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

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Day three

A 30-mile coastal bike ride

Sunrise. 0445 and the birds have started their choral greeting of a new dawn and making contact with others of their species after the night that’s passed. As overnight clouds clear, an orange hue slowly seeps through the two roof skylights and gently creeps up the western walls of Bryony’s interior. A cosy spreading of light and warmth. Some light slips through the cracks around the window corrugated /silver screens throwing patterns on the walls opposite.

It is one of my little life pleasures, waking early, lying in bed, watching the changing light play across our spacious habitation area. It reminds me of how simple life can be – everything we need in one small space – self-contained. It is a cracking start to any day isn’t it.

It is always the same morning routine. I am out of bed first and the kettle is on immediately. Dressed and shaved, coffee is made as ‘madam’ emerges from her duvet cocoon. By the time she’s appeared from the bathroom, the bed fairy has turned the bed back into two bench sofas, screens are pulled down and everything from the night has been packed away. She can leisurely enjoy her coffee.

This morning we set off on a cycle ride retracing our walking route from yesterday. By Marsh Barn, a pheasant alarm causes us to stop where upon a fox emerges from the gorse scrub, startling two herons in a nearby ditch. They take flight and the frustrated fox turns his attention on us. We are given a few minutes hard stare before he bolts through a fence and into the next field along.

We hope that the path down the back of the huge shingle bank will lead into the road but it doesn’t. There is a private static caravan site blocking the way and so we have to push the e bikes up to the top of the shingle bank and then push them along over crunching shingle for around 100m before we find a gap between the houses – down some steep steps and onto the little road. It’s an exhausting trudge so obviously we will need to stop for coffee somewhere!

Obviously, we call in at a close coffee stop; obviously it’s Billy’s (again!)

Our intention is to cycle along the coast all the way to the West Wittering car park but it becomes clear it isn’t going to happen. Private roads suddenly stop forcing us onto the shingle bank and that proves impossible for the e bikes.

Eventually we manage to find a path along the front of the seaward houses but it ends in a series of sand dunes and we are forced through them and onto the beach. It proves an exhausting forty minutes for only a mile and a half gain!

Still, we do get to see the maze of private roads that make West Wittering. What an eclectic mix of housing. From tiny wooden fisherman huts dating from the 1920’s to grand Edwardian cottages and houses with stunning red tiled roofs and front facias.

Mix in some 1930’s art deco designs and then some very modern builds – all timber cladded and big wall to ceiling windows and [sp1] you soon understand that West Wittering is a very, very wealthy area!  We have never seen so many private roads with gated barriers in such a small geographical area. We are later surprised to learn that the settlement is actually an early Saxon one. A monasterium [sp2] was established here in 740AD. It must have been a rich parish – prized agricultural land, tidal waters and extensive foreshores. Over time the parish has lost rabbit warrens and extensive tracts of agricultural land to the sea. Only the groynes in the 20^th century stopped the erosional inroads into the area.

According to Wikipedia (and the teacher in me now feels it is necessary to urge caution regarding its open-source status etc, etc) residents of West Wittering include Michael Ball, Kate Winslet, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Keith Richards. Oi Mag! Did we bring the autograph book?

I can understand why. An extensive sandy beach, quite stunning in its own way. Lots of colourful beach huts. Chichester harbour which is an area of outstanding natural beauty. A boating culture. What’s not to like about the area?

And it has a spitfire flying over it most days in the summer – bonus!

And here is another little historical fact to whet your appetite for a visit – these beaches were used for ‘Exercise Fabius III’ a dress rehearsal for D Day by troops of the 3^rd Canadian Infantry division, who one month later landed on Juno beach!

We cheat and work our way back onto the road where we discover the Saltern way cycle trail. We follow it all the way to Itchenor where we stop right down on the sea front overlooking the harbour master pontoons and shingle hard. What a spot for a picnic. Great views across the river estuary, plenty of boating action.

Itchenor can trace it roots back to Roman times and the roman conquest in AD43. Named as Icenore in the 1086 Domesday Book, it was originally two separate villages west and east Itchenor. The west village was ravaged by the Black Death in 1348. By the 19^th century, Itchenor was a popular destination for Londoners who could afford a second home out in the country. This trend has continued and seen the closure of the post office and village school and store.

We follow the trail as far as Birdham Pool, a vast marina complex with a chandler’s that sells ice cream! And it is here that Maggie has her fourth puncture in only two years.

I know – how? How does someone have four punctures in two years? I mean what are the odds? I’ve already replaced the front tube twice and also changed the tyre. Of course, it was the back wheel – all those gears! Still, she was gracious enough to have the puncture in a very nice little area by a village green affair so the scenery was nice. All sorted in thirty minutes. I carry a spare tube and normally repair the damaged one when we get back to Bryony. 

A tough ride – shingle banks, sand dunes, sandy beaches, gravel tracks, woodland tracks. Phew, what a work out. But we did get an added bonus. Just outside Birdham, along the salterns trail, from behind the hedge came enthusiastic group singing and live guitar playing “Take me home – country Roads”. How appropriate!

Route: Almonington – Earnley (along road) – bridleways to Marsh Barn – track along back of shingle beach to Bracklesham – shingle bank and road to east Wittering – through residential areas and then along dunes and beach to West Wittering beach car park  - road back onto B2179 – At Malthouses along Sheepwash lane on Saltern trail to West Itchenor – trail to Birdham Pool – trail to Dell Quay – return to Birdham Pool – Birdham – Almonington

Total distance 29 miles.