Thursday 12th March 2026

We set off with high hopes today, a stroll around the Solent – lovely part of the country. We drove and parked up in Locks Heath and took a bus to Woolston, starting our walk in the Quayside area. There are numerous smart high-rise apartment blocks along the quay – we wiggled our way around these and picked up the coastal path to take us out of this Southampton suburb.

What we hadn’t banked on was the ferocious winds from the offset and we found ourselves battling them head on! We soldiered on though and faced a whole selection of terrain today. Some easygoing paths but sadly a whole lot of shingle walking and also a whole lot of thick gooey mud too! But the views were fabulous and we found ourselves more sheltered from the winds at times.

We had a bit of a surprise when stumbling across Netley Castle, looming mysteriously at the back of the beach – not something you often see at the seaside. Apparently it’s a former artillery fort built by King Henry VIII, now converted into nine residential apartments. Very grand.

The village of Netley was charming too and the path then took us through Royal Victoria Country Park, which made for easy paths. This was the first of a number of really picturesque (and I’d say monied) villages we passed through today … and each time I felt so self-conscious with our mud soaked boots – they probably thought we were tramps.

At 6 miles we reached the village of Hamble-le-Rice, another chocolate box setting and a big sailing area. Now, this is where the coastal path guide tells you to take the (pink) ferry across the Solent to Warsash. But … Steve had already found out that the ferry is not running at this time of year. So, we sat and refreshed ourselves with sandwiches, fruit and hot chocolate, then put best foot forward to navigate the non-signposted further 6 miles to get us back to Warsash, via a bridge at Bursledon.

I have to give credit to Steve for working out the route to get us back to Warsash. We had some uphill getting us out of Hamble-le-Rice and then we had another whole load of house envy as we walked through the village of Bursledon … and of course the inevitable sailing and cruising clubs. We just tried to look as inconspicuous as we could … felt we were lowering the tone of the place.

There was quite a bit of road walking in this section, country roads with no pavements … but they weren’t too horrendously busy so we survived, having to duck into the hedges from time to time. Once we’d crossed the bridge at Bursledon, skirting the edges of Swanwick with great Solent views once again, the weather unfortunately took a downward turn. Not only did the wind return at absolutely full force, face on, but it was accompanied by freezing rain. So, what could have been a pleasant end to today’s walk, through the ‘Hook with Warsash Nature Reserve’ turned out to be two miles of absolute hell. Our spirits dipped because there was nothing to do but just endure it. We missed out on a whole load of scenic beauty + an abundance of house envy opportunities, because we literally had to walk with hoods up and faces down to survive the battering weather. So relieved when we reached Warsash and made our way to the bus stop.

12 miles of walking clocked up today – now I’m recovered I can say it’s a walk worth doing – just check the weather report first! I did say to Steve at one point today that maybe we should find a different hobby! But, I’ll guess we’ll be back for more!