Walk 57. Portsmouth Harbour to Portchester

 Today’s walk will take me from Portsmouth Harbour station northwards, along the west coast of Portsea Island, back onto the mainland, and hopefully finishing at Portchester Castle.

Again, I’m expecting a fair amount of road walking through the city!

So I start outside the station…

…and turn left. Just a few yards ahead is the entrance to the Historic Dockyard. This is the portion of the Royal Navy base that is open to the public, and where you can see HMS Victory and the Mary Rose among many other exhibits. It’s well worth a visit, but be aware it will take a full day to see everything!

The rest of the naval base is still very much operational, and is obviously closed to the public! I set off up the road beside the high wall…

It’s impossible in this area of Portsmouth to escape the Royal Navy. Even civic decorations are navy-themed…

I carry on along the road past the dockyard. It goes on a bit…

Eventually I come to the other side of the base and pass the main gate…

Next door to the Royal Navy is the commercial ferry port. More road walking past that - and now I’ve got a motorway on the other side, the M275 to be exact!

I’m a bit unsure of the route here. So I stay on the road past a small row of houses to see where it takes me…

Whale Island, it turns out! Whale Island is also a part of the Navy base so, despite the bridge, it looks like I’m giving it a miss…

At least there is a nice path beside the motorway here…

When I reach Tipner, more MOD land, I turn inland a bit and cross underneath the motorway…

Passing a park-and-ride carpark, I walk through some residential streets for a few minutes before arriving back at the water at the Mountbatten Centre. This seems to be a swimming pool and sports centre - whatever it is, it has a funky roof!

The prom here has recently been built and is very busy with dog-walkers and young families. It’s a very pleasant walk and I even manage to spot some wildlife.

About twenty minutes later I reach the bridge over the narrow bit of water that separates Portsea Island from the mainland…

Crossing the bridge, I pass under the M27 and turn left. In front of me is a large business park with a lake called North Harbour. To the south is an area called Horsea Island, although it is no longer an island! To stay close to the coast means I want to walk around Horsea Island but access doesn’t seem possible. A large chunk is, again, occupied by the military, and there is also seemingly no way back across the motorway.

The official coast path runs along the main road to the north of the business park, which is not particularly appealing, so I head through the North Harbour gate hoping I can get out the other side!

Turns out there is a path round the far side of the lake…

Luckily there is an exit on the other side! A path branches off from the lakeside walk and leads out of the business park, goes through an underpass, and comes out at a large road junction…

Here I don’t seem to have much choice but to walk along the main road. I pass large supermarkets, chain hotels, car dealers and the like until, half a mile later, I reach the sea shore again.

I walk along the prom towards an industrial estate…

As I get closer I notice the name on the big building - Griffon Hoverwork! This is owned by the same company that owns Hovertravel (the Isle of Wight hovercraft service - see my last walk). So this is where they build hovercraft! Cool! I love hovercraft! 

To pass through the industrial estate I turn down here…

There are a few houses at the top of the street then it leads into the industrial estate itself. Continuing straight on for a couple of minutes brings me to a footpath that runs along the shore all the way to Portchester Castle…

So I arrive at the castle, my end point for the day.

Portchester Castle has quite a long history and is free to visit! Originally built by the Romans (the big square of ‘outside’ walls are Roman), the Normans built the tall keep in the northern corner, and at some point a church was built in the southern corner.

Roman walls (spot the terracotta ‘layers’ - very Roman!)…

Norman keep…

Medieval church…

Right, now I’m off to the cafe to get a coffee….

Walk 56. Farlington to Portsmouth Harbour

 Today’s walk will take me around the eastern and southern sides of Portsea Island. The whole island is covered by the City of Portsmouth, which makes it the most densely populated island in England! So, I’m expecting a fair bit of road walking!

First up, crossing the un-named bridge from the mainland…

Over the bridge there is a footpath which follows the shoreline and is separated from the road by bushes…

A few minutes further on I reach Kendalls Wharf where there is work taking place on the sea defences. This is apparently part of a major ongoing scheme of improving flood defences all around Portsea Island. It does mean, however, that I have to cut through an industrial area past the building work.

