Southampton and (nearly) Portsmouth

It could have been a five-ferry day today! It was an ambitious plan, but it didn't happen, for ferry-ous reasons.

Last night, there was only one option for an evening meal - a pub right opposite the camp site.  Excellent food at a high price, but I've noticed that almost all pubs on this trip have been expensive.   Is it inflation, or just staying in touristy places?

There's a change in the weather.   Freshening wind from the west, cloudy and a few rain showers.  It rained overnight, and  I woke early and decided to get packed up in the dry.  As a result I was away by 7am, on very quiet roads, just a few miles back to Yarmouth with several detours to see the sea.  There was nobody about save a few dog walkers, and the Menzies van delivering the newspapers.

Totland beach

Victoria Fort 

I rushed to Yarmouth to try to get the 8am ferry, but there wasn't one.  I had over an hour to spend in cold, windy, deserted Yarmouth, so I went exploring.   It's a very small place but there are many cafes and other tourist establishments.  None open at 8am on a Saturday.  I gave up and made my way back to the ferry booking office, and there was a tiny, bustling, fantastic coffee shop, PO41, about two doors away from the ferry.  They had FIVE people serving, and a steady stream of customers.  Excellent coffee and a superb Caramel Cornflake Brownie.  Yum.

Today I'll be making my way from Lymington around the ports and conurbations of Southampton snd Portsmouth.  It will be different ... and interesting.

Off the ferry promptly at 9.45, and very quickly I was back in the New Forest, with the wind mostly behind me.  I whizzed along, enjoying the countryside and relative flatness, to Bucklers Hard, a remnant of a shipyard that built ships like HMS Victory, but not specifically that one.

 

From there to Beaulieu was on a riverside pathway, which has nearly been converted to a cycle way.  Right at the end there was a kissing gate which required unpacking everything and lifting the bike over the fence.  Kissing was the last thing on my mind.

After Beaulieu you cross a cattle grid and you're in the New Forest proper.  There are oak woods, there are grassy commons dotted with gorse, and there are horses.  All just as it was hundreds of years ago,  except for to towers and chimneys of Fawley oil Refinery in the distance. 

I made my way south to Calshot Spit, a WW2 seaplane base, and then north again towards Hythe, where there is a ferry across the river Test.  I had read that it was suspended,  but hoped that it had resumed by now.  Sadly, not, so I got a bonus 11 miles around the head of the river at Totton.

Calshot Spit

By now my tentative plan to get to Hayling island today was looking unlikely.  It would have been 85 miles, and I knew the Hayling Island ferry only operates until 6pm (winter schedule; the website wasn't working so the summer schedule was unknown).

The detour wasn't great.  A busy road north, a few quiet roads leading to Totton, and then mostly dedicated cycle lane alongside a busy dual carriageway into Southampton.  Despite being next to the docks with several multi-storey cruise ships, it wasn't the best introduction to Southampton.  After I crossed the river Itchen, on a huge dual carriageway bridge, it quietened down as I headed south to cross the river Hamble, at the pretty village of Hamble, where there's a ferry to Warsash.

Bridge Over the River Itchen

Another problem.  The Hamble ferry stops at 4pm, and it was 4.15.  I was up a creek without a ferry, or a camp site.  Initial investigations revealed that the local campsites were full.  But there was one on the other side of the Hamble, at Gosport. 17 miles away around the head of the river.  So I did that.

Swimming hadn't occurred to me as an option

Hamble village

Apart from the mile on the A27, it was a lovely ride.  I expected it all to be quite built up, but it wasn't at all.  South of Warsash, in the areas of Hook and Meon, were some giant houses on posh roads, interspersed with tracks across the countryside.  And after Meon came Lee on Solent, with a great cycle track that took me the last four miles to the campsite.  It's been such a varied and eventful day, it's hard to describe.

The campsite was basic but great..  Good basic food at inexpensive prices.  After 75 miles, I felt I had some serious refuelling to do.

It's going to rain again overnight, but I need to do some washing,  having not done it last night.  I just hope the strong wind will dry everything after the rain stops.

Ticket to Ryde

Nearly packed

Taken yesterday

Ferry at Fishbourne (taken yesterday)

I stopped last night in Wootton Bridge, just short of Fishbourne,  a tiny village on a creek where the giant IoW ferry now berths.  The ride to Ryde was all on cycle tracks or quiet roads, very pleasant, and passed Quarr Abbey, a Benedictine monastery.  In a few relaxed miles I was on Ryde seafront.

Quarr Abbey

Ryde's pier must be unique.  It's really three parallel piers, one for two-way car traffic, one for pedestrians, and one with a double railway line.   At the end of the pier is a ferry terminal, railway station, and car park.

Ryde Pier (and a hovercraft)

Ryde, from the pier

I tootled along the Esplanade.  On a quiet sunny morning, everything looked at its best as I rode along the front on a cycle path that led round the coast to Seaview.

Seaview

Because of my desire to stick to roads near the coast, I managed to avoid the hill to Bembridge on a bridleway, and got to see the impressive Bembridge lifeboat station instead.  Then it was payback time as I was forced by my route to climb the much bigger Culver Down, with great views back across the island and mainland, and south to Sandown & Shanklin.

Angel of the South?

Random statuette by Bembridge harbour

Bembridge lifeboat station

Down the hill and I headed into Sandown, rode along the seafront, non-stop all the way to Shanklin, where the flatness came to a sudden end with Shanklin Chine, short and very steep.  I was soon in Shanklin's tiny and impossibly twee village centre (there is a much larger, normal part of Shanklin just down the road).  

Sandown beach huts

Coast route to Shanklin

Shanklin tourist centre

It was in Shanklin that I made the foolish decision to go to Luccombe.  It's a very small village, high on a hill, with a few views of the sea as you struggle up there, and not much there to make it worth the climb.  Anyway, having put that mistake behind me, I returned almost to Shanklin, and climbed again, over the southern ridge to Bonchurch  and Ventnor.

The hills round here are the same as the ones in Purbeck - they are just interrupted by a few miles of sea.  Just as steep, except today they are bathed in sunshine instead of rain.

Ventnor is just along the cliff-bottom path from Bonchurch   It was quiet, and smelled of sewage, so I stopped at an indoor cafe for lunch.  The town is quite big but the sea front is very short due to the cliffs, so the town is spread out up the steep hill behind.

Ventnor

My chosen way out of town, a steep hill, was closed due to a landslide, so I chose another one.  They're all steep.   But in a stroke of luck, I only had to climb about 100 metres before turning onto the Undercliff Road, which I guess used to be the main road but is now blocked by bollards after a few miles .  So it's a beautiful, good quality, flat, traffic free road, and it saved me a 100m climb up to the main road along the top.  Result!

I did a few detours down to villages near the shore, nothing much to report; passed Blackgang Chine pleasure park but decided not to visit.  Instead, there was a lovely long, straight downhill towards an expansive flat plain.  Not at all like the Isle of Wight.  A few back lanes, pretty villages, and a great village shop for tea at Brighstone.   I was approaching the left hand end of the island, and it was getting late, so I phoned and booked a campsite near Totland, hoping to arrive before 6.30 ish.

Randonée signs

Approaching Freshwater

Freshwater

In between me and it was the Old Military Road, sweeping across and mainly up the white cliffs near the Needles.  Up, up,and up.  Then down! Before a lot more up.  I would have fired the military planner who designed that.

It was beautiful though, with the setting sun reflecting off the sea.  I got to the campsite, set up camp in a hurry, dumped my panniers and rushed off to The Needles, a four mile round trip.  What a waste of time.

Both The Needles and nearby Alum Bay have been turned into chargeable tourist attractions.    Alum Bay, famous for its multicoloured sandy cliffs, is now a Landmark Attraction,  I think the same firm that spoiled Lands End, and it looks very similar from the outside.  And the Needles are only visible from the Needles Battery, operated by the National Trust, or from Alum Bay.  Or the coastguard post, high up the cliff and surrounded by a wire fence.

Alum Bay

Nearly the Needles

Bournemouth and beyond

The campsite was a holiday park type of thing, often a bit soulless, but this one was excellent.  Great facilities,  reasonably priced hikers' tent pitches, and a decent pub.  I slept very soundly, and was up before seven; as soon as the sun came up it became much too hot to stay in bed.

Studland, name town of Studland Bay.  Blink and you miss it.  Studland Stores is about the only evidence of its existence,  but there is a short loop of a back street with a few houses and a nice looking hotel, The Pig.  Perhaps it was bigger when they were naming the bays?  Anyway I didn't blink so I saw the sights, and passed on to the strip of heathland leading to the Sandbanks ferry, which took me across the narrow entrance to vast Poole Harbour.

Lovely building in Studland

Sandbanks ferry

Today's ride promises to be flatter, drier and warmer.  The first bit from Sandbanks to Bournemouth was absolutely flat, along the sea front below some low cliffs, interrupted every so often by steep little valleys or chines, such as Branksome Chine.  At each chine there's a cafe and access up the hill to the houses above.

Bournemouth 

Bournemouth,  the first ever beach hut

Bournemouth doesn't really advertise itself to the coastal adventurer.  Just a wider than average valley where the main road briefly comes down to the sea, then back up again.  And of course, the pier is a bit of a giveaway.  Other than that, more of the same, riding along the prom in the sunshine, and dodging a few walkers.  Eight flat miles, and then a slight rise at Southbourne to go back on a road for a bit, before a lovely track around Hengistbury Head leads you to Christchurch harbour,  and the long spit of beach huts at Mudeford.

Boscombe pier

Looking back to Bournemouth and Sandbanks

Hengistbury head &
Christchurch harbour 

Mudeford beach huts

Entrance to Christchurch Harbour 

Ferry no.2

Another ferry took me across the narrow entrance to Christchurch Harbour, tide flowing out quite quickly, and then I was among the giant pines of Mudeford village.  I was skirting the New Forest with a series of villages:  Highcliffe (it's not that high), Barton, and Milton, all "-on-sea" in case you didn't know.  The Isle of Wight was getting closer, the Needles visible in the haze.

Time had flown by and I stopped for lunch at the lovely Coastal Bakery in Milford.   That's Milford On Sea, by the way.

After Milford, there are no more towns but there is a great track through Keyhaven Marshes, round the headland to Lymington.  To the south is Hurst Castle.  On the right are the tidal mudflats, and on the left are the marshes, with quite a variety of birds.   The track is on an embankment like a railway line, only it can't be, because it winds around with tight corners here and there.  Very lovely to ride on but bumpy and hard work into the wind.

Looking back to Milford harbour

The origin of the marshes

I spotted the Isle of Wight ferry coming up the river and put on a slight spurt to catch it.   But the track was longer than I thought - about 4 miles.  I dashed through lovely Lymington, across the bridge and made it just as they started loading.  There was a party of about 80 young schoolchildren on the way back from a trip to Beaulieu,  so it was a noisy crossing.  "Jack, please don't hit Mrs Smith", "I'll count to three and I want you to sit back down" and so on.  Exhausting, for me...God bless the teachers.

Lymington marina

IoW ferry (my bike bottom R)

My plan is to ride round the island clockwise, starting at Yarmouth, where I arrived. (Incidentally, this means I've now cycled Great Yarmouth to Yarmouth via one of the rather longer routes.)  I know quite a few people have done the round-the-island-in-a-day ride, the IoW Randonée.  I'm not doing that. I am doing some of the Randonée roads, with the special blue signs, but I'm also doing other bits, so I may be doing more or less miles, and hills.  We can compare notes at the end.  But I'm definitely not doing the "in a day" part of it.   I'm choosing the "with luggage, camping" option, for which you're allowed several days.  Also, the "with Purbeck legs" option, which also allows you lots more hours.

So, I headed east towards Cowes, but along some quiet roads when I could.  A few nice coastal views but mostly inland.  Cowes along the coast round the Royal Yacht Squadron, very nice, then through the town to the chain ferry.  Four ferries in one day!

Royal Yacht Squadron

Cowes

I'd phoned a camp site that I thought was achievable, to book.  "Will you be here by 6?" No, it was 16 hilly miles and I had an hour.  But it was ok, I was given instructions  on where to pitch.  This camp site definitely was on a farm - you half expected to be sharing the field with the cows.  Not too impressed with the slope of the field.   But I put up my tent, postponed a shower and scarpered to the pub for a nice pizza and apple pie.

Cowes "Floating Bridge"