"The wonder of West Wittering is that it has hardly changed in half a century. No amusement parks and no stalls selling useless trinkets."
--Jonathan Dimbleby, in Icons of England
I come from a maritime province, Nova Scotia, and my family has always loved the sea; not just rocky coasts, but also sandy beaches, whether they be red--the Minas Basin--or white--Rissers and Summerville. My daughter wanted to go to a beach for her birthday; school had just ended so it would be a treat for the eight-year-old lad as well. She had been told to go to Bournemouth, but I chanced upon West Wittering whilst reading Icons of England, edited by Bill Bryson. The broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby's reminiscence about the beach encouraged me to look at it as our choice.
"The beach seems to stretch towards eternity in either direction."
"And they still fly kites, though these are now far larger and more elaborate, threatening to lift even big brothers all the way across to the Isle of Wight."
"Now this weekend waterway is strewn with expensive yachts and glossy speedboats [and lovely sailboats]. But they are merely the backdrop to a very English art form that has yet to perish: a simple afternoon at the seaside."
"The huts are still there, their soft blues and greens and browns faded by salt winds and age."
We came to West Wittering beach in West Sussex, close to Chichester, on Monday afternoon, stayed overnight in Chichester, and spent Tuesday at the beach with an American family, a co-worker of my son-in-law.
"When the tide was in, we braved the breakers and when it was out, we built sandcastles and paddled in the lagoons looking for crabs and sea urchins." --Dimbleby
The beach was not crowded even though the weather was gorgeous and the water warm. Several busloads of school children on a day trip joined with families and young adults. I joked that I had to take a few pictures of girls; after all, what's a beach without them?
Both days we were here the tide was out. And at West Wittering that means a long way out. In Nova Scotia we have magnificent tides, but the difference is that at home the water moves in rapidly; here it creeps across the sands at a snail's pace. In two days we didn't see it more than half-way in.
The use of the beach is quite structured: lifeguarded swimming is only permitted between specific markers--groynes--and kites and windsurfers can only enter the water at designated points. These sports are limited to members of the West Wittering Windsurf Club only. Opposite the beach is the Isle of Wight, specifically, across the Spithead (part of the Solent), Bembridge and Dunnose Point. Ships from Portsmouth and especially Southampton sail out past the Isle of Wight into the English Channel. On its final voyage in November 2008, HMS Queen Elizabeth 2 ran aground in the Solent. We saw two cruise ships sail past.
A task I would not envy, even as a retired teacher: herding dozens of young school children from the edge of the water and across the beach.
I spent part of my time wading in the water, and also gathering stones from some areas of the beach, especially towards the western end. My mother was a rock hound and like her, over the years I have taken home many rocks (including some from areas in the UK I have visited). I want to take some of the ones I found here home so that my son, who is a knowledgeable rock hound, can assess them for me.
We were curious about the beach huts, each one of which is privately owned, and not readily available for purchase. One of them caught fire whilst we were here and my grandson and I watched as the beach fire brigade used a fire axe to break down the door and haul out the owners' stored beach gear, all of it ruined by the fire. The building did not burn; nor did the fire spread.
Jonathan Dimbleby wrote:
"We would race through a gap in the hedge to our beach hut. Sand was always piled up against the door, blown up by the westerlies that drove in across the Solent. Some of the finer grains would have infiltrated the hut itself, depositing a light sprinkling of yellowish dust on the Primus stove, a huddle of worn deckchairs, the black inner tube of a car tyre (the best rubber ring ever), and a detritus of buckets, spades and rubber balls."
There are 156 of these huts, all privately owned, only one or two being used today. I peeked in on a few in use--with their little kitchen areas, small tables laden with snacks, chairs and piles of toys, they looked quite homey.
The main swimming area of the beach has been awarded a Blue Flag Award for its cleanliness, public safety and public information standards.
The lifeguards are a constant presence, scooting about in their little buggies, speaking to swimmers, moving flags as the tide comes in, speaking to dog owners whose pets are only permitted in certain areas at specific times, and so on. Areas are clearly marked by the permanent triangular groynes, of which there are twenty-four. Horses are allowed on the beaches, but only very early in the morning at low tide.
At first I recoiled at the dune buggies used by the lifeguards as obtrusive, but then I realized that given the size of the beach, there was no other way to cover even the designated area for swimmers.
Attached to the end of West Wittering Beach is East Head, semi-preserved sand dune and nature habitat. The ocean offshore is very dangerous for swimmers, so this area attracts nature buffs, a few sunbathers, rock hounds, and hikers. I like crowded swimming beaches, but sometimes I prefer solitude; so I left the children digging sand castles and hiked over to East Head.
Since 1966, this has been a preservation area, owned by The National Trust.
The most fragile parts of the sand dune are protected by fences; whilst dogs are permitted on leashes, they are kept off the dunes. People are kept to designated areas, although not all comply; I came upon a woman just off the path, sunbathing, shall we say, au naturel. Her fully clothed partner, and big dog, lounged nearby. They unnerved me, so I failed to take a photo of a particularly rare dune flower, a yellow horned poppy, (but maybe it was just common gorse).
For those of us who know tides, the area to the right will fill with water. In fact, except for a narrow bit of sand--called the HINGE-- connecting East Head to West Wittering, the area will be surrounded by water at high tide--7.5 hours from now. The 30 hectare salt marsh that has formed between East Head and the mainland is home to many species of rare flora and fauna.
East Head is a natural, constantly evolving sand & shingle spit that provides a home for a huge range of unusual plants and wildlife dependent on its dynamic environment. To the left is an area of sand, shingle and then mud, known as the Winner, only exposed at low tide. A narrow channel leads into Chichester Harbour at low tide. I did not see any of the resident seals; nor did I see the skylarks or kestrels.
Sand dunes like these are created when wind-blown sand is trapped by objects such as driftwood or seaweed. Left undisturbed, these small dunes grow by being populated by rare coastal plants and marram grass. The National Trust works with the West Wittering Estate Plc., which operates the beach, and the Chichester Harbour Conservancy to sustainably manage the coastline and the continued evolution of East Head.
East Head has more than doubled in size since it was given to the National Trust in 1966 and preservation began. At present the dune is about 1000 metres long and 400 metres across at its widest. It covers 10 hectares.
Parts of the sea defences placed to help sustain the beaches and dunes of East Head.
Across the bay--foreshortened by the zoom-- is the 100-metre high Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. I later calculated that the Spinnaker is 12 km away as the crow flies. To drive there would take a long time, as the distance by car is 38.7 kms.
Believe it, or not, I did not spend much time in my lawn chair; instead, after hiking to East Head, I walked far out on the sand to low tide on Bracklesham Bay.
Although sometimes I just sat and watched the children building their sand castles. Or other amusing sights!
West Wittering Beach is remarkably clean; I saw no litter; even the public toilets were quite clean. The small cafe and take-away place in the parking area were adequate. We left after complete satisfaction with our time there, leaving behind only the sand castles created by the kids; they will be washed away in about 3 hours when the tide finally meanders in.
Yes. I recommend to those who love beaches, the excellence of West Wittering, which offers something for everyone, whatever the age!
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