Soon I’m back on the coast path. This bit has had it’s upgrade recently finished, and very nice it is too…

About half way down the eastern side of Portsea Island reach Milton Common. Here the main road leaves the coast and veers inland. The coastal path continues along the shore and through an amazing war memorial with benches in the trees…

Past Milton Common I arrive at a small inlet called Eastney Lake. On the map the coast path diverts inland at this point, but research leads me to believe that the shoreline is passable at low tide - which is now!

So, passing a lovely looking pub…

…I venture out onto the muddy foreshore…

As you can see, Eastney Lake is not very big but you still wouldn’t want to be out here at high tide! Remember, always check your tide times kids…

On the far side I rejoin the England Coast Path which then passes some small blocks of flats…

Five minutes later I come to the only road to the spit of land at the southeastern corner of Portsea Island. 

I head up the road towards the un-named spit - maybe it’s just called Eastney Spit? To the left is a large marina with no public access, and to the right is Fort Cumberland.

Ah, yes. Fort Cumberland. This is an 18th Century ‘star’ fort that today is owned by Historic England. It is not, however, open to the general public and houses an archaeological laboratory so you can’t just stroll in! It occupies a big chunk of the southeastern tip of Eastney Spit and I’m not sure if I can get round on the seaward side - if I can’t, I’m going to have to come back down this road. Which is a pain.

Anyway, up at the end of the spit is a small jetty where the Hayling Island ferry docks. Its the small blue boat…

Behind the ferry, to the left, can be seen a section of Mulberry Harbour abandoned here since 1944. The Mulberry Harbour was a key part of the success of D-Day and was built from dozens of pre-fabricated concrete sections that were floated across the channel and sunk in place off the beach in Normandy.

From the tip of the spit I head down the beach towards Fort Cumberland. Before I’ve gone very far I meet a local and ask him if I can get round. No, I cant. Ah well, at least he has saved me a walk down and back along the pebbly beach!

I head back down the road. Once past the Fort Cumberland fence I find a footpath to the beach across a grassy area…

At the beach I turn left to ‘backtrack’ along the seaward side of Fort Cumberland past some derelict buildings…

There is a fairly high concrete sea wall to walk along and, despite the low tide, the waves are crashing against it! Only three hundred yards or so along I come to the reason you can’t get past Fort Cumberland on the seaward side…

It’s a shame that Historic England and Portsmouth Council can’t get together and sort this out. It looks like the fence just needs moving back a bit, but maybe there is some sort of hidden problem that would cost money to remedy?

Anyway, I retrace my steps and walk along the beach past a holiday park.

Past the chalets there is a nice prom to walk along…

This is a very pleasant walk but it does go on a bit! About a mile later I pass a Rose Garden and Model Village on the other side of the road…

Half a mile further I pass South Parade Pier…

I am now in Southsea which is a great place to visit, being chock-full of attractions! The whole seafront looks well-kept and cared for, with neat flower beds and benches and so on. There’s an aquarium, a D-Day museum, several beach-side coffee shops and cafes, and a large grassy common that in the summer holds events such as a music festival.

Past the common is the Hovertravel terminal. This is where you board the hovercraft to the Isle of Wight. This service has been operating since the 1960s, and today the trip takes just ten minutes on the latest hovercraft. Until recently this was the ONLY regular passenger hovercraft service in the world, but there is a new service in Japan using the same craft. I’m a big fan of hovercraft - everyone should come here and have a go!

I’m now heading into Old Portsmouth, the historic area of the city. The coast path runs along the old walls built to guard the docks…

Unsurprisingly, there is boat action everywhere you look…

From the old walls the path cuts through the Isle of Wight car ferry terminal…

…and comes out in a large development of expensive-looking waterfront flats.

This whole area used to be part of the Royal Navy base, so naturally there is boat action here as well…

Next to the flats is Gunwharf Quays, a large shopping mall. The centrepiece of this development is the Spinnaker Tower, shaped like the sail of the same name. At the top is a viewing deck, a cafe, and a glass floor you can walk on (ooohh, scary…!). Opened nearly twenty years ago, this 170meter tower has become a bit of a Portsmouth icon.

I walk through the shopping centre and turn left. Portsmouth Harbour station, my finish point for today, is right here.

Just before I end though - a final bit of boat action!

Outside the railway station is moored HMS Warrior. Launched in 1860, this was the world’s first iron-hulled warship and was also powered by steam. It was so technologically advanced that it instantly made all other warships obsolete and was the scariest thing afloat!