Bosham
On this walk, children will enjoy exploring the quay, paddling, crabbing or getting an ice-cream or treat from the old fashioned sweet shop.
Views of Bosham Village from the footpath
The Basics
Time: This is a linear walk and it takes 50 minutes to walk from Bosham to the ferry point in one direction.
Distance: 3.4 km / 2 miles each way
Terrain: Pavements, quiet country lanes, foreshore. Part of the walk is tide dependent - if it is high tide, you will need leave the shore and walk inland for the last twenty minutes.
Pushchair: Pushchairs will make it to the end of the road (30 minutes), after which, you can continue inland or turn back.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome, but will need to be on leads around the village and on the quay. Keep them under close control around sea birds.
Refreshments: There are lots of choices such as Shoreside Café and Pop In Cafe, Wendy’s Tea-Room, or The Anchor Bleu Pub. A picnic on the quay is also pleasant (no tables, bring a blanket). Ice creams and traditional sweets can be bought at Bosham Sweets and Ice Cream and if you get the ferry to Itchenor, you can choose from The Quarterdeck cafe or The Ship Inn.
Toilets: There are public toilets in the car park.
Public Transport: Stagecoach route 56 travels between Chichester and Bosham.
Parking: Pay and display car park just off the high street (Postcode: PO18 8HZ - W3W: ///unheated.sublet.showrooms)
You can make this walk longer by catching the little ferry over to Itchenor
Picture postcard Bosham is the kind of place you will want to spend an entire day. As well as this walk there are craft shops, galleries, tea-rooms, pubs, a quay, stream and views of Chichester Harbour National Landscape to enjoy.
To make the best of the views, our walk is a there and back one. Those wanting a surfaced path can walk until the road leaves the shore, or those up for going further can walk until the footpath ends at the ferry terminal. From there, you can catch the little ferry over to Itchenor and either get lunch there or continue your walk along the coast path on the other side of the channel.
The Route
Walk down Bosham Lane towards the harbour. You will pass Bosham Walk which is an arts and craft centre, including café, sweets, ice cream, gifts, art gallery, and local produce. Turn left where the road meets the water. If the tide is out, you can walk along Shore Road beside the shore, otherwise you will need to take the higher path beside the houses. You can access this by taking the path opposite Shoreside Cafe/The High Street. Whether you take the high road or the low road, continue around the harbour, always with the water to your right. Shore Road will bend around in a horseshoe shape and from the other side you will have wonderful views back to the village.
When you are opposite the church, the road will take a bend to the left. Just keep following it, always with Bosham channel directly to your right.
At The Saltings, you will have a choice to make. Check the tide times and decide if you will have time to make it the next twenty minutes to the ferry point. If the tide is high, you will need to follow the road inland to get to the ferry point - pushchairs will need to do this either way. Follow Shore Road until the sharp bend where it turns into Smuggler’s Lane. Keep straight and follow the path down to the water’s edge and the Ferry Hard. If the tide is low, you can continue along the forsehore and then follow the causeway out to the water/ferry point.
If you choose to catch the ferry to Itchenor, on the other side of the channel you can stop for lunch at the pub (straight on up the main village street) or cafe (turn right and follow the narrow footpath in front of Haines Boatyard building). You could also continue for a longer walk along the coast path. If you turn left at the top of the jetty and follow the coast path for one hour it will bring you to Chichester Marina with more dining options. If you turn right along the coast path, you could complete this hour long loop around Itchenor. The ferry runs daily 9am-6pm from May to September and weekends only the rest of the year. No booking needed, Andy will pop across when he sees you waiting! Prices each way are £3.50 for adults, £1 for children and 50p for bikes.
To get back to Bosham, catch the ferry back over and either walk down Shore Road or the forsehore. On arrival back at the village, we highly recommend turning left beside Shoreside Café and following the street past the church to the quay. This is a large grassy area managed by The National Trust, where there are benches for looking out across the harbour and often various boats to watch entering and leaving the yacht club. The wall here is a good place to go crabbing and there is also a stream running along the edge, where children will enjoy paddling.
Gain access to the member's only area of our website where you will find the complete A-Z library of all our PDF files. This includes over 220 self-guided walks ready to print or download, as well as various children's activity sheets. You will also find a digital membership card, giving you access to our current discounts.
Did you know?
The correct way to pronounce Bosham is ‘Bozzum’.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one at Chidham, which goes along the land you see on the opposite side of the water at Bosham Quay. On special request, the ferry man may take you to Cobnor Point found on this walk.
