To make up for the fact that I didn’t do any walking yesterday for fighting with the PC upgrade (which seems to be working fine now), I went on an extra long walk this evening. It was a 14km circuit (that’s a little more than 8.5 miles) and took just under three hours (I walk at quite a brisk pace). The route took me through the city, to Apuldram, Dell Quay, Chichester Yacht Basin, and then along Chichester Canal past Donnington, Hunston and Stockbridge and back to the city.
Much to my shame, I have never walked along the entire length of the canal before, and I’d recommend it to anyone. My walk was made very enjoyable by the gorgeous weather, with the blue sky and lowering sun reflected in the sparkling harbour waters. Along the way I saw all sorts of wild flowers, too numerous to mention, but including some beautiful knapweeds and very tasty brambles (proper brambles, not the fat wild blackberries – they are smaller and have the most sublime taste to them). I also spotted terns, swans, mallards, moorhens and coots as well as a rapid streak of blue low over the canal – something that can only have been a kingfisher.