Weather: Sunny & hot.
Distance: 22 km (
miles) Total Distance: miles
The last day's walk of this holiday and the first where
Margaret and the rest of the family dropped me off in the morning. It was not a
very scenic days walk but since I had had four good days previously I wasn't
all that upset.
A couple of miles along the main road was helped by the
fact that there was a separate footpath much of the way away from the road.
Once past the oil refinery the Solent Way cut down to the sea through woods and
an odd field, though the way-marking left a lot to be desired.
Hythe was a disappointment. We had been led to believe it
was a picturesque port but the way in was along an industry lined road and the
centre was not much better. I met Margaret and the family near the pier and we
visited a small cafe. The temperatures were beginning to hot up considerable.
Margaret then took the boys to Avon beach again and I walked on. Exiting Hythe
next to a housing estate and then onto a pretty boring walk all the way to
Marchwood. The coastal route was blocked because it was British Ports land.
Veals Farm on the way into Marchland was more of a junkyard than a farm. A strange place indeed.
Marchwood is a military town and the docks there were
being used to assemble the equipment for the rapid reaction force being sent to
Bosnia though the rate at which it was all being got together made it anything
but rapid.
Marchwood to Totton was particularly unpleasant. The
road was busy and no pavement. Much of the traffic was heading to the council
incinerator at Marchwood. Things improved in Totton for a short while as a
minor road took me into the town over a toll bridge and down towards the A35.
From here to Southampton could be described as not as
bad as it could have been. There were paths and cycle ways all along the busy
main road but it was hot! The docks
prevented any good views of the river and there was only industrial estates to
look at.
I looked up at one stage after hearing a bang to see a
cyclist in mid air having just crashed into a bollard which was in the middle
of the cycle path. I think he may have been watching the young girl at the bus
stop. I made sure he was OK and he
passed me a while later going in the other direction with a very buckled wheel.
The last part into Southampton was along a residential
area since there was no access to the main road. I saw the station but decided to go down towards the river and probably catch the cheaper bus back to
Brockenhurst which would also save me a walk at the other end. This section was
more bad quality walking along dockland roads.
I walked into the town to get a
drink and find out about buses. Being very hot I needed to cool down before
doing anything otherwise I thought I would not make it. I tried McDonald's but
for once the air conditioning appeared not to be operational. M&S was
better. I bought a cheesecake and orange juice and headed for the shade in the
park to consume them. I gradually recovered.
Back at the house I had no key but was allowed to go
through their flat upstairs down into ours. That evening the owners had a lot
of family around so it got pretty noisy for a while.
The next day we headed home and stopped off at the pub in West Isley for
lunch and bought a pie for tea - all very civilized. We arrived home pretty early.
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