Chichester Harbour

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with world-class birdlife, sailing waters, and historic harbourside villages

Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour on the border of Hampshire and West Sussex, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The harbour covers roughly 27 square kilometres of tidal water, mudflat, saltmarsh, and shingle, divided into four main channels that reach inland like the fingers of a hand. The harbour entrance, between East Head sand spit and the Hayling Island shore, opens onto the eastern Solent. The harbour is one of the most important sites for coastal birds in Britain. In winter, tens of thousands of wading birds and wildfowl gather on the mudflats and saltmarshes, including internationally significant numbers of dark-bellied brent geese, dunlin, and grey plover. The harbour is designated as a Special Protection Area, a Ramsar wetland site, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Chichester Harbour Conservancy manages the AONB and works to balance the needs of nature conservation, recreation, and the communities around the harbour. Sailing is central to the harbour's character. Dozens of sailing clubs, marinas, and moorings line the channels, and the harbour is one of the busiest recreational sailing waters in the country. The towns and villages around the harbour, including Emsworth, Bosham, Itchenor, and Hayling Island, each have their own waterfront character and maritime traditions. Bosham, with its Saxon church featured on the Bayeux Tapestry, is one of the most photographed harbourside villages in England. The harbour shoreline offers outstanding walking, with footpaths circling much of the perimeter. The Salterns Way cycle route connects Chichester to the harbour at West Itchenor. East Head, a dynamic sand and shingle spit at the harbour mouth managed by the National Trust, is a popular beach and nature spot with views across to the Isle of Wight.