It’s another sunny spring day and it’s still very windy - although not quite as bad as last time!
I start today back with the boats in Warsash…
The first part of today’s walk will take me inland, up the east bank of the River Hamble for a couple of miles to the bridge and then back down the other side!
For those with a less strict definition of ‘walking’, there is a small passenger ferry that will take you across the river mouth to Hamble-le-Rice. It’s the bright pink boat in this picture…
The walk up the river is very nice. The path is excellent and skirts a marshland bird reserve to the right and a boat-filled river to the left. And when I say boat-filled it really is! The whole river seems to be one marina after another!
After about half an hour I get to the other end of the bird reserve. The footpath now goes through the middle of a marina and boatyard…
On the other side of the boatyard is a private estate. Now, private estates normally do their best to scare people away with lots of signs saying ‘Private’, ‘No Entry’, ‘Peasants Will Be Shot’, etc, so this is a lovely surprise…
A short walk brings me to Lower Swanwick, where there are more boats…
I find the main road which crosses the river to Bursledon. From the bridge you get a nice view of the river - and some more boats…
This next bit is going to be a bit tricky. This bank of the river seems to be mostly ‘no public access’. There are a few lanes and footpaths heading down to the river but they are all dead-ends. So I’m going to have to cobble together a route using various roads and footpaths, and the map!
I set off down this road…
…past Bursledon railway station and climb a small hill which give me a good view of the River Hamble and some boats…
After a while on the road I am able to take footpaths which seem to take a slightly tortuous route past back gardens and through woodland…
Finally I emerge onto a road which goes all the way to Hamble-le-Rice…
I walk down this road for twenty-five minutes and arrive back at the river near the Warsash ferry dock (and some more boats).
From Hamble-le-Rice I have to leave the river again and head uphill along the road. Soon I come to Hamble Common and can take a footpath through the trees…
This leads back down to the river and a marshy inlet…
The path round Hamble Common takes me back to the coast on Southampton Water, which is being guarded by an old anti-aircraft gun!
According to the map, the coast path follows the beach from here pretty much all the rest of the way to Southampton. So that seems nice and easy then!
What is that jetty in the distance…?
The jetty is part of a large oil terminal, but the path passes underneath along a concrete sea-wall. It gets a bit narrow on the other side…
After the oil terminal the concrete runs out and I have to walk along the pebbles…
About fifteen minutes later I come to the Royal Victoria Country Park, which seems popular with dog-walkers, joggers, cyclists etc. To give my legs a break from the pebbles I use their nice path…
This path comes out in the village of Netley. The beach seems to be very soft mud, so I decide to take the official route which diverts slightly from the coast and follows the village main street for a quarter of a mile or so.
Just to the north of the village are the ruins of Netley Abbey which dates back to the thirteenth Century. Can’t see much from the path though…
Past the Abbey the path opens out and follows a road all the way to Woolston. This is a nice easy walk but a bit featureless!
Arriving in Woolston, I pass an industrial area..
…then along a couple of streets of houses and shops, before arriving at the Itchen Bridge. This bridge, as its name suggests, crosses the River Itchen and takes you to Southampton docks. That will have to wait for next time, however. Today, I’m finishing here!
