Emsworth is a town roughly halfway between our home in Portsmouth, Hampshire and the city of Chichester, West Sussex where I used to work in the early 2010s when these photos were taken. It’s an easy place to reach by car or by train and has (or had – it’s been a while) a lovely smattering of pubs. With ready access to the sea it’s been a place popular with those with fishing boats and yachts, although the shallow water that leads out to Chichester Harbour and then out to sea precludes many larger vessels even though it once counted shipbuilding amongst the trades practiced in the area.
There’s not a lot else to say in this post as it will serve merely as a historical snapshot of a walk around the Mill Pond. As you might be able to guess from that name, Emsworth also housed mills in the past; tidal mills used the incoming tide and sluice gates to grind flour. Confusingly, Emsworth has two mill ponds, but these pictures are from the westernmost one as it’s the one with the prettiest views.
A short anecdote from this walk about Emsworth Mill Pond:
We had almost completed our circuit of the promenade walk around the mill pond in Emsworth when we spotted swans swimming close enough for us to take photos. Other families out for walks were doing similar things, getting close to the edge of the water, and trying to coax the birds close with the lure of food.
A small girl tugged at her mother’s sleeve. “Mummy!” she screeched. “White birds!”
“Those are ducks,” said her mum, confidently.
My wife and I stared at each other, then backed away. We don’t know for sure whether you can catch stupid but we weren’t taking any chances.
