Chichester Canal
Children will enjoy an entirely flat walk with plentiful wildlife to look out for such as kingfishers, heron, foxes, dragonflies, moorhens and coots.
The Basics
Time: It takes about 1.5 hours to walk the full length of the canal in one direction, so our child friendly option is to divide the route into two different walks. The first option is from Hunston to The Canal Basin in Chichester, which will take about 30 minutes each way. The second option is from Chichester Marina at Birdham to Hunston, which will take about 1 hour each way.
Distance: 2 km Hunston to Chichester/3.2km The Marina to Hunston
Terrain: Hunston to Chichester is flat with wide, well maintained paths. The Marina to Hunston is narrower with a few road crossings.
Pushchair: Hunston to Chichester is ideal for pushchairs. The Marina to Hunston is less ideal as the path is so narrow, pedestrians would be forced into the undergrowth to pass you.
Dogs: Should be kept on leads and out of the water to protect the wildife
Refreshments: Canal Cafe at the Heritage Centre, Chichester Canal Basin or The Boathouse at The Marina.
Toilets: There are toilets at The Canal Heritage Centre and at Chichester Marina
Parking: There is a small, free car park beside the canal in Hunston (Postcode: PO20 1AE - W3W: -verse/menu/hotel) or there is ample free parking at the marina - possible introduction of charges in 2023 (Postcode: PO20 7BG - W3W: lingering/files/cover). You can also find limited free parking around the canal basin in Chichester (Postcode: PO19 8DT)
*If you want to walk the whole length of the canal, but do not want to return by foot, there is a regular bus service that connects both Hunston and Chichester Marina with the bus station in Chichester. Look out for the 51 on Selsey Road at Hunston or the 52 or 53 on Birdham Road by the Marina. All of these buses run about every 15 minutes.
Straight, flat, easy to follow and rich in wildlife; The Chichester Ship Canal ticks all the boxes when it comes to a family walk. If you have never walked here before, you will be shocked to discover the secret of this beautiful waterway that quietly passes right beneath the A27.
The Basics
As described above, there are various starting points for a stroll along the canal. We walked the full length of the canal over the following two walks.
Chichester Marina, Birdham to Hunston:
Exit the car park and walk back along the access road you drove down. Traffic here is limited to about 15 mph and there are wide verges. You should see the canal on your right.
Walk up the middle of the wide grassy area that opens up between the canal and the access road, and at the end of this you will arrive at the A286. Cross with care and take the footpath directly opposite. You will now have the canal on your right.
Walk along the towpath to Donnington, where you will need to cross a road again at Crosbie Bridge. Continue along the towpath to Poyntz Bridge in Hunston. The canal will take a sharp turn to the left and this is where we turned around and walked back to the marina.
Hunston to The Canal Basin, Chichester:
On our second walk, we parked at Hunston Bridge car park and joined the tow path by walking out to the road and taking the footpath straight over Poyntz Bridge. This gives fabulous views over a long, straight stretch of the canal with Chichester Cathedral at the end. JMW Turner painted this view as seen in my photo above.
Cross the bridge and walk towards Chichester with the canal on your right. Just before Chichester, you will go under an underpass with the A27 above you. It is now not far to the canal basin where you will find The Heritage Centre with café, boat hire and boat rides.
We turned around here and returned the way we came.
We suggest viewing the interactive route as a ‘Trails Map’ to ensure all the paths are visible:
Did you know?
The Chichester Ship Canal was built as part of a route that would connect waterways from the coast up to London via The Portsmouth and Arundel Canal, The River Arun Navigation, Wey & Arun Junction Canal, River Wey and River Thames.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one at Chichester Marina, which is a short walk at the southern end of the canal.
