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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.

Thursday 13 July 2017

Southampton Water and the River Hamble - for a Swim

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

Length: 15.2 km (9.5 miles)
Toughness: 2 out of 10

London Waterloo10-09 hrs (Portsmouth Harbour service)  Woking 10-35 hrs Basingstoke 11-00 hrs
Arrive Botley: 11-38 hrs

Clapham Junctioners: CJ: 10-12 hrs (Weymouth service)
Arrive Basingstoke: 10-47 hrs
Leave Basingstoke: 11-00 hrs - on Portsmouth Harbour train as above.

Return: Netley to Waterloo: 02 mins past the hour via Fareham, and 18 mins past the hour via Southampton Central (plus 17-49 hrs). Journey time, both - just over 2 hrs.

Rail ticket: buy a day return to Netley. Make use of South-West trains promotional offer: £ 26 return. Senior railcard holders with travel passes - the price is circa £ 20

We gave this Book 1 walk a spin in reverse last year and it worked quite well - so here it is again !  The original posting date has been brought forward by a week to take advantage of the train operator's fares promotion (last day 14 July), so hopefully the outing will be a bit more affordable than usual for our younger walkers.

The walk is easy and relaxing. Woods in the morning, with lovely coves offering opportunities for a swim, so do bring your cossies with you. Lunch is taken at the Navigator pub in Lower Swanwick, and then we set out on a walk beside the River Hamble along its causeway and banks. We then catch the Warsash Ferry to the western side of the Hamble, on through Hamble Common and then we walk along the beach to Netley, for tea at the cafe in the Royal Victoria Park.  Those who feel like adding a few extra miles to today's walk can take the pleasant extension to Sholing.

For those who like seaside walks and a swim with some nice variety along the way  (woods) you should really enjoy today's walk. The long(ish) train journeys are worth it.
T=1.3
Walk directions here: L=1.3




5 comments:

Marion said...

This swimming walk offers several opportunities both in the river Hamble and in Southampton water when the tide is right but bring your swim shoes/reef shoes as its very stony underfoot. If its a hot sunny day sunglasses and hats essential as you are walking towards the sun most of the time. It was great last year and 3 swims were enjoyed. Make the most of the tea stop which has plenty of refreshments as theres nothing at Netley station at the finish.

branchline said...

Is it possible to buy the £13 ticket at the ticket office/machines tomorrow morning?

Walker said...

You can buy the £13 tickets from the machines at Waterloo certainly. Select "SWT services only" and it automatically gives you the special offer

Walker said...

N=7 on this walk, on a day of w=sun-and-cloud. The cloud was inland, the sun more on the coast, so it got sunnier as the day went on, culminating in a glorious golden finish along Southampton Water, which with its pine-fringed coast felt a bit like a Greek island.

In the morning fields (one full of ground skimming swallows) and woods brought us to the upper reaches of the Hamble Estuary. Two of us swam here and at least two swam vicariously - that is to say, they did not swim but seemed keen to see us do so. Despite an incoming tide one could swim quite a way out before the current started to pull you up river.

A briskly served lunch in the Navigator, rubbing shoulders with the Hamble River yacht set, a walk through boatyards with their interesting operations, then down the lovely Hamble Estuary at high tide. The pink ferry took six of us across it and we very politely waited in the cafe on the far side (big staff, disorganised service: they were no longer doing hot food but made a meal out of serving tea and cakes) for the seventh to get the next ferry. One of the group shared her memories of her childhood in Hamble village.

Then what for me is always the highlight: a walk up the beach of Southampton Water In the sparkling afternoon sun. Interesting shingle flowers and two of us (the same two) had an idyllic swim from the beach of Victoria Park as a Chinese container ship glided placidly by. A third walker watched our bags, for which thanks.

The other four headed straight for the train I presume and so missed the final treat, which was the majestic Queen Mary 2, the only transatlantic liner, the largest liner ever built, slipping its moorings and gliding down Southampton Water to the sea. Inbound from New York that morning, outbound for the Norwegian fjords. I am not a cruising person but just for a moment I wished I was going with her.

Instead we got the 6.18 train.

Anonymous said...

Hi, please would someone post this walk on a Saturday before the end of Summer. I was so envious but can't walk on Thursdays. Thanks, Debra