East Head, West Wittering

Lovely sunshiny walk on East Head, West Wittering this afternoon. Glorious. East Head is the sand and gravel spit that lies at the entrance to Chichester Harbour, at risk of being eroded and breached like it was in the 1960's and 70's. If it is breached, the villages around Chichester Harbour are in danger, but judging by house prices along there, no one thinks it imminent. The spit was formed by a process of drift and has gradually changed direction in the last 200 years, probably in part due to the sea defences erected there. It's now protected by the National Trust and is a SSSI. This picture is taken from the west end of the spit, and pleased to say I walked all round it.

Archie Vickers reminded me today of Norman MacCaig and my all time favourite poem. I include it here for no other reason than that, and today I was between the South Downs and the Sea.

Between mountain and sea

Honey and salt - land smell and sea smell,
as in the long ago, as in forever.

The days pick me up and carry me off,
half-child, half prisoner,

on their journey that I'll share
for a while.

They wound me and they bless me
with strange gifts:

the salt of absence,
the honey of memory.

Norman MacCaig (1910-1996)