Chichester Harbour
Encyclopedia
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
on the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
. It straddles the boundary of West Sussex and Hampshire. Geographically it is a ria
Ria
A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the...
. It is one of four natural harbours in that area of the coastline, the others being Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it is a ria: formerly it was the valley of a stream flowing from Portsdown into the Solent River. The city of Portsmouth lies to the east on Portsea Island, and Gosport to the west on the mainland...
, Langstone Harbour
Langstone Harbour
Langstone Harbour is an inlet of the English Channel in Hampshire, sandwiched between Portsea Island to the south and west, Hayling Island to the south and east, and Langstone to the north. Geographically it is a ria....
and Pagham
Pagham
Pagham is a coastal village and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, with a population of around 5,500.-Geography:The village comprises three main areas:*Pagham Beach, coastal area, developed in the early 20th Century,...
Harbour. The harbour and surrounding land is managed by Chichester Harbour Conservancy http://www.conservancy.co.uk/.
Description
Chichester Harbour is one of the few remaining undeveloped coastal areas in Southern England and remains relatively wild. Its wide expanses and intricate creeks are at the same time a major wildlife haven and among some of Britain's most popular boating waters.The massive stretch of tidal flats and saltings are of outstanding ecological significance. Very large populations of wildfowl and waders use the mudflats feeding on the rich plant life and the huge populations of intertidal invertebrates. More than 7,500 Brent geese overwinter on the intertidal mud-land and adjacent farmland and more than 50,000 birds reside in or visit the Harbour throughout the year.
The harbourside villages are: West Wittering
West Wittering
West Wittering is a small village and civil parish, on the Manhood Peninsula, in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies near the mouth of Chichester Harbour on the B2179 road 6.5 miles southwest of Chichester and has a sandy beach with what has been described as excellent...
, West Itchenor
West Itchenor
West Itchenor is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It lies north of the B2179 Chichester to West Wittering road 4.5 miles southwest of Chichester. The village lies on the shores of Chichester Harbour.The parish covers an area of 413 hectares...
, Birdham
Birdham
Birdham is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the Manhood Peninsula, about three miles south west of the city of Chichester...
, Dell Quay, Fishbourne
Fishbourne, West Sussex
Fishbourne is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England and is situated two miles west of Chichester. The name derives from fissaburna/fiseborne/fysshburn, all meaning "stream with fish"...
, Chidham
Chidham
Chidham is a civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located seven kilometres west of Chichester, south of the A27 road, near Bosham.-Prehistory:...
, Prinsted
Southbourne, West Sussex
Southbourne is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It lies to the east of Emsworth, the west of Nutbourne and south-east of Westbourne....
, Thorney Island
Thorney Island (West Sussex)
Thorney Island is an island that juts into Chichester Harbour in West Sussex. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base...
, Emsworth
Emsworth
Emsworth is a large village the south coast of England, situated on the Hampshire side of the border between Hampshire and West Sussex. The village lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large but shallow inlet of the English Channel....
, Langstone
Langstone
Langstone is a village near Havant, Hampshire in the south east of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It has good railway connections to London, Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton, from the nearby Havant railway station. There are many large gated detached houses on the main road,...
and Northney
Northney
Northney is a village on Hayling Island in the borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, England. It is on the north coast of the island, east of where the A3023 meets the shore of the island and north of North Hayling. Hayling Island marina is nearby....
. The nearest towns are Havant
Havant
Havant is a town in south east Hampshire on the South coast of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area. The town has rapidly grown since the end of the Second World War.It has good railway connections to London,...
, Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
and Hayling Island
Hayling Island
-Leisure activities:Although largely residential, Hayling is also a holiday, windsurfing and sailing centre, the site where windsurfing was invented....
. The harbour lowlands contain high quality arable farmland and boatyards, marinas and commercial fishing are important elements of the local economy.
This is one of the south coast's most popular sailing waters with as many as 12,500 craft regularly using the harbour, with competitive racing taking place among the 14 sailing clubs of the Chichester Harbour Federation. The villages, sea walls and footpaths are a popular leisure area for residents and tourists alike.
Set up by Act of Parliament in 1971, Chichester Harbour Conservancy has the duty to conserve, maintain and improve the harbour and amenity area for recreation, natural conservation and natural beauty. As well as being the statutory harbour authority, the Conservancy manages the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
To the south west of the entrance to Chichester Harbour is Chichester Bar, a shallow spit
Spit (landform)
A spit or sandspit is a deposition landform found off coasts. At one end, spits connect to land, and extend into the sea. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift...
which can present a significant navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
hazard at all states of the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
. The entrance to the harbour is deep with a fast tidal stream and to the east of the main harbour entrance channel is a gravel bank known as The Winner.
