December in Chichester Harbour
December is a great time of year to enjoy a stroll in the crisp air of the Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This month, Chichester Harbour Conservancy have two morning walks – a Harbour Creekies walk around the sand dunes of East Head on 4th December and an opportunity to go bird watching at Black Point on Hayling Island on 11th December.
They’ve also got three Solar Heritage trips on 2nd, 5th and 19th December. They all focus on watching overwintering birds, so whether you’re a keen ‘birder’ or you’d simply like to find out more, why not book a trip to see the birds from our solar-powered catamaran? Please note that space on the bird watching boat trips is more limited than usual (to cater for all the equipment) so please book in advance.
Places are rapidly running out for the ‘Christmas Songs with the Harbour Buoys’ event at Dell Quay. This live event on 8th December celebrates the cultural heritage of the Harbour and is good fun!
To book tickets for any Chichester harbour Conservancy events, please call 01243 513275
Chichester Harbour is one of England's most beautiful and cherished landscapes; rightly regarded as a treasured natural resource and internationally recognised for its special qualities. As part of a family of protected landscapes throughout the country, they are looking forward to benefitting from a closer working relationship between the National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks England.
The two national organisations signed an Accord in November to consolidate their collaborations and ensure protection of our most treasured landscapes for the future. They hope to build on the significant joint working that already exists at both national and local level to secure investment, protect sources of funding and promote the benefits to the wider public of protecting these areas.
Roger Price, Chairman of Chichester Harbour Conservancy said, “We welcome this national commitment to work together. Locally, we aim to strengthen our relationships with other AONBs and National Parks in the south. The joint Accord will help raise the profile of these special places that all face similar environmental and financial challenges.”
The Environment Minister, Rory Stewart was present to witness the signing of the Accord and said, “Our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks are vital to rural life. They protect and care for some of our most cherished landscapes. I am delighted that these two organisations will now be working even more closely together.”
You can read the full text of the Accord here.
Finally, do get out and enjoy the Chichester Harbour landscape with your friends and family. The Harbour Office is closed between Christmas and New Year and reopens on 4th January 2016.
Birdham
A small village on the shore of Chichester Harbour and on the western side of the Manhood Peninsula Birdham is mainly known for its two locked marinas. One of these, Birdham Pool is thought to be the oldest marina in the country. The other, Chichester Marina, is one of the largest marinas in the country. Between Birdham Pool and... Read More»
Maritime History
For most of its history, Sussex has been an agricultural county. The Chichester area, with the fertile coastal plain for arable and the Downs for sheep and cattle grazing, has long been one of the richest in agricultural terms. Just as the medieval sea trades were based on wool, Chichester Harbour’s sea trade from the 17th to the early... Read More»
West Wittering
West Wittering village lies to the east of the entrance to Chichester Harbour, behind the sand spit of East Head. Summer finds the village thronged with visiting tourists drawn by the beautiful sandy beaches. Standing at the mouth of Chichester Harbour, it is likely that the Romans founded some kind of small coastal defence here - certainly it was considered... Read More»