Walk 64. Fawley to Lepe

 Today’s walk starts in a damp Fawley…

I head down the road to Ashlett…

Ashlett is just a short ten minute walk, and seems to consist of a marina, a pub, and an impressive old tide mill…

There is a footpath sign here showing two different routes - one high tide, one low tide. As I am checking the tide times on my phone, a local old seadog tells me the low tide route is only impassable about once every five years! Local government arse-covering knows no limits!

So I take the low tide route past the mudflats…

A few minutes later I come to the site of the now-disused Fawley power station. Part of it has been demolished, but some buildings remain and appear to be still used in some sort of industrial capacity.

The path passes this lot on the seaward side and includes a high-security bridge…

Once past the old power station site, I have a short walk beside some more mudflats before arriving at the beach at Calshot…

Although the way ahead lies to the right, I want to explore Calshot Spit first so I turn left. 

The spit is closely connected with the early days of aviation. It was a flying boat base for many years and was also the venue for the Schneider Trophy air races in the 1920s and 30s. Today, three of the old hangers still survive - one of which is now an activity centre.

Also perched on the end of the spit is a lifeboat station and coastguard lookout tower…

…and Calshot Castle - yet another coastal defence fort built by Henry VIII. Busy boy, old Henry…

I walk back down the spit and head onto the beach toward the village of Calshot, past about a million brightly coloured beach huts…!

Now, at this point I could continue along the beach for a way. But research suggests that a chunk of the beach ahead is private and blocked by a very effective fence. As all of the coastal land is also private with no public access, the only option is the road!

So I turn away from the coast (on my coastal walk) and head up the hill into Calshot village…

In the village there is a footpath through a wood that ‘cuts a corner’ of the road walk, but a few hundred yards later I am back on the road. It looks like this…

And it continues to look like that for nearly two-and-a-half miles!

Eventually I arrive at the beach at Lepe Country Park, just in time to be caught in a sudden downpour! Fortunately this is my finish point for today so I can now go and find some shelter!