Chichester Harbour is a fabulous corner of the world and this Sussex coastal walk takes in a number of different aspects of it and can also be combined with a bike ride. You need Ordnance Survey Explorer 8.
You can make this a 6 km walk, a 12 km loop or a 12 km out and back linear walk. You can also make it a little longer. So many options, let me explain.
Option 1. Itchenor to East Head via the coastal path
The walk from Itchenor to East Head (at the mouth and entrance of Chichester Harbour) is just under 6 km. Itchenor is a harbour village named after a Saxon chief which dates back to the Roman period. It has a twelfth century church and to the east of the harbour you might see some sculpture by Philip Jackson in a garden.
There’s a pub and a café in Itchenor (check opening times) and there is also the gentle sound of the water and the chimes of the boat masts moored up or in the boatyard. This is a glorious section of Sussex coast that has saltmarsh, sand and shingle, along with a mass of wildlife.
From the main quayside or harbour in Itchenor, you head west along the King Charles III Coastal Path which also happens to be part of New Lipchis Way. As you walk along the side of Chichester Channel, you can see the opening to Bosham Channel on the opposite side and Bosham in the distance. It bustles here but in a very gentle way as sail boats, yachts and fishing boats intermittently come and go. As you reach the Chalkpoint Dock headland, the path starts to turn south and you walk through a pleasant wood with the water to your right still clearly within sight. You can just make out Thorney Island in the distance.
Gradually, you start to leave the bustle of Itchenor behind and become aware that you really only have local birdlife for company. The path winds along shoreside, past marshes and ponds, sometimes with fields of crops to your left, and sometimes cutting across the saltmarsh or through grassy wetlands. The occasional boat is moored near the shore and you pass just a few large houses before you come to Ella Nore.
Ella Nore spit is an acre of saltmarsh and shingle. Each winter, up to 6,000 waders use the spit as a high tide roost and some parts of it are fenced off during the summer to protect roosting birds. There is a bird hide here and a path that takes you across the spit (although you don’t have to take it and can walk straight on). It feels wonderfully romantic and undiscovered here even though you are not really far from large and impressive houses.
From here, the path takes you towards the tiny harbour at Roman Landings and then Snow Hill. Gradually, you get the sense that you are heading back to the hustle and bustle of life as you start to meet the occasional dog walker. The sea and the saltmarshes seem to be a deeper shade of green here too and you can see sail boats leaving the harbour entrance and the tip of East Head across the water. The path turns to the west as the gap between you and East Head narrows and you emerge from the path at the west end of West Wittering beach and at the entrance to the East Head spit.
Now you have choices: grab a coffee and cake at one of the cafés on West Wittering beach and then head back to Itchenor making it a 12 km there and back walk, get a bus most if not all of the way back to Itchenor, or try option 2 or 3.
Option 2. Itchenor to East Head via Salterns Way
If you fancy getting the most out of this corner of Chichester Harbour, how about this circular route? Salterns Way is a mainly off road cycle route from Chichester (via just outside Itchenor) to East Head. The Itchenor to East Head section is just under 6 km. Park at the Itchenor car park and head back out of the village until you see the Salterns Way sign (about .5 km). From here, you walk or cycle via well made up paths, across fields until you come to Sheepwash Lane which leads to the road to West Wittering.
There’s about 1 km of road walking from here (but there is a pavement) until you come to the Wittering pub and the turning to your right that leads you down to West Wittering beach and East Head. You can do this section by bike, but you cannot cycle on the coastal path back to Itchenor so you will need to leave your bike secured somewhere and then walk back to Itchenor via the coast. This is a 12 km circular route.
Option 3. Itchenor to East Head via East Wittering
This option came about because I wanted to do option 2 but I didn’t want to leave my bike at the West Wittering car park. Because to drive back and pick up my bike would either mean getting caught by the seriously high parking charges (the camera grabs your number plate on the way in and it was going to cost me £15) or would involve a complicated retrieval operation. So I parked my bike in East Wittering instead.
From Itchenor to East Wittering is just about 7 km. There are a couple of routes you can take but I went via Salterns Way and then on via West Wittering to East Wittering because I wanted to take a look at Cakeham Manor House. This dates from the 13th century, although much of it was rebuilt in the 16th century. The manor was the country retreat of the Bishops of Chichester. It is a Scheduled Monument and is said to be the site of two miracles performed by St Richard, the Bishop of Chichester in 1244. It was the home of Richard Branson’s mother until she died in 2022 but you can’t see much from the gate.
East Wittering is full of cafés and coffee shops, and I padlocked my bike in the main car park and walked down to the seafront. From there, it’s just over 3 km to East Head and then 6 km back to Itchenor along the coastal path. East Wittering to East Head is a walk of sandy beaches, some magnificent seafront properties, sand dunes and wide open spaces. Whichever option you choose, this walk is truly fabulous!
Parking and transport
There is parking at Itchenor, West Wittering and East Wittering. There are bike racks in the West Wittering car park behind the café. West Wittering car park is expensive – discounts are sometimes offered for pre-booking. There is a bus from Chichester to Wittering but it does not go into Itchenor. It stops just south of Shipton Green and it’s approximately 2 km walk to Itchenor from there. There is a ferry at Itchenor which costs £3 and takes you to just south of Bosham.
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