Touring West and East Sussex in a motorhome - a mini escape.

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 Day two of the Great West Sussex escape

Sometimes we end up somewhere unexpected where we are really wowed! Today is such a day. But we will get to the wow factor in a bit.

With sunny spells, % chance of rain and temperatures of 14C, we head out of the campsite on a walk down to the coast. 

The footpath cuts past a rather posh thatched house with its own tennis courts where we witness some ‘yummy mummies’ doing tennis circuit training to booming music and a very keen instructor. They run around in a circle back and fore hand returning the balls across the net. Aerobic Tennis!  Who knew tennis training had gone like this? 

Apparently, she has a more entertaining conversation with ‘woolly’ than she does with me!

 Through the little paddock with the inquisitive sheep and we enter a flat landscape of ploughed fields for as far as the eye can see. The ground is hard, the soil clumpy and dusty. Clearly there has been no rain in the area for some time. Fields left to fallow, are now being colonised by low level weeds.

However, on our left is a surreal vision which leaves us momentarily scratching our heads. At first, we think it is saline salt flats, after all this area is a managed retreat area where they have allowed the sea to flood some of the flats to create nature reserves. As far as we can see, fields of white salt shimmering in the sun.

Close up it is obviously not a saline salt flat but try viewing these fields from afar!

 Only, of course, it isn’t salt. As we get closer, a very faint breeze causes the ‘white’ to ripple like miniature waves. It almost looks like parachute silk billowing gently.

And only when we are alongside do we get a good understanding. The fields are covered by huge lengths of synthetic fabric, beneath which we can just make out tiny green plants – kale, cabbages, sprouts? Not sure yet but clearly the fabric is to nurture them and prevent rabbits gorging themselves.  

The quaint church at Earnley

Close up you can see it is a synthetic fibre cloth

Hugging the edge of these fields and walking alongside tiny drainage ditches we head across to Earnley and past its tiny picturesque church before heading south down to the back of Bracklesham and along the seafront to East Wittering and ‘Billy’s café’.

Coffee stop, obviously!

Billy’s – down at the seafront – recommended to us – good lattes.

 Refreshed we head east along the shingle beach. The tide is slowly creeping in, pushing us further towards the steep shingle banks.  

Berms, cusps, longshore drift. You can take the geography teacher out of the classroom but…..never mind. Busman’s holiday and all that.

Fifty years of powerful erosion waves bringing corrasion, corrosion, hydraulic action and attrition

One of us is in his element! Groynes are collapsing and we duck under or clamber over them. Today the sea is benign but the erosional damage to the groynes shows the power of the seas around this area. Walking along the rising strand line we seek out cuttlefish bones, slipper limpets, flints and cherts. 

And a bonus, the entire walk is to the accompaniment of a deep throated roaring aero engine. High above us, a mile out to sea, a spitfire performs loop the loops. An amazing sight. You cannot mistake the distinctive silhouette and throaty roar of that plane, can you?

Our aim is to cut back inland at the RSPB Medmerry reserve around 3 kilometres down the coastline.  And so it comes to pass that we arrive at the embankment dyke that runs back inland. From its top the views across the reserve are stunning. A landscape of creeks and shallow saline lakes populated by avocets, cormorants, terns, Canadian geese, various types of ducks, oystercatchers and egrets.

Heading back north we pass a landscape that morphs into fields, creeks and drainage ditches. The soundscape is the wow factor. Non-stop twittering by skylarks; the croaking frogs in the freshwater reed lined ditches; honking geese, whistling avocets. It is a wonderous, continuous, cacophony accompanied by the scent of gorse, reeds and swaying grasses.  

A kestrel follows us for several hundred metres. It flies just behind us, waiting for us to disturb any small rodents. Periodically it swoops down in a steep dive but each time pops up with nothing to show for its acrobatic aerial display.

The walk takes us two hours and is around 5 miles in length. We dawdle along stopping frequently for photos.

After lunch back at Bryony, we decide to pack her up and drive into Chichester for the afternoon. Parking proves slightly tricky – height barrier mad but eventually we roll into the leisure centre car park for a free two hours of parking.

Just enough time then to stroll across to the cathedral, where peregrine watchers are out in force and then a quick saunter through the market town shopping centre.

Our subsequent drive down to Selsey Bill proves disappointing. Not much there, bit run down. Nightmare trying to find the car parks. 

A few more photos from the day: