Chris

You might want to check the trains for this walk. The National Rail Enquiries website is warning of industrial action affecting SW Trains from 30 August to 2 September.

Bill S

Did walk.started an hour later by choice, and bus no 1 from Fratton to Eastney. 13.30 ferry. Didn't see anyone else. Gavin

Near End when you get off Hayling Island on to the mainland at Langstone there is The Ship and the the Royal Oak on the right. Both do food and coffee as well as Fullers (Ship) and Greene King (Royal Oak). They are both lovely pubs, slightly favour the Royal Oak for character of pub.

In Havant there is a plethora of cafes, however might not be open when you get there.

If you walk along the old railway track which takes you from Langstone to the Station. If you exit the old railway track at East Street, at the Bridge by the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre-might be open for coffee/drinks. Then walk into town going west along East Street.

The best pub in Havant is The Old House at Home (Fullers/Gales and good food) in South Street at the main cross roads by St Faiths Church. Also Robin Hood, 6 Homewell, across from the Church of St. Faiths.

Gavin

9 brave souls on this walk, despite a dismal weather forecast. It all started well, with some brightness in the cloud and pleasant views of the Solent and its shipping. The rain was initially fairly light and intermittent.

Things went downhill (not literally: the walk is entirely flat) after the Hayling Island ferry, which we reached at 12.40. The rain became persistent and by the time we got to the Inn on the Beach just after 2pm one walker had had enough and quit the scene. Seven of us had lunch in this wonderful venue, built on the beach with wide sea views, while one had drinks.

Spirits sagged during lunch nevertheless. Three walkers decided afterwards to take the bus to Havant, wisely in view of their lack of heavy rain gear. Five of us continued up the side of Hayling Island, but one dropped out halfway, presumably to also get the bus. Four of us carried on, enjoying entrancing marsh views but in now persistent rain which delighted in finding cracks in our outerwear and boots.

Crossing the bridge to Langstone we repaired with gratitude to the Ship Inn for drinks (tea and a pud for me). Seditious talk about Ubers broke out here which yours truly managed to quell with difficulty. In the end we carried on with the lovely - but solidly wet - two mile walk to Emsworth, catching the 7.28pm train home.

Sigh! Having done this walk in the wet in February we had hoped for better from doing it in “summer”. Next year, maybe.

Just to say as a personal note, I saw approximately 50 house martins feeding (in the rain!) over a pond near the top of Hayling Island, and then 70-80 swallows over Emsworth Harbour. Both groups certainly migrating south, and almost certainly en route from further north. Swallow, house martin and swift numbers have been absolutely pitiful in the UK this year and it was heartening to see so many of both species in one place. I wish them a successful migration, a trouble-free winter under the African sun, and please do come back here to breed next year.

Was there a sixth walker? Five got off the train at Portsmouth Harbour and five did the walk, but other members of the party insist they recognised a sixth, who sped off. We saw him on the ramparts but he did not acknowledge us and he walked off alone. I say this does not count, but I was outvoted. So 6 .

Other potential walkers were doubtless deterred by the dismal weather forecast. But in fact early drizzle soon stopped and it was dry with enticing orange skies far out to sea. Rays of silvery sun from this magical realm reached us from time to time, glittering on the waves - all rather atmospheric (see Facebook: I shall post some photos there later).

After threading our way through Portsmouth’s waterside shopping centre we got to the ramparts at the mouth of the harbour and then proceeded south on Southsea’s beach promenade. This is surprisingly nice, backed by large green parks. At one point our walk poster even had a paddle.

On to the Hayling Ferry. We arrived just as it docked but had to wait 20 minutes for it to depart - time spent chatting with the captain. It is a very short crossing and costs £5.50 but you get a second trip ticket for this, redeemable when you like.

On the far side, the island is much wilder - an interesting place. Grassy turf, pebble beaches, pounding waves. (It was high tide: how different all this would look at low tide, I do not know). On the advice of our poster and a local we avoided the pub by the ferry to push on to the Inn on the Beach. This was a glorious place. Re-opened a year ago it has first floor dining areas with huge windows and lovely sea views. Nice grub. Pleasant service. A real treat.

As we ate that sunny area out to sea seemed to be getting closer. Would the cloud clear to a sunny afternoon to make the rest of you jealous? Reader, it did not. Instead it started to rain with enthusiasm. Eventually the moment could not be put off and we set off, waterproofed up, to walk the old railway line route up the west of the island. A lovely walk this, full of natural interest - oyster catchers, curlews - and with lovely sea views. But sadly also rain lashed. So overall the weather for the day was brightish in the morning but rainy in the afternoon

At the top of the island you cross the road bridge to the mainland. A very cute waterside village here - Langstone - had a cosy and inviting pub which I yearned to enter. But stern Stargazer snatched us away (all but one of us: one had already headed towards Havant station) to walk in the gathering gloom some 4km along the coast to Emsworth. This walk has nice coastal bits but also some fields of slithery mud: our only encounter with this substance today.

Arriving there as the dusk deepened to night, we chose a very quaint, not to say eccentric, Italian-themed coffee shop cum greetings card shop for tea and then went to get the 18.29 train. A very nice day out, and one I hope to repeat on a sunny day in summer when it can be punctuated by lots of sea swims.