Weather: sunny & hot.
Distance: 32 km (
miles) Total Distance: miles
Another hot day but not quite as hot as the previous
two. I parked the car outside my employers, Courtaulds
Performance Films warehouse and offices and popped in to check it was OK. I was
amused that there was window film peeling off the window - a bit like the paint
at Nawton Ferrers was fading.
After a stretch of walking along the foreshore I went onto
Horesea Island. Although much of this is still MOD property the first part is a
marina development, cinema, restaurant and office complex. Being a true
coastal path walker I walked the section I could before coming back onto to the
landward side of the motorway again avoiding the main road by going via a new
Tesco being built and a Holiday Inn. Then along the main road outside the IBM
headquarters which looked huge and full of private signs. I thought of calling
in to see if an old friend of mine still worked there but decided to leave it to the end
of the day to see how I felt.
Once under the motorway, there was a cycle track and
walkway all the way into Portsmouth being enjoyed by a number of cyclists in
particular. I was wondering if it was possible to walk around Whale Island but
it turned out to be another MOD property so I had to give it a miss. The next
couple of miles were around Portsmouth docks or at least as close to them as I
could get. The old boats, Mary Rose and HMS Victory, were unfortunately on private land and had
an admission fee so I had to give them a miss
I called in the TIC but they were not very helpful about accommodation or camp sites. I called into the railway station to get an idea of
train times - seemed to be frequent. Just before getting back to the coast
proper I called in for my fist pint of larger shandy of the day.
It was then around old Portsmouth dock, yet another
area being done up to make a marina development. I was amused to see one pub at
the very head of the harbour had not the normal picnic type seats but rows of
benched in its garden to allow visitors to sit and watch the procession of boats
in and out of the channel.
Portsmouth then merged into the holiday town of Southsea, the first part being the worst i.e. amusement arcades and fun fairs. Southsea
common was packed because it was flower festival weekend. After that it was
miles of promenade walking - pleasant enough because of all the people to watch!
I then found a pleasant foreshore path around the east.
Halfway around I stopped at the Thatched Inn which seemed poorly named since it
was tiled. I became gruff with the barmaid when I saw her make up my shandy
with dregs from the drip tray but then proceeded to drop my pint over a table
because my hands were so sweaty! I drank what was left and ordered another and
only got charged for a half. I don't know what the moral of that story is.
There was good footpath all up the east side of Portsea
Island. I called in at the camping and cravan site to enquire about the price
of camping and was quoted over nine pounds - for one person, one tent, one car!
I tried to barter but was told the prices were fixed by the council - I don't
think so somehow. I told then I could get B&B for much more.
Once I reached the main road I continued around
Farlington Marshes, also blessed with a good footpath. Quite a number of
people were our watching the wildlife. After a bit more foreshore walking I
headed up into Brockampton and aimed to catch the train back to Portchester. I
bought a ticket from the machine and then entered into a farce. I got talking
to a lady who had caught the wrong train and was trying to get back to Cosham,
the station before Portchester. We realised after countless trains had gone
past heading to Portsmouth that there was not direct train to Southampton and
they all went via Portsmouth. I got the train and changed and the lady got a
taxi in despair.
I saw on my map that there was a Youth Hostel in Cosham so
decided to see if there really was. I eventually found it, in the middle of a
housing estate! It was an old mansion house in fairly good condition. I joined
the YHA and booked in for 2 nights. I went out for a Chinese take away from
Cosham and ate it in the marina in Solent Heights, but it was very poor take
away and I had to force it down since I also was not too hungry with all the
heat.
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