Time Out Country Walks near London Volume 1
Walk 37 : Southbourne to Chichester
A Chichester Harbour walk
| Length | 15.5km (not 18.5km as in the book, correction from Wendy Baron) (9.5 miles), 5 hours 40 minutes. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 11 hours. |
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| OS Landranger Map | No.197. Southbourne, map reference SU 770 050, is in West Sussex, 9km east of Chichester. |
| Toughness | 3 out of 10. |
| Features | There are no hills at all on this walk. On a clear day you can enjoy marvellous views for miles - inland to Chichester Cathedral and south across the harbour. Birdwatchers should bring binoculars. The lunchtime stop is the popular old village of Bosham (pronounced 'Bozzum'), which appears deceptively close quite early on, except that there is a long detour around the water to get to it. In the afternoon, the walk goes via Fishbourne (there is a Roman palace nearby) and approaches Chichester Cathedral through the lovely Bishop's Palace Gardens. The suggested tea place is opposite the cathedral. |
| Shortening the Walk | A 2km walk north along the road out of Bosham after Lunch will take you to Bosham Station, which is on the line back into Chichester, and thence to London. Or you could end the walk in Fishbourne, visit the Roman Palace there, have a cup of tea and take a bus into Chichester to see the cathedral. |
| History |
The Parish Church of St Mary, Chidham, which dates from the twelfth century, was built on the site of a wooden Saxon church. The Saxon font once had a locked cover (obligatory in the thirteenth century), to prevent witches from stealing the holy water. In 1847, the vicar destroyed a sixteenth-century tomb within the church because no descendant was willing to pay for its repair. Bosham is traditionally the site of a villa belonging to the Roman Emperor Vespasian, and was an important port in the medieval period. Holy Trinity Church, Bosham, is the oldest site of Christianity in Sussex. According to tradition, King Canute's daughter was buried in the church, which also appears in the Bayeux tapestry, where King Harold is shown entering Bosham Church prior to sailing to Normandy in 1064. There are cross marks on the inner porch where crusaders, returning from the holy land, ritualistically blunted their swords. The Roman Palace Salthill Road, Fishbourne; tel 01243 785 859) is the largest Roman building to have been found in Britain - the remains include mosaic floors and underfloor heating systems. In summer it is open daily till 5pm; in winter on Sundays only till 4pm; and there is a cafeteria. Admission is £4. There are buses from here into Chichester. Chichester Cathedral tel 01243 782 595), dedicated in 1108, contains many ancient and modern wonders: a stained-glass window designed by Chagall; a painting by Graham Sutherland; a tomb with the Earl of Arundel hand in hand with his wife (the tomb inspired a poem by Philip Larkin 'What will survive them is love'); a shrine of St Richard, Bishop of Chichester; a twelfth-century carving of the raising of Lazarus; and a Roman mosaic from the second century (Chichester was previously the Roman town of Noviomagus). The cathedral has friendly and welcoming helpers and there is no entrance fee. It is open daily until 7pm in summer, till 5pm in winter; evensong is at 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, 3.30pm Sunday. Five minutes south-east of the cathedral is Pallant House 9 North Pallant, tel 01243 774 557), a Queen Anne townhouse which is open to visitors Tuesday to Sunday; last entry 4.45pm. Admission is £2.80. Chichester is also famous for its Festival Theatre (tel 01243 781 315), for those wanting to see a show after the walk; there is normally a late-night train back to London afterwards. |
| Lunch | The suggested Lunch place is the Anchor Bleu tel 01243 573 956) in Bosham, serving rather basic food daily from midday to 2pm or 2.30pm, and with snacks available all afternoon. The pub is in a superb location and is busy all year, but it has a restricted Lunch menu of ploughmans, soup and daily specials (which often run out by 2pm). Two perfectly satisfactory other places, both open all day every day, are the Bosham Walk Arts & Crafts Centre cafe (tel 01243 572 475) and the Cumberland Gallery coffee shop (tel 01243 572 960). |
| Driving |
Start: Southbourne Station is near : PO10 8LW. [gmap] Finish: Chichester Station is near : PO19 2DL. [gmap] |
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| Train Travel |
London to Southbourne | Chichester to London |
| Warning | The text above was taken from an older edition of the book, and is a little out of date. Please check the updates for this walk. |
Walking Instructions
For a map and detailed walking instruction, please see Time Out Country Walks near London Volume 1
