is immediately much more quiet and peaceful. The footpath on this eastern side is very good, with nice views of Bosham across the channel. I pass through the sleepy village of Chidham and there isn’t a soul to be seen, but I catch a glimpse of a Kingfisher on the village pond.

   Further south the route skirts around an activity centre and small marina. Today is the hottest day of the year so far, with no breeze, and I am already emptying my water bottles when I spot a water tap outside one of the buildings. Signs say no entry, but I don’t see anyone about and I’m sure they won’t begrudge me some water on a day like this, so I go in and fill up.

   I walk around Cobnor Point on the southern tip and now I’m heading north again, past a little birding hide. On the western side of the peninsula the path isn’t as good. A decent path heads slightly inland but, as the tide is out, I walk most of the western side on the beach until I come back onto a good path for the final stretch.

   With one peninsula down, I stop for a rest near the small village of Prinsted. I’m already way too hot now but I can’t rest for as long as I would like because I have a train to catch at 4pm and it is already well past midday. Standing between me and my train home is Thorney Island. This used to be an actual island but is now another peninsula. The land was commandeered by the Royal Air Force in 1938 and nowadays belongs to the Army, so it is mostly out of bounds. Fortunately a public footpath runs all the way around.

   I walk south again down one side, past another yacht marina, and then I come to the Ministry of Defence checkpoint gate. There are no military personnel around, but there are cameras and an intercom system. I have to press a button and then someone in an unseen guard post somewhere unlocks the gate remotely and I’m in.

   There are warning signs everywhere, instructing visitors not to trespass, touch suspicious objects, fly drones, or…er…touch caterpillars?. Apparently rare Brown-tail Moth caterpillars are found here and their irritating hairs can cause various medical issues if touched.

   Along this stretch I meet a few other walkers coming the other way and see a couple of soldiers in uniform. There is a church called St Nicholas Church near the path, which I visit briefly, and then I arrive at Longmere Point at the southern tip, which is a nature reserve managed by the RSPB. I don’t actually see many birds around Thorney Island, maybe because it is so hot now – I saw a lot more around Chidham Peninsula this morning.

   Heading north up the western side I have to stop at benches a couple of times to rest, but I’m cutting it a bit fine with the time so I can’t rest as much as I need to. Much of the path on this side has deteriorated again, so I walk some of it on the beach.

   Halfway up the peninsula I see 30 Harbour Seals hauled out on a sand bar exposed by the low tide, some assuming their head-and-tail-up banana pose. I read an information board a couple of days ago that said seals are fairly rare in Chichester Harbour and they put their total number at about 35, so presumably this is most of the local population.

   Pushing on in the heat I arrive at the other military checkpoint and push the intercom. They seem to take a long time to let me through this time and I start to worry about missing my train. From here it is a fairly short walk to the ‘mainland’ at the town of Emsworth. The south-facing waterfront of the town looks lovely in the sunshine and I’m glad to finally arrive, although I won’t have time to look around on this occasion.

   I have to navigate through another marina where the route isn’t immediately obvious, and then I walk alongside a stretch of water called Slipper Mill Pond, at the end of which I cross the county border into Hampshire. But that’s for another year – right now I’ve completed Sussex and I head for the station. I have time to buy a sandwich and some cold drinks, and I make it to my train with 15 minutes to spare.

14.0 miles;   23.0 km;   6 hours