Book 1, Walk 3(R) - Botley to Netley
Length: 15.2 km (9.5 miles) Option to extend to
Sholing (adds 3.4 miles)
Toughness: 2 out of 10
London
Waterloo: 10-09 hrs Portsmouth Harbour service: Basingstoke: 11-00 hrs Does NOT stop at CJ
Arrive
Botley: 11-38 hrs
Clapham Junctioners: 10-12 hrs Weymouth service from Waterloo
Arrive
Basingstoke: 10-47 hrs Change trains
Leave
Basingstoke: 11-00 hrs on Portsmouth Harbour service as above
Return
Netley to
Waterloo: 17-02 [via Fareham ( F)]; 17-18 [via Southampton Central (SC)]; 17-51(SC); 18-02 (F); 18-18 (SC); 19-02 (F), 19-18 (SC)
Rail ticket: Buy a day return to Netley
any route permitted.
This Book 1 walk works well in both directions, but in recent times rail timetables have made it preferable to do the walk "backwards", which we will be doing today.
After a short(ish) walk from the railway station along the road into Botley, the route soon takes you over fields to
Manor Farm with its visitor centre and cafe. From there you head down through woods on the meandering
Strawberry Trail, with the
River Hamble below you, passing a number of coves along the way.
Swimmers: bring your cossies as two of the coves make for a pleasant swim. Non-swimmers (me) keep going to Burlesdon and Lower Swanwick where we stop for lunch at the
Navigator pub, much improved since its days when called the Spinnaker (tel: 01489-572123). If there are more than 4 of you requiring luncheon, best 'phone ahead. Your e.t.a 13-10 hrs - a bit later for swimmers.
After lunch you have a delightful, relaxing walk alongside the River Hamble, and once through Universal Marina, you have mud flats on your left and boat moorings and marinas to your right. After some 3 kms you take the
Warsash Ferry to cross the River to the village of
Hamble. You cannot miss the ferry - or its shelter on the eastern side of the River - as both are visions in
shocking pink.
In Hamble you can stop for a cuppa if you wish before heading over Hamble Common to the waters edge. You now walk along the stony beach to Southampton Water all the way to
Netley (although you can take a woodland path parallel to and above the beach if you find walking along it hard-going).
In Netley you walk up through the
Royal Victoria Country Park to its main cafe for tea. Netley Chapel in the Park is still undergoing major restoration work, and has not yet re-opened to visitors. From the cafe allow fifteen minutes to Netley railway station, for your service back to London, either via Fareham or Southampton Central..
If the weather is kind to you today, you should enjoy this seaside-outing-with-a-difference.
T=1.3
Walk Directions here L=1.3
We quickly split into two groups two fast walkers, five slightly less fast. We five did the Hamble River route and even though it was low tide and the water looked a bit .... weedy.... two of us swam across the estuary at the prescribed swimming spot.
A nice lunch in the Navigator passing the fast walkers leaving as we arrived and then down the Hamble Estuary under brightening but not yet sunny skies. We caught the 3.30 ferry, not realising the 3.50 was the last, and had tea on the upper deck of the cafe on the far side.
A now sunny walk through the woods and up the beach along Southampton Water. Two of us swam when we got to Victoria Park and then we all hoofed it to get the 6.18 train. Unluckily this was cancelled. Luckily we were in time for the 5.51. Unluckily at Southampton all the Waterloo trains were delayed. Yours truly bailed out here to get a local train for a family visit. Hope the others got home eventually