Country walk: Bosham Channel

Although this walk is very close to modern facilities, this little village shares space all around with a mass of wild life. Bosham Creek is very close by and has a wealth of marine birds which you can get very close to.

The complete walk round the top of the channel to Chidham and back the same way is 3.6 miles (6 kms).

Parking is in a large pay-park near the harbour in the centre of Bosham village.

Do not be tempted to park on the shore line even though it is hard ground at the edge of the creek as your car might be very quickly covered by the high tide

– as has happened many times to unsuspecting visitors.

A footpath around the edge of the channel and past the church can be used if the tide is low enough and if you follow my map, otherwise diversion through the streets is needed as shown.

Holy Trinity looks humble outside but majestic inside, like a minicathedral.

King Canute’s daughter has her tomb here.

Her father, according to the legend, tried to stop the tide and knots were named after him as they too are ever on the tidal edge.

The Bayeux Tapestry records King Harold leaving for Normandy in 1064.

If the tide is high the way through the streets passes the Congregational Church built in 1837 and on into garden twittens and on down to the saltings.

Tamarisk bushes and oak trees line the top of the tide along Colner Creek.

Wild plants of the saltings grow here including sea beet with its dark green shiny leaves, sea arrow grass, and then nearer the water, sea purslane which looks almost like a small bush and has dense masses of oblong fleshy grey leaves.

At low tide you can see bristly parches of sea rice grass, also called spartina, growing on the mudflats.

This is native to South America and the seed was brought into England accidentally on the bottoms of sailing shops over a century ago.

Marine birds which feed here until the end of March include black-tailed godwit, brent geese, curlew, grey plover, green plover, also called peewits or lapwings, and redshank.

There are also some very small ducks known as teal and slightly larger wigeon.

It is possible to walk all round the shore at low tide but there is also a public footpath heading north to a pavement walk along the A259 to Cutmill Creek.

This then carries on south along the sea-wall to Chidham.

You then return the same way as you came.