The east side of the harbour entrance is an area of geographical, recreational and conservation interest known as East Head. It is a large sand dune linked to land by a narrow area known as The Hinge. In recent years The Hinge has been breached by several storms and then repaired. There is much debate about whether and how it should continue to be repaired.
The western boundary with Langstone Harbour
Langstone Harbour
Langstone Harbour is an inlet of the English Channel in Hampshire, sandwiched between Portsea Island to the south and west, Hayling Island to the south and east, and Langstone to the north. Geographically it is a ria....
is defined by an historic causeway known as the wade way, once the principle access from Hayling Island
Hayling Island
-Leisure activities:Although largely residential, Hayling is also a holiday, windsurfing and sailing centre, the site where windsurfing was invented....
to the mainland, but since bisected by a deep channel for the Portsmouth and Chichester Canal in the 1820s, and no longer safely traversable.
Chichester Harbour has three main channels. The Emsworth Channel, the Thorney Channel and the Chichester Channel, which also branches off into the Bosham Lake and Itchenor Reach.
Conservation
Chichester Harbour is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The harbour is of national and international importance for nature conservation. It is a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
, a wetland of international importance,a Special Protection Area for wild birds and a Special Area of Conservation. The harbour is of particular importance for wintering wildfowl and waders of which five species reach numbers which are internationally important.
There are a number of habitats including a large area of salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
and mudflats which are exposed at low tide. These areas are particularly important for wintering birds.
Chichester Harbour is a designated Bass Nursery Area.
Recreation
Chichester Harbour is used for a wide variety of sailingSailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, from dinghy racing to yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
marinas. It was the place where the renowned 'Itchenor Gallon' race for the International 14
International 14
The International 14 is 14-foot double-handed racing dinghy. The class originated in England in the early part of the 20th century. It is sailed and raced in many countries around the world and was one of the very first true international racing dinghy classes recognised by International Sailing...
was held. It is also used for fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
Harbour tours depart year round from Itchenor in either a traditional boat or in Solar Heritage - a solar powered boat. During the summer regular trips depart from Emsworth on Solar Heritage and on the Victorian oyster boat Terror
The Terror (boat)
The Terror was an open sailing boat built around 1890 and used for conveying oysters around Chichester Harbour. It is believed to have been one of a number built by Foster's in Emsworth in c1880...
.
The harbour is very popular area for birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
, guided bird walks and boat trips are offered during the winter months by Chichester Harbour Conservancy.
There is a good network of footpaths for walkers and a cycle route from Chichester to West Wittering which passes through harbour countryside.
West Wittering Beach and East Head is the only sandy beach on the West Sussex coast and is a very popular family and tourist destination on warm weekends.
Sailing Clubs of Chichester Harbour
- Bosham Sailing Club
- Chichester Yacht Club
- Chichester Cruiser Racing Club
- Dell Quay Sailing Club
- Emsworth Sailing Club
- Emsworth Slipper Sailing Club
- Hayling Island Sailing ClubHayling Island Sailing ClubLocated on an isolated sandy peninsula known as "Sandy Point," at the entrance to Chichester Harbour, England, the Hayling Island Sailing Club, was founded in 1921.The "old" club house was built in 1936...
http://www.hisc.co.uk - Itchenor Sailing ClubItchenor Sailing ClubItchenor Sailing Club is a sailing club located in Chichester Harbour which was founded in 1927.-Racing:The Sailing Club races every Saturday and Sunday from April to November with midweek racing for keel boats, as well as specific weeks for Class Regattas....
http://www.itchenorsc.co.uk - Langstone Sailing Club
- Mengeham Rythe Sailing Club
- Thorney Island Sailing Club
- West Wittering Sailing Club
- Havant Youth Sail Training Scheme
See also
- Itchenor
- BoshamBoshamBosham is a small coastal village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England, about ) west of Chichester on an inlet of Chichester Harbour....
- EmsworthEmsworthEmsworth is a large village the south coast of England, situated on the Hampshire side of the border between Hampshire and West Sussex. The village lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large but shallow inlet of the English Channel....
- Hayling IslandHayling Island-Leisure activities:Although largely residential, Hayling is also a holiday, windsurfing and sailing centre, the site where windsurfing was invented....
- Thorney IslandThorney Island (West Sussex)Thorney Island is an island that juts into Chichester Harbour in West Sussex. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base...
- BirdhamBirdhamBirdham is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the Manhood Peninsula, about three miles south west of the city of Chichester...
