Tag: Walks

Misc/New Forest/Walks

Solent Way (part 3) Beaulieu to Hythe

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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.

Beaulieu at the start of the walk
Typical New Forest
Across Southampton Water
Hythe Pier
The old train on Hythe pier
Hythe pier
Leaving Hythe
The IOW ferry
Arriving in Southampton
Beaulieu to Hythe

The 60 miles of the Solent Way

Misc/New Forest/Walks

Solent Way (part 2) Lymington to Beaulieu

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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.

Lymington
A field
Another field
Much of the walk was along minor roads
Buckler’s Hard
Buckler’s Hard
Lymington to Beaulieu

The 60 miles of the Solent Way

Surrey/Walks

Box Hill to Guildford (15.4 miles)

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A warm, sunny day made for a gruelling 15.4 mile hike along the North Downs Way, from Westhumble (near Dorking) to Guildford. I was expecting it to be about 12 miles and I intended it to be a bit of a training session in preparation for a 16 mile walk along part of the long-distance, Solent Way. Not only did I underestimate the length but I also improvised an extra bit at the end in order to pick up the River Wey, just to the south of Guildford. But I now know 16 miles is within my capabilities. Not only that, I’m expecting the Solent Way to be fairly flat, whereas today’s walk was up and down and totalled over 2,000 feet elevation – (walking up Snowden is just over 3,000 feet elevation!)

Surrey/Walks

Guildford to West Byfleet

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Yesterday was a wonderfully sunny and warm March day (shirtsleeves weather!). I struggled to complete the almost 12 miles along the River Wey-Navigation from Guildford to West Byfleet. I’d done this walk before, but this time it was harder on my feet. It didn’t help that I was standing for almost 5 hours – I rarely stop to rest. A highlight of the walk might have been to capture an image of a heron as it flew to and from its nest, not far from where I was standing. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough with my camera, and waiting a few minutes for the heron to return proved fruitless.

At the start of the walk was this curiosity above a car park barrier.
local/Walks

Along the Hogsmill River

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On a lovely sunny day, today’s walk took me through Nonsuch Park, into Ewell Village and then along the muddy path by the Hogsmill River. Three hours walking, with no sustenance, I was glad to get home to lunch.

Walks

After a fall

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Exactly one week after a fall on a muddy walk I ventured out for a 6 mile hike on familiar ground. No problems, which is encouraging, though I’m not without pain when it involves sitting or bending. Early days.

Walks

A fall in the mud

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A lovely, frosty morning. An ideal day for a long walk. The mobile café, 4 miles into my walk, was open. A bacon roll and coffee would keep me going for another 3 or 4 hours. Onwards and the narrow path was on a slope and the frost had melted making the path dangerously slippery. The soles of my boots were clogged with mud. I should have been more alert to the danger. I wasn’t and my feet went off sideways and I fell onto my right hand and thigh. Covered in mud I did what I could to clear up the mess. I was in some discomfort in my left side and back. I thought I could continue my walk but thought better of it. A 2 mile walk to a village enabled me to pick up a bus home. Several hours later I’m out of sorts and finding it painful to get out of an armchair but otherwise pain free. I wonder how I’ll be in the morning. I’m too old for falls to be a good idea. Maybe I should upgrade the boots to something with a deeper tread. Note to self – I’m no spring chicken and need to be more careful.

Walks

Claremont Landscape Gardens

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Arrived only to realise I’d forgotten my camera. Annoying! So it was my crappy iPhone camera that recorded this morning’s trip, aided by an app capable of recording in raw (not jpg) format, so the images are OKish.

Walks

Just a walk

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What better in these miserable times than a hike in familiar countryside. It was just short of 8 miles and there was the usual coffee and KitKat of course. The sun was out for a while though walking south into the low-lying winter sun often meant looking at the ground rather than the surrounds. It was cold but not very cold. A chat with my son in Berlin is always a pleasure. It felt good to be out.

Surrey/Walks

Dorking-Brockham-North Holmwood

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What an absolutely lovely day for a hike along Surrey footpaths. This was a new area for me and unusually I had set off with a route marked in the Ordnance Survey app. A wonderful café in the beautiful village of Brockham served me with a hot ham & cheese croissant and a taste-destroying, over-milked tea. A walk through a field of cows was not too concerning though the mud and dung in a couple of fields made for unpleasant walking. A great walk of nearly 9 miles on a fabulously, sunny day.