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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 2891 |
1st May 2017 Hiking - Walking: Chidham Peninsular Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Cloudy, rain with sunny periods later. Max Speed: Distance Covered: Bank Holiday Monday 1st May – Walks **** Chidham Peninsular, Emsworth and Esso Beach, Hayling Island – Cloudy, rain with sunny periods later. Third good night at Church Norton we must move on today as we might get some complaints from the locals but they all seem very friendly. Big hair wash day, then Mag does a circuit of Wilfred Chapel, breakfast and head off. After looking at our 2017 Chichester Harbour News & Guide our plan was to check the parking spot on the Chidham Peninsular and see if perhaps we could bike around this and maybe Thorney Island as well as there is a marked footpath around both. We drove past the small carpark to start with not being sure it was the right place but turned around and discovered it was but sadly it had a height barrier and the one spot outside was taken by a very old VW Campervan. Luckily, he returned and after a brief chat about the path he drove off so we could park just as it started to drizzle:( That put us off taking the bikes although I was disappointed. We decided to walk and made the biggest mistake of the day by not taking my GPS:( as it would have been a top track! Our booklet shows access for the disabled right out to Cobnor Point so we knew the first section of path would be good. It started with a 400-metre section across rape fields coming out on one of the many Chichester Harbour fingers right opposite Bosham where we were yesterday. Although the tide was low there was water in the Bosham Channel and several boats were out enjoying the light breeze including a boat designed for the disabled and the four-man crew of a fire and rescue rib playing in the mud! It is stunning here just like our tidal estuaries but only better. As we walked along enjoying all the water action and looking out for birds, I even got a quick glimpse of a deer as it shot off into the undergrowth. There was a busy Private Road by the carpark which lead to Cobnor Activity Centre with a weekend for young carers in full swing with loads of kids having fun in canoes and dinghies with high ropes and tunnels, the only down side was music was playing unnecessarily loud, God I must be getting old to complain about loud music! The path skirted around the centre to the sea wall the other side, past the first of several no biking signs:( we later read on a notice board that cycling and horse riding on the Chishester Harbour area footpaths is not allowed, a sad state of affairs but ignored by many as the tracks in the mud show:) We got a bit confused along here with fingers of water everywhere and we had left our map in the van. A lovely family on holiday from Kent in a caravan tried to put us right:) The path ended here then there was a long section of beach which floods at high water with Oaks growing by the edge, just lovely. It would have been slow going on a bike though not impossible. There seemed to be sailing clubs everywhere you looked with loads of small boats out racing. The path was then marked as being storm damaged so we took an alternative route slightly away from the shore as the sky got darker and it started to rain, turning to hail for a while! It was a long way before we found a right turning back to the village but found it eventually and made it back to the van a little damp being out 2hrs 30 mins covering 5 miles. We had nice chicken rolls for dinner before setting off to Emsworth where I am picking up a F2 Xantos at the Tesco Express Carpark at six. We quickly found the carpark but couldn’t park anywhere near Emswoth harbour without paying and it was very busy with people out having a stroll by the water despite the bad weather. Lots of the roads were dead ends where without warning the water appeared and you had a job to turn around! We found a spot just outside town in another dead end with great views of Hayling as the tide came in and had a cuppa and read. Then as the weather improved we went for another walk along the waterside path past some impressive property, past the sailing club with loads of youngsters out making the most of high water, shame the wind wasn’t playing ball! There is then a section of path a bit similar to West Kirby boating lake. The local model yacht racing club were having races and the swans were having a right old set to angrily seeing each other off if they strayed too close to each other! The little harbour is pleasant enough but we had had enough of walking so returned to the van where we had a message from the board seller saying that he had finished work, he is a sailing instructor – a great job in these parts – and could meet us at Tesco in ten minutes:) While Mag nipped into Tesco I did the board deal and as it was getting on we headed to a spot we have parked before, the nice Esso Beach on Hayling Island only a short drive away. There were several in the small carpark overlooking Portsmouth including 3 campervans! In the end, we managed to get our place at the end and went for a quick walk down to the Black Headed Gull nesting islands and back for a pasta tea and way too many biscuits! witnessing a nice sunset while raining! 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