The Great Outdoors - UK (2021-08)

96 The Great OutdoorsAugust 2021

sunshine dazzled against the
pale horizons at West Itchenor
and Longmere Point.
e path hugged the shore
beyond Prinsted and swung
south towards Chidham Point.
Acrossthe mudflats, the eastern
end of a channel known as the
Great Deep was visible. is
broad sweep of rushingwater
slices rightthroughorney
Island and acts as a moat to the
former RAF base. Localsclaim
a large plane once missed the
runway and still lies entombed
somewhere out in the sludge.
And when rescue vehicles were
sent theygot stucktoo!
Beyond the point, I pushed
through dense blackthorn,
keeping a waryeye on the
neighbouring ditch. e
scratchy branches eventually
won the day and I clambered
down to theshingle by
Nutbourne Marshes. e
satisfying crunch of flinttook

me onto the weed-covered

shoreline, where a scattering

of old bricks had been

washed intogentleabstract

sculptures. A couple of avocets

swayed back and forth by a

meandering rithe– the local

name for the tortuous rivulets

that are revealed twice a day

by the falling tide.

It was all change at Cobnor

Point,where a band of

unusual twisted oaks formed

a frilly fringe at the foot of

the low grassy cliff. ese

looked half-aquaticand their

contorted branchescould have

been the tentacles of a huge

octopus. Each tree seemed to

be stretching every sinew in

an effortto reach the sea, and

dappledlight turned their

freshly emerged leaves into

a hue ofbutteryyellow.

A strange row of well-worn

double stakes ran out across

the nearest sandbank. ese

were placedhere back in the

1870s by a group of local

farmers who hoped to build a

dam across orney Channel

in order that the land could be

reclaimedfor agriculture. A

workforce of 150 men laboured

to infill the 3,000 stakes with

chalk and stone but, aer just

seven weeks, the structure was

breachedin a storm.

Twofootbridges crossed

the entrances to a new lagoon,

where soengineering had

created saltmarsh as part of a

long-erm coastal protection

plan. Waders were busily

poking around theirnew patch

and a kestrel hoveredover the

scrubbywoodland at the rear.

On the far side ofthe channel,

the buildings at Bosham

Quay glinted in the sun and

a number of slipways were

reminders ofthe times when

this part ofSussex was alive

with sea-going trade.

Further information

Maps:OS 1:25,000

Explorer sheet OL8

(Chichester)

Transport:Regular train

service to Emsworth

and Nutbourne. Details from

thetrainline.com or 0871 244

1545. If coming from London,
      change at Havant

i

Information:Chichester

TIC, 01243 775888

[Captions clockwise from top]

Coast path at Prinsted with

Thorney Island in the distance;

Bands of salt marsh on the

route south to Cubnor Point;

A series of stakes is all that

remains of the unsuccessful

dam built across Thorney

Channel in the 1870s