Walking the Solent Way

Today we completed walking The Solent Way which runs from Milford-on-Sea to Emsworth and is billed as being 60 miles.

It is a terrific walk with some stunning scenery, definitely one I'd recommend.

We started last year and were close to finishing when various lockdowns and travel restrictions meant we had to shelve plans to do the last section until now.

We split it into 5 sections - links are to Strava segments showing the route, plus additional walking needed to get to/from the various bus and train connections we used and occasional extra bits and pieces along the way.    As well as following on the route details on the OS map we used this very helpful set of notes which were slightly out of date in a couple of places but a super guide to the walk.

Section 1 - on 13th Sept 2020 we headed to Milford-on-sea to start the Solent Way. Walked to Lymington.  The section on shingle out and back to Hurst Castle is tiring but well worth it. Stunning coastal scenery and views over to the Isle of Wight.  20km

Section 2 - back the next week, 20th Sept, to walk from Lymington to Southampton with lunch stop in Bucklers Hard.  Less coastal than the first section including as it does a section through the New Forest. Section from Beaulieu to Hythe along the road was one of the less inspiring parts of the Solent Way.   Included our first ferry of the walk from Hythe up to Southampton.   Took a brisk walk along the final section to make the last ferry of the day and includes taking a small train a surprisingly long way out along what feels like, but I'm sure isn't, a very rickety pier. 28km

Section 3a & 3b- bit of a gap due to me doing the Virtual London Marathon on 4th October but 10th October saw us back on the train to Southampton and short walk down to coast to pick up the route.  Crossed the Itchen Bridge and then followed the coast to Hamble-le-Rice with a stop for lunch at the Royal Victoria Country Park.  Took the small ferry across to Warsash and continued walk down to Lee-on-the-Solent.  Bus times didn't mesh with our arrival so taxi back to Fareham Station.  Total of 26km.

Section 4  18th October, back the next week to pick up where we left off and continue round to Hilsea.  The Gosport ferry was the third of this walk, and the largest.  Completely still day with no wind at all making it eerily quiet at times along by the coast.    Included walking along part of the course for the Great South Run on the day that it had originally been scheduled to run... saw a few runners out in various GSR T-Shirts. Some brisk walking again, and a kind guard meant we just caught the train we were aiming for.  24km

Final section not quite a year since we started, 1st August saw us back on the train to Hilsea.  Picked up where we left off - diversion still in place for a short section where the sea wall is being improved.  Walked to end of the Way in Emsworth.  First section continued along the edge of Langstone Harbour and includes a loop around the Farlington Marshes where we saw a range of birds.  Langstone certainly one of the gems along the route.  Signage for the Solent Way has been good throughout but slightly disappointing that there is nothing to mark the end ... mind you there was a nice teashop so not all bad....  Our shortest day at 18km, bringing the grand total to 117km or 73 miles.

Various photos from the walk are included in the Strava entries and are also gathered together in this Flickr album.

What next ?   Having had the Isle of Wight for company in the distance for so much of the walk it would be good some day to walk round there and look back across at this walk.  I think however that the Pilgrim's Way from Winchester to Canterbury may come first.