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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Wednesday 14 September 2016

Wednesday Walk: Book 1, Walk 3 (R) - Botley to Netley

Southampton Water and the River Hamble. Sea Views, Marinas, Coves and Woods.

Book 1, Walk 3 (R) - Botley to Netley
Length: 14.5 km (9 miles)
Toughness: 1 out of 10

London Waterloo: 10-09 hrs . Portsmouth Harbour train (does not stop at Clapham Junction)
Arrive Botley: 11-38 hrs

(Clapham Junctioners: take the Weymouth train from CJ at 10-12. Arrive Basingstoke 10-47 hrs and change onto the Portsmouth Harbour train leaving Basingstoke at 11-00 hrs)

Return: Netley to London Waterloo: 02 mins past the hour changing at Fareham, and 18 mins past the hour changing at Southampton Central (journey time 2hrs 5 mins).

Rail ticket: suggest a day return to Netley all routes permitted. If you do not possess a travel card check with the ticket office - it may be cost effective to buy an all zones travel card and then an onwards day return to Netley all routes permitted.

The Netley to Botley walk does not get many outings, due to the journey time and cost of travel, and best I know this is the first posting of this walk "backwards" - or in reverse. Why in reverse today? Possible because I am awkward and known in the SWC for doing walks in reverse, but also it should make a lovely outing today in reverse direction if the weather is nice - and it's probably the last chance to do this walk in summer conditions this year. The cost of the rail ticket is not cheap (sorry -we missed the SWT offer) but as a one off - why not treat yourself !

From Manor Farm we will take the Strawberry Trail route down through woods toward the river passing some pretty coves on the way before heading for Bursledon and lunch at the Navigator Pub. After lunch we have a relaxing, 3 km walk along the causeway beside the River Hamble, passing by marinas, a boat yard and mudflats before taking the Warsash Ferry (a vision in shocking pink) across the river to Hamble. Then it's over Hamble Common and through its woodland before we take a 2 km walk along the beach beside Southampton Water, turning right into Royal Victoria Park and Netley Chapel, with a cafe in the Park for tea, Netley railway station for your journey home is nearby.

Swimmers: bring your cossies with you as there are swimming options in the coves along the Strawberry trail or near the jetty at Hamble or along Southampton Water - if the weather is nice and tide times are favourable (check the link in the website version of walk's directions).

Next week - Wednesday 21 September: SWC Walk 150 - Yalding to Sutton Valance

T=1.3

7 comments:

Thomas G said...

Intend going.
...and extending the route past Netley by countinuing along the coast, do a bit of stravaiging in Westwood Woodland Park, then back along the river, and along Itchen Way up to Sholing Station. If that is a nice route (it looks like it might be, on the map), then maybe reverse the walk for good and make it a proper length?

Anonymous said...

9 miles is fine esp in this heat !

Marion said...

Intend going and 9 miles is quite sufficient for me too.

Anonymous said...

There's no stopping our Thomas.
Some say he will swim Southampton Water to Hythe and then play a round of golf at Dibden Golf Centre
Legend!

Anonymous said...

Was unable to go regrettably as in court fighting against neighbours from Hell. Lovely day for a trip to the Coast.jfk
At last had a minor victory against the criminals.

Walker said...

N=9 on this walk, which works really well in this reverse direction. Our walk poster has cleverly varied the morning route (ie the afternoon in the original direction) so that it hugs the side of the Hamble estuary - pretty woodland with glimpses of the water. One glimpse was particularly nice and given the w=hot-sun three of us decided to "live the view" and go for a swim - a delicious dip in a tranquil arm of the sea.

Lunch at the pub surrounded by yacht repair yards was pleasant enough and the walk down the Hamble in the bright sun was very nice too. It felt like summer would never end. Having crossed in the funky pink ferry we then gained Southampton Watwr, walked past the oil storage facility and on up the sun-drenched shingle beach. We just about got to the peaceful Royal Victoria Park in time for tea; early arrivals got tea pots, stragglers paper cups. But this is a nice tea stop when doing the walk in this direction.

Our intrepid long distance walker then went off to pioneer an extension to the walk. The others went for the train but three of us decided to swim in Southampton Water, which looked simply idyllic in the setting sun. Slightly off-putting on closer inspection was that the water was very brown near the shore, but a bit further out it was much cleaner and the low sun on the silky surface made for a simply dreamy experience. Something to treasure in the cold grey winter.

A long two hour train ride home. A pity there was no obvious place in Netley to buy provisions for the train.

Anonymous said...

Following on from Walkers prose, n=5 who skipped the evening swim caught the 5:43 Southern Train to Southampton Central (delayed to 5:53). This station has the usual Mainline Station outlets offering a chance to pick up nibbles and drinks.
Fast train (1 hour 30 mins) back to Waterloo at 6:30pm - probably the best return journey option.
With the w=sky_clear_and_little_wind we glimpsed a Hot Air Balloon in the evening skies over Hampshire as we sped towards the Great Wen
A cracking day out with plenty of variety.