Boats

Solent Way (part 6) Lee-on-Solent to Portsmouth

Saturday, Jul 16, 2022Sunday, Jul 17, 2022 MikeBLeave a comment

The 6th part of the long-distance Solent Way goes from Lee-on-Solent along the coast to the city of Portsmouth. It’s not a pleasant 7-mile walk – too much of it is along busy, main roads, but on a very hot, sunny day there was the chance to take some nice pictures of boats and blue sky.

I have fond memories of Stokes Bay which is just along the coast from Lee-on-Solent. As kids we would be driven there to sit on the beach, kick a ball around, to picnic, to play on the putting green (now a crazy golf), to have a knockabout on the grass tennis courts (now just hard courts). It’s still a largely unspoilt, but busy little seaside area.

The water between Gosport and Portsmouth is bustling with boats of all sizes, and the short and expensive ferry is well worth taking to get to the interesting city of Portsmouth. The city really requires at least a day to explore its delights – something for another day, perhaps.

The 60 miles of the Solent Way

Walk 1: Milford on Sea ⇒ Lymington (9 miles) (✓ 4th July 2019)
Walk 2: Lymington ⇒ Beaulieu (10 miles) (✓ 4th May 2022)
Walk 3: Beaulieu ⇒ Hythe (6 miles) (✓ 10th May 2022)
Walk 4: Hythe ⇒ Hamble (10 miles) (✓ 27th May 2022)
Walk 5: Hamble/Warsash ⇒ Lee On Solent (7 miles) (✓ 7th July 2022)
Walk 6: Lee on Solent ⇒ Portsmouth (7 miles) (✓ 15th July 2022)
Walk 7: Portsmouth ⇒ Hilsea (7 miles)
Walk 8: Hilsea ⇒ Emsworth (8 miles)

Walks

Solent Way (part 5) Warsash to Lee-on-Solent

Friday, Jul 8, 2022Friday, Jul 8, 2022 MikeBLeave a comment

The 5th part of the long-distance Solent Way goes from Warsash along the coast to the seaside town of Lee-on-Solent. At some point I must have lost the coastal path which resulted in much of the walk being along pebbled, sometimes sandy, beach. At 7 miles and on a hot, cloudy day, it was exhausting walking mainly along pebbled beach. Only at the end of the walk did the sun come out.

Lee-on-Solent is a pleasant seaside town. As kids we would pass through on the way to Stokes Bay which is a couple of miles along the coast. In later life my Mum liked to visit either the Penguin Café or the Blue Bird Café on the Lee-on-Solent front. At the end of my walk I sampled the delights of Kathy’s Seaside Treats Bakery.

It was not the most interesting of walks, plus I had some exhausting journeys to get to the start of the walk and to return home.

The 60 miles of the Solent Way

Walk 1: Milford on Sea ⇒ Lymington (9 miles) (✓ 4th July 2019)
Walk 2: Lymington ⇒ Beaulieu (10 miles) (✓ 4th May 2022)
Walk 3: Beaulieu ⇒ Hythe (6 miles) (✓ 10th May 2022)
Walk 4: Hythe ⇒ Hamble (10 miles) (✓ 27th May 2022)
Walk 5: Hamble/Warsash ⇒ Lee On Solent (7 miles) (✓ 7th July 2022)
Walk 6: Lee on Solent ⇒ Portsmouth (6 miles)
Walk 7: Portsmouth ⇒ Hilsea (7 miles)
Walk 8: Hilsea ⇒ Emsworth (8 miles)

Southampton/Walks

Solent Way (part 4) Southampton to Hamble

Saturday, May 28, 2022Saturday, May 28, 2022 MikeBLeave a comment

The 4th part of the long-distance Solent Way goes from Southampton, along the coast to the attractive village of Hamble. At just under 10 miles and on a hot, sunny day, it was exhausting. I was surprised by how much walking there was on stony beaches. On the other hand it was nice that for most of the walk there was water to be seen.

On arriving at Southampton Central station I walked towards the docks and saw a side view of this large liner, then on to the Hythe ferry where the previous leg of the Solent Way walk had finished.

A liner in Southampton, near the start of the walk

The 60 miles of the Solent Way

Walk 1: Milford on Sea ⇒ Lymington (9 miles) (✓ 4th July 2019)
Walk 2: Lymington ⇒ Beaulieu (10 miles) (✓ 4th May 2022)
Walk 3: Beaulieu ⇒ Hythe (6 miles) (✓ 10th May 2022)
Walk 4: Hythe ⇒ Hamble (10 miles) (✓ 27th May 2022)
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)

Misc/New Forest/Walks

Solent Way (part 3) Beaulieu to Hythe

Tuesday, May 10, 2022Tuesday, May 17, 2022 MikeBLeave a comment

The 3rd part of the long-distance Solent Way goes from Beaulieu to Hythe. At just over 6 miles it isn’t the nicest of walks, much of it being along the sides of busy main roads.

Trains to Lymington followed by the 112 bus (Tuesdays & Thursdays only) to Beaulieu took me to the start of the walk. At the end there was the ferry across Southampton Water and then it was on to Southampton station and the return journey home. A long and exhausting day even though the walk was relatively short.

The next section is a short 6 miles from Southampton to Hamble.

The 60 miles of the Solent Way

Walk 1: Milford on Sea ⇒ Lymington (9 miles) (✓ 4th July 2019)
Walk 2: Lymington ⇒ Beaulieu (10 miles) (✓ 4th May 2022)
Walk 3: Beaulieu ⇒ Hythe (6 miles) (✓ 10th May 2022)
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)

Misc/New Forest/Walks

Solent Way (part 2) Lymington to Beaulieu

Thursday, May 5, 2022Thursday, May 5, 2022 MikeBLeave a comment

The 2nd part of the long-distance Solent Way goes from Lymington to Beaulieu. At just over 10 miles it isn’t the nicest of walks, being along the sides of extremely large fields and mainly on quiet, country roads. ie There’s not much to see in the way of views.

It’s almost 3 years since I did the first part of the Solent Way. I hadn’t expected this delay in progressing through the 8 parts. The next section is a short 6 miles from Beaulieu to Hythe, followed by the ferry across Southampton Water for the 3rd leg, Southampton to Hamble.

The extremely pretty Buckler’s Hard looks as if it could justify a longer re-visit but on this occasion I was just passing through. On leaving I spotted this lovely boat being worked on in the boatyard and I got talking to its owner who, amazingly, lives only a few miles from me.