I love canals, possibly because they combine boats with the country, and all have a convenient towpath to walk along - some sort of bliss.
You can walk Chichester Canal from Chichester Marina, but this walk starts and finishes in Hunston, with the walk taking you into Chichester basin. In reality, the Chichester canal was never a successful navigation, and so for years was neglected and unused.
Today, however, you can take boat trips down the canal from the basin in Chichester, and this is worth trying, particularly if it includes a cream tea, but I'm not sure it really compares to walking the canal. Perhaps you need to try both! |
Itinerary
This walk starts at Hunston Bridge car
park. From Emsworth follow either the
A259 or A27 to Chichester. At the first
roundabout on the Chichester bypass,
follow the A27 East, and again at the next
roundabout.
At the third roundabout, turn right onto
the B2145 signposted to Hunston. Follow
the road south to a mini roundabout
where you turn right towards Hunston.
Approaching Hunston there is another roundabout, and the car park is on the
right hand side just before the Hunston
village sign turning back on yourself. If
this is full, you can drive up to the
roundabout, turn left and park in the
Parish Council car park on the right hand
side down Foxbridge drive.
If you are using a wheelchair or have a
pushchair, you can only go as far as the
canal basin in Chichester, and will have to
return the way you came. This is still a
very pleasant walk.
Leaving the western end of the car park,
cross over Hunston Bridge to take the
towpath on the far side.
The canal is very rich in wildlife, and there
is an unusual mix of land and seabirds
living along the canal. If you are lucky,
you may see a Grey Heron fishing, or
Common Terns diving for fish in the canal.
Follow the towpath north until you reach
the canal basin close to the centre of
Chichester. There is a cafe here run by the
Chichester Ship Canal Trust.
The Trust runs canal boats down the canal
as far as Hunston Bridge, and depending
on which you take, you can get a cream
tea on the trip.
If you are using a wheelchair, at this point
you needs to retrace your route back to
Hunston Bridge.
Chichester canal seems strange to any
visitors familiar with inland waterways,
because it seems to go simply from the
basin in Chichester through to Chichester
Marina.
In fact what remains today is only a small
part of the original Portsmouth and
Arundel canal, designed to create an inland water route from Portsmouth
Harbour through to London.
In reality, it was a bit of a disaster from
the outset, and never achieved the
objective of its builders.
The first part of the canal in Portsmouth,
which is still in evidence, failed almost as
soon as it came into existence, the salt
water polluting the wells on Portsea Island.
Very quickly, the operators were forced to
close the canal on Portsea Island, although
the line of the canal can still be traced
through Southsea.
The next section was through Langstone
Harbour, to the north of Hayling island
and then down Chichester Harbour to the
canal entrance in what is now Chichester
Marina.
This was similarly blighted. On the
opening of the route, the Mayor of
Portsmouth travelled on a barge to join a
celebration at Langstone, only to be
stranded when the barge ended up on a
sandbank until the next tide.
Incredibly, the only road access to Hayling
Island at the time, a wadeway across the
channel south of Langstone (it can still be
seen at low water) was cut through to
allow barges to pass, effectively cutting
the island off. It was not until three years
later that the bridge was built.
The canal from Chichester Marina to
Arundel was completed in 1823, but
because of all the problems was never
successful, and the arrival of the railway
doomed the canal as a functional
navigation. It was abandoned in 1855.
Where you are walking is the link from the
canal to the centre of Chichester. The
Ford to Hunston section closing in 1847.
Pass round the basin to its northern side
and take Basin Road north. At the Police
Headquarters, turn right into Kingsham
Road and head east along this road.
The Police Headquarters buildings are a
fascinating example of Art Deco design,
built in 1937, in the same year that the
by-pass was opened, it also has
accommodation dating back to the period.
Continue on until you pass Herald Drive on the right hand side. Just beyond the turning you will find a footpath on the right hand side heading south.
Take the second footpath off to the left from this footpath, which leads you past some garages and onto Exton Road.
Turn left into Exton Road and follow it round to Hay Road, where you come across an open space between the houses.
Turn right and walk around the open space along Hay Road and turn right down a cul-de-sac towards Kingham Primary School.
Just to the left of the school entrance is a footpath that heads due south towards the A27.
At the end of the path turn left.
You now need to cross the A27 Chichester by-pass, over the new footbridge.
At the end of the footbridge the other side of the road, take the footpath which heads east, along side the A27 towards Portsmouth. Turn left onto a footpath following the finger post and then heads SSW between some fields..
As you walk south, look out to the left
hand side of the path and you will see a
group of gothic styled buildings that used
to be a Carmelite Convent, but which is
now being converted into a business
centre.
Keep on this footpath until you reach the edge of a field where the path turns left through a kissing gate.
Keep left after the kissing gate and you are back to the eastern end of the car park where you started. |
