This walk gives you the chance to visit both Fishbourne and Bosham, while enjoying some spectacular scenary at the top of Chichester Harbour.

We have been given permission to start at Fishbourne Roman Palace. Their car park is for visitors to the Palace and the Cafe and is only open when the Palace is open - for more details click here to visit their website to get visitor information or buy tickets to visit the Palace.

A lovely walk through rural Sussex.

Distance: 8.3 km, 5.2 miles

Walking Time: 2 hour 5 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Wheelchair Accessible: No

Start/End: Fishbourne Roman Palace car park (opening hours only)

Access:
13 minutes drive from the Square in Emsworth
700 from Emsworth to Salthill Road

Itinerary

This walk starts from Fishbourne Roman Palace car park. We have been given permission to start at Fishbourne Roman Palace. Their car park is for visitors to the Palace and the Cafe and is only open when the Palace is. Check with the Roman Palace on 01243 785859 or click here to visit their website to get visitor information or buy tickets to visit the Palace.
To get there from Emsworth, drive east along the A259. Just after passing through the village of Fishbourne, the Roman Palace is signposted on the left hand side at the end of the village.
Leave the car park near the entrance and head east along the cycle path. Which leads you round to join the A259 Fishbourne Road. Turn right on the A259 and walk into Fishbourne. Cross the road to go south down Mill Lane (The Bull's Head is on the corner)
Walk down Mill Lane and at the end turn right onto the path after the millstream, which swings left and through some reed beds at the head of Chichester Harbour.
After the reed beds, turn left along the path that follows the line of the foreshore south.
Some way down, the path passes through a copse of trees then swings right to head east across some shaw and then between two fields.
At the corner of the fields, turn right and walk for about two hundred metres where the paths turns left and heads west towards Bosham.
Follow the path some some distance around a house and along a farm track. As the track swings round to the left, the footpath goes right. Almost immediately it turn left and heads west through the middle of a field to the field boundary along Taylor's Lane.
Cross straight over the road and continue on the footpath, which seems to go through the drive of a cottage. Continue on the path until it emerges at the end of a channel leading across to Bosham.
You can take a diversion into Bosham at this point if you wish. It is a beautiful village with pubs and some boutique-style shops. Its greatest claim to fame is that this is where King Canute reportedly tried to hold back the tide.
If you do divert, you can come out of the village up Bosham Lane and catch up with the walk that way.
The walk now heads north up a private road The Drive. At its end, the footpath continues north between the houses and crosses over Fairfield Road heading north.
The path eventually arrives at Bosham Lane and you turn right along this road. Keep going past the end of Taylor's Lane and past a field on your right hand side.
At the end of the field the path continues east and along between fields. Keep going east past the glasshouses and reservoir on your left hand side until the path bears left along a long line of trees.
Walk to the end of the path and join the road, heading straight on up Old Park Lane until it meets the main A259. Bear right on this road and head east past the Health Centre and turn left into Salthill Road.
Follow north and turn right into Roman Way, following the brown signs to the Roman Palace and the car park.
The Palace is a fascinating place, and you should come again to visit the unique Roman remains and mosaics.