Chichester Canal Attractions

Boat Trips

Take short cruise on Kingfisher or join us for a meal onboard Richmond.

Rowing boat hire

Rowing can either be a relaxing way to spend a sunny afternoon or it can be an option for vigorous exercise in a beautiful setting. The choice is yours!

Canoeing

Canoeing or paddleboarding-a great way to enjoy the Canal

Walks & Wildlife

Walkers, runners and cyclists can all enjoy the 4 mile canal towpath. You may see kingfishers, egrets, foxes or deer, a variety of dragonflies and fish, and some rare plants.

Fishing

For pleasure and competition anglers. The canal holds good stocks of roach, rudd, perch, common, crucian and mirror carp, bream, tench, pike and eels plus some dace and chubb.

Model Boating

Chichester Model Boat Group

A beautiful accessible retreat close to the city sometimes described as the “green lung” of Chichester, certainly one of its key attractions!

Chichester Ship Canal passes through 4 miles of open farmland from the Basin to Chichester Harbour at Birdham. It is a very attractive stretch of water for rowing, canoeing, angling and walking.

At the Basin, there is our  Chichester Canal Cafe which offers a wide range of amenities to local residents and visitors: refreshments, souvenirs, educational and tourist information and boat trips. This is one of the most beautiful locations in the city centre to relax and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. The cafe also offers hot and cold light refreshments, ice creams and confectionery. There is ample indoor and outdoor seating, both with good views of the activities in the Basin.

Adjacent to the cafe there is a Heritage Centre located in a 19th century old stable which has been refurbished to provide information about the canal and its history.

The boat trips depart from the Basin. As well as scheduled daily trips, the boats are available for charter for social occasions including lunch, dinner and evening cruises.

Throughout the year there are interesting events, such as the Dragon Boat Races held in June.

For more information contact the Canal Centre on 01243 771363.

Free car parking is available for visitors.

Please note that swimming is not allowed in the Canal at any time

The Chichester Ship Canal Trust does not make any provision or provide any facilities for swimming in the canal. It does not, for example, provide any of the following…
• Water quality sampling.
• Monitoring blue/green algae.
• Facilities for swimmer access or egress to the water.
• Set aside areas specifically for swimming.
• Signage or any other means of warning to other river and canal users of the possibility of swimmers.
• Provide any risk assessments or safety management for open water swimming.

For these reasons, the Trust does not permit swimming under any circumstances.

Canoeing and stand up paddle boarding is allowed, but those taking part do so at their own risk.