things change

Yesterday I walked the first leg of the Solent Way, the stretch from Milford on Sea to Lymington. I tend to dawdle and stop for photographs, so the 8 miles or so took about 4 hours.

Transport went smoothly – a train from London to Brockenhurst and another onto Lymington, followed by the X1 bus to Milford on Sea, and then the return journey after the walk.

I’ve done most of this part of the Solent Way several times over recent years, so it’s very familiar. It’s a flat walk on good surfaces, though the long, shingle walk along Hurst Spit demands a bit more effort. I couldn’t face the walk back along the Spit so I caught the little ferry to Keyhaven, missing out a short section of the Solent Way.

At the start of Hurst Spit

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The 8 Solent Way walks:

• Walk 1: Milford on Sea ⇒ Lymington (9 miles) (✓ 4th July 2019)
• Walk 2: Lymington ⇒ Beaulieu (10 miles)
• Walk 3: Beaulieu ⇒ Hythe (6 miles)
• Walk 4: Hythe ⇒ Hamble (7 miles)
• Walk 5: Hamble ⇒ Lee On Solent (7 miles)
• Walk 6: Lee on Solent ⇒ Portsmouth (6 miles)
• Walk 7: Portsmouth ⇒ Hilsea (7 miles)
• Walk 8: Hilsea ⇒ Emsworth (8 miles)