Walk 67. Lymington to Milford-on-Sea

After a bit of a break for heatwaves, wildfires, etc, I’m back with the next coast walk!

I start today back at the road bridge over the Lymington River…

Once again, there is no actual riverside path here so I walk southwards through the streets of Lymington. After about five minutes I pass through the small but picturesque ‘old town’ bit…

A few minutes further and I find a seawall to walk along…

Across the river the Isle of Wight ferry is loading up…

There are boats everywhere…

So much so that the public footpath cuts straight through a boatyard!

The other side of the boatyard is the start of the path around the Lymington and Keyhaven salt marshes. This is a large area of saltmarsh that is now a nature reserve. The footpath is a nice firm gravel job on top of a raised seawall separating the marshes from the Solent, and is a very pleasant walk in the sunshine. There are a scattering of other people about, dog-walking, cycling, etc, including one bloke on a bike dressed as a pirate!

About an hour and a half later I’m finally approaching the end of the path at the small village of Keyhaven…

In Keyhaven you can get a small ferry to Hurst Castle at the far end of Hurst Spit…

Past the village there is another stretch of marshy seawall path that is not so pleasant due to vast swarms of a strange species of fly. Fortunately it only takes ten minutes to reach the end of the path - the flies don’t seem to like the road!

Five minutes down the road I cross this little bridge…

I climb up the shingle bank beyond and am rewarded with a beautiful view across the Solent to The Needles…

This shingle bank is called Hurst Spit and juts a mile out into the Solent. At the far end is Hurst Castle and a lighthouse…

Doesn’t look too far, right? 

Oh…

Regular readers will know how much I love walking over pebbles!

Just a short twenty-five minutes later I arrive at the castle. Hurst Castle was originally yet another one of Henry VIII’s coastal forts, and was extended in the mid-19th Century. Today it is run by English Heritage and is open to the public.

This is where the ferry from Keyhaven docks. Seems a more popular method of getting here than the walk down the spit. Can’t imagine why…

I walk past the castle to have a look at the lighthouse - apparently it is still a working light and so not open to the public.

Across the water is Fort Albert on the Isle of Wight. It looks incredibly close from here being just under a mile away!

So that is Hurst Spit - time to plod back along the pebbles.

I walk back along the spit and continue the short distance to Milford-on-Sea where I finish today’s walk at a handy carpark. Next time it’s the final leg of Hampshire!

Walk 66. Beaulieu to Lymington

 So I’m back in Beaulieu on a lovely sunny day that’s not quite as hot as it has been recently! The village is full of donkeys…

From the bridge the path turns left beside the pub…

Once past a few houses the path follows, I believe, the route of an old narrow-gauge railway. Hence the straightness!

About three-quarters of a mile from Beaulieu I pass Bailey’s Hard - the reason for the railway!

The path continues through woodland, although there are occasional glimpses of the river, all the way to Bucklers Hard.

Bucklers Hard is a preserved historic shipbuilding site that today is a popular tourist attraction. 

The main ‘street’…

Some sort of archaeological dig…

The ‘Duke’s bath house’…

After a brief look round I continue on my way. From here access to the coast is, once again, very limited, so I head off down the road…

Twenty minutes later I pass St Leonards Barn that dates back to the medieval period, and is reputed to be the largest barn in England!

Along this road I get some nice views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight…

So I plod on along the road. Fortunately there is very little traffic but it does get a bit ‘samey’ after a while! And this is the rest of this walk! After a few miles there is a short cut through some woods but then it is back on the roads all the way to Lymington.

Two and a quarter hours after leaving Bucklers Hard I arrive in Lymington. Passing the car ferry to the Isle of Wight…

…I walk up to the bridge over the Lymington River where I am finishing for today. Hopefully the next section of this coastal walk should be a bit more ‘coastal’!

Walk 65. Lepe to Beaulieu

 Today’s walk starts at Lepe Country Park, where it is a lot sunnier and hotter than last time!

I’m heading this way, toward the Beaulieu River…

So I set off and after a few minutes pass this rather exposed looking house! Called the Watch House, it is now used as a holiday let.

The beach is quite narrow along here, but it’s another hour and a half before high tide so I should be all right!

Helpful warning sign - it’ll be fine!

Starting to look a bit dodgy…

Fortunately the log palisade is only a couple of hundred yards long, and the beach opens up again once I get past it. My boots get a bit wet but my feet stay dry!

Just a few minutes later I come to the end of the beach. This is where the Beaulieu River flows into the sea  and the coast becomes impassable mudflats and salt marsh. Like much of the New Forest coastline, it seems, this is also private land with no public access.

To cross the river I have to walk upstream to the village of Beaulieu itself, where the nearest bridge is located. Sadly, because of the private land thing, there is no pleasant riverside walk available so I have to take the road.

Luckily there is not much traffic!

After about half an hour I reach the village of Exbury, where there is a very picturesque church…

…and Exbury Gardens visitor attraction…

Nearly a mile and a half past Exbury Gardens I walk over a cattle grid. The grid is there to control possibly the most famous thing about the New Forest - yep, ponies!

Everybody go aahhhh…

Just another mile down a busier road later I arrive in Beaulieu. This is famous for being the location of the National Motor Museum which houses a very interesting collection of vehicles. I can’t see it from anywhere along my route, but there is a definite increase in the number of classic cars passing me by!

My finish point today is the bridge over the river - and a very lovely spot it is too…