APR25: Thorney Island Circular

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Lowland and Hill Walks
Apr 05
2025

20 people attending

0 places left

5 people waitlisted

Your price
£12.50
Event booking closes on Apr 4 at 19:00:00
Event difficulty background shape EventDifficulty
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Distance is 14 km (9 miles); total ascent is just 33 m; terrain is tarmac, gravel, sand and grass.

#GetOutMore this April!

This event is one of loads of events taking place over the same weekend! Check out all the events over the weekend of 4-6 April 2025: OutdoorLads.events/APR25. Great for new and regular members!

Thorney Island (really a peninsula cut off from the mainland by a narrow creek) lies in the southwest of West Sussex in Chichester Harbour. Being flat and encircled by the Sussex Border Path the island is highly accessible and open, yet as it's also an RAF base (and has been since 1936), the interior is excitingly inaccessible and secret. Just the coastal strip is public, which is sufficient to give wonderful views of Chichester Harbour to Chidham and Emsworth with the South Downs on the horizon.

The public are also permitted, with good reason, to see West Thorney church. St Nicholas is a humble and honest 13th century affair, but more moving still is the cemetery adjoining it where Commonwealth and German airmen lie side-by-side - a poignant gesture of reconciliation. The interest doesn't stop there because Pilsey Island to the south is a secluded sandbank accessible at low tide, and Prinsted village is very pleasant: a Y-shape of lanes with justifiably some of the prettiest cottages on the south coast.

The route begins by heading south from Southbourne via lanes and footpaths, which will soon take us to the coast. From there we'll walk past the engagingly scruffy boatyards of Prinsted, across the 'neck' of the island and through the gate to the RAF base and around the island. We'll past Wickor Point and Marker Point. At the far south of the peninsula is Pilsey Island to which low tide will be enable us to cross. From there we'll complete our circuit of the island, heading past Stanbury Point after we've seen what we're permitted to see of West Thorney village and church. We'll walk back through pretty Prinsted and head back to the station at Southbourne.

Don't waste that space!

Spring walks get busy so please only book if you know you can make it. If your plans change please free up the space for someone else.

Dogs are welcome to join us on this event but we do ask the following: 
Please ensure you adhere to the Countryside Code at all times - see (Keeping Dogs Under Effective Control)
If your dog is uncontrolled and strays in open land frightening other animals or livestock, the leader is supported by the OutdoorLads board of trustees to ask you to leave the event as this is not acceptable behaviour.

Is this your first ODL event?

Attending your first event with OutdoorLads might feel daunting. What will happen, who will be there, and what can you expect? We know that new members in particular like to know in advance more about what an OutdoorLads event will be like. 

If this is your first ODL event, you should check out the information designed specifically for you on the My First Event page on the ODL websiteIf you have any other questions you can send a message to the leader

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statementin addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend. 

All photographs are from Geograph: Church of St Nicholas by Rob Farrow© Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. All others are attributed to Colin Smith  © Copyright Colin Smith and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence