Pipes practice went on a bit today, so we chose a supposedly shorter route ... a circuit around Climping Beach, taking in the nature reserve and back along the "sand" ... luckily we had the tides in our favour and it was vey low tide as we passed.
We also got lucky with the car park... the barriers had been vandalised and was effectively free for all.
A quick picnic lunch and we set off back up the single carriage way road we had dropped down on.
To keep away from the vehicles we turned onto the fields at the first footpath, then back on the original heading till we met the path we had aimed for all along .... confusing but all tracks around here were laid out like chess squares.
Everything was open, with a rye grass crop.
Turning around farm buildings we crossed another field before entering a thin ribbon of shrubbery ... a kind of haven dividing the fields.
The map showed a very faint green background if you looked really hard at this bit!
At the "mill" ... a restoration project in progress the path bend slightly to go around the golf course,.
We were now on a more widely used track with some sticky, muddy sections between bramble and wild thorn bushes. The other obstacle was frequent groups of people going the other way. - this is obviously a common walk for the local residents.
Eventually the path widened a little as the bushes gave way to rushes and we came out on the road down the east side of the Arun river
A minor detour again from the intended route as we cut away from the coast to get onto the footbridge and look across into Littlehampton town as well as up and down the river.
this used to be a swing bridge many years ago, but is now a slider version.
Back down the road to towards the shore and the carpark at west pier - no broken barriers here, so glad we went where we started, rather than from this, alternative, point.
A look across to the start point for the armed forces day parade under the amusement arcade.
A walk along the cobbles was avoided by the tide being a long way out and we could get to the "sandy" part.
Closer to the car park we came to the Groins ... or rather the remains of the great majesty of them ... steadily destroyed by storms over the years
Ascending back up the defences we passed the numerous concrete blocks brought in to cover for the groins, in the endless battle to stop the erosion.
back at the van time for a cuppa and another local walk
At the "mill" ... a restoration project in progress the path bend slightly to go around the golf course,.
