Introduction


When we started walking the coast of England we had no intention that this would become a major lifetime project. Having to make a last-minute arrangement for our summer holiday in 1987, we said "Let's go to the nearest piece of coast and see how far we can walk along it." It turned out well and we started adding further stretches of coast, initially once every two years, but soon annually, or even twice a year.

We had always enjoyed the coast - there is something refreshingly "edgy" about having the sea always at our side, and one of us was into marine molluscs. We also enjoyed long-distance walking and had long been involved in general natural history recording. This project enabled us to combine all three interests.

You soon discover when embarking on a project like this that you need a few rules, which evolve from the first experiences. Our main rule was that we should walk as close to the coast as possible, which meant beach-walking whenever we could (unlike the official coast paths that largely remain above shore, recognising that at high tides the beach may be inaccessible). The route should also be capable of being a continuous walk, so that when we came to an unfordable river we walked inland along its banks to the first place at which we could cross, whether a bridge or a ferry.

We only carried light packs, so that at the end of each day's walk we had the problem of getting back to our car where we started. Initially we walked back, but soon realised we would be walking the coast twice this way! We used public transport whenever this was available - buses or trains, sometimes adjusting our start and finish points to make this easier. Failing this - and it was often not possible - we would phone for a taxi (an increasingly costly option over the years). Having our car with us gave us more freedom as to where we could stay at night - and after a day walking and only light food we were usually ready for being spoiled by a good meal and a comfortable bed! Even so, we stayed on the coast itself whenever there was a decent option.

Each walk was made for enjoyment, it was not a route-march to see how quickly we could get it finished. We therefore took it gently at times when passing through pleasant scenery or where there were many plants or creatures to record.

In terms of biological recording, we systematically noted every bird, butterfly, creature or sea-shell that we came across, sometimes spending time searching for the shells. We could not record every plant in the same way - there are too many common ones - so we were more selective, noting all coastal plants and any others that were not run-of-the-mill.

In our daily posts, edited from our original diaries, we include a star-rating from no star to **** according to our subjective estimate as to how special that day was from the point of view of natural history. This score (and our daily records) will, however, have been affected by the weather - it is difficult to appreciate the environment fully, for instance, in torrential rain, and there are many more butterflies and other insects to be seen in warm sunshine!

A summary of all our natural history records on the walk can be found using this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1LLGD55lKRHYXd1SGU1QndrcUU/edit?usp=sharing





Thursday, 23 January 2014

Sussex: Bracklesham to Pagham Harbour 4/7/2001****


 

Lunch in Selsey
 
 
Postcard view of Selsey beach
 
 
Spirorbis spirorbis on seaweed
We parked at the front at Bracklesham but had to wait for two hours before we could start because of violent thunderstorms.  The tide was right in and very high.  We had to walk along the top of the shingle bank or whatever walkway presented from time to time.  Fossil shells continued to appear like yesterday.  After the houses was a wide space of fields and marshes, where two herons, two little egrets and mallards all occupied one small pool.  The shingle here was well compacted and gritty, easier on the feet.  We came across a pair of oystercatchers that remained on the bank as we passed, perhaps reluctant to fly in the aftermath of the storms or protecting a nest among the pebbles.  Towards Selsey the shingle grew rougher and we passed a caravan park beside a new complex of supermarket, theatre, café, swimming pool and sauna (West Sands).  A short gap of wasteland followed, in front of a funfair and an old windmill.  Where houses started there was a crumbly clay cliff, soon followed by concrete sea-walls and large groynes, preventing a walk along the beach, even with a receding tide.  We found a sheltered seat looking out to sea for lunch, but the view when we sat down was mainly of two ugly fences and barbed wire!  We walked the streets of Selsey to rejoin the shore when the groynes were low enough to be stepped over.  Clusters of sea-grapes (cuttlefish eggs) had been thrown up by the storm waves.  With them we found various other sea creatures such as the tiny white coils of the tube-worm Spirorbis spirorbis, the amphipod Atylus swammerdami, the isopod Sphaeroma serratum and the hydroid Obelia geniculata.  We joined the Manhood Way above the beach, cutting behind a few buildings at Selsey Bill, the extreme tip of the land, where the sea comes well up and there is little beach.  On the east side it was easier to walk on the paved walkway rather than attempt the steep bank of shingle.  There was a total lack of shops and facilities along the front - all we found was a charity lifeboat shop where we purchased some postcards.  Many fishing boats for crabs and lobsters were moored offshore.  Leaving the town past large clumps of globe artichoke seemingly well naturalised, we had to walk again on shingle with oyster shells.  This led to Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve, where a wide shingle bank had masses of sea kale, sticky groundsel and yellow horned-poppy.  Behind were large marshes, reed-beds and pools excellent for birds.  A long shingle spit almost closing the entrance to the harbour was fenced off to protect nesting birds.  We turned along the west edge of the saltmarsh to reach the road at the head of the harbour.  We reached the Visitor Centre, but it had closed for the day.  From the road-bridge over the marsh was a good view of a large pool with shelduck, redshank, lapwing, coot and mallard, all with young.
Oystercatcher
 
Aerial view of Pagham Harbour at low tide
 
Yellow horned-poppy and dock
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