Chichester Marina to West Wittering Walk

5.5 miles (8.8 km)

This walk takes you from Chichester Marina to West Wittering. You can start off from the public car park at the marina and then follow a trail along the Chichester Canal to Salterns Lock.... The route then passes Birdham Pool and follows the coastal path along Chichester Harbour to West Itchenor before finishing at West Wittering and East Head.
The walk begins at Chichester Marina, which was first constructed in the mid-1960s and stands as one of the largest locks in the UK. It holds a prestigious Five Gold Anchors award and can house over 1,100 vessels at any time. The initial stretch of the walk hugs the canal bank, taking you directly past the historic Birdham Pool Waterside & Marina, which is widely celebrated as the oldest marina in the country.
As you progress onto the main harbor path, you enter the sailing village of West Itchenor. This community has a rich maritime legacy, having served as a prominent naval shipbuilding yard during the Napoleonic Wars where major warships like HMS Pelorus were launched. The village is famous for its classic wooden boat building heritage, its active sailing club, and a local foot passenger ferry that carries hikers across the channel toward Bosham.
The trail continues along the shoreline toward the expansive sands of West Wittering beach. This highly popular destination features a wide, multi-kilometre stretch of fine sand and holds a Blue Flag rating for its high water quality. The shallow lagoons left behind at low tide make it highly popular for families, as well as a premier regional hub for windsurfing and kitesurfing.
The walk finishes in West Wittering near the lovely East Head, a dynamic sand dune peninsula that forms a vital natural barrier at the mouth of the harbor. This site is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its rare, fragile sand dune habitat and salt marshes. The area supports an abundance of unique maritime flora like marram grass and sea holly. It also serves as a vital wintering ground for migrating wading birds, including brent geese, curlews, and oystercatchers, while a resident population of harbour seals can often be spotted basking on the outer mudbanks.