29/08/25 - Thorney Island Circumnavigation

Intercom Access - "Please state your business"

There is something deeply satisfying about walking the coast of a small island, where navigation could hardly be simpler: just keep the sea on one side and the land on the other.

This week's borrowed dogs - Rocket and Chilli

Thorney Island, in Chichester Harbour, is today's walk. The public are not allowed on the inside of the island, as this is Ministry of Defence land. Happily, the Sussex Border Path runs completely around the exterior.

Thorney Island’s military history begins in the late 1930s, when its flat, open landscape was chosen as the site for an airfield. RAF Thorney Island opened in 1938 and quickly became an important Coastal Command base during the Second World War, with squadrons flying patrols over the Channel and the western approaches to guard against U-boats and enemy aircraft. It remained active through the war and into the Cold War era, hosting transport and search-and-rescue squadrons. In 1976, after nearly four decades of RAF use, the base was handed over to the Army and became home to the Royal Artillery. Today, it remains a Ministry of Defence site, officially closed to the public except for a controlled coastal footpath.

Access to the coastal path requires communication. On the West and East side of the island are "Checkpoint Charlies" where an intercom button is pressed. You need to state your business here, and like the regulars in the Slaughtered Lamb, you are told to "Stick to the Paths".

In the main, that is all there is. A thin path, with salt marshes one side, and military installations on the other. Frequent warning signs, and not always the most expected.

Stick to the Path, Boys

Latest Military Weapon - Brown Tail Moth Caterpillas

Apart from sea views, the major point of interest is the medieval settlement of West Thorney. Most of it is off-limits, but the austere church is right on the coast path and with a sign proclaiming "Church Open", it would be remiss not to explore further.

Doors Open

Sermon of the Day

Norman Font

Once explored - it's splendid isolation for the rest of the circuit. Us, borrowed dogs and the seabirds.

Walk Details

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 1

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, Jan 2009, Walk 4