Blinking awake at 4:30 am, I gently reposition Archie, one of our Norwegian Forest Cats, prone to sleeping on my head, without waking Jude and slip out into the fresh early morning air to catch the first train to Lymington and complete my South Coast gap.
The Hythe ferry is currently out of commission, and other coasters did not enjoy the long walk back into the city along the road, so I’ll explore a random inland route through the New Forest, chosen by my OS app, beginning near the Lymington Reedbeds Nature Reserve.
I’m quickly in a web of leafy permissive paths and cycle routes.
Soft trails and birdsong replace hard roads and noisy cars.
The country lanes are clogged with local traffic.
More ponies roam Beaulieu Heath, many with foals.
They are so friendly and accustomed to human presence. I’m surrounded.
Some beauties are happy to pose.
It’s something of a shock to walk into a huge campsite at Lodge Heath, all vehicles, large tents and inquisitive visitors. What a fantastic experience for children.
Climbing over a locked gate, the path vanishes beneath ferns. A young couple emerge from the trees carrying a bundle of wild camping gear. Understandable as the nearby campsite charges £30 for a small tent.
My favourite section is a hushed wonderland of well-spaced oak trees surrounded by soft, springy short grass.
It’s late morning before the sun arrives.
Something catches my eye on a long open stretch past Beaulieu Road Station — a cow giving birth. I sit a respectful distance away and watch for half an hour to see if the calf will take its first steps — almost.
Passing under the railway line, the paths gradually become busier until I reach the edge of the forest and the busy dual carriageway running into the centre of Southampton.
The fun part of the day is over, replaced by a grim walk along the pavement next to the traffic.
Five long miles. The only redeeming feature is reaching the end and the train station.
I’ve taken so many photos and videos of wildlife. Posting a few on the family WhatsApp group, Hayley is quick to reply:
“It’s like an episode of Doctor Dolittle.”
That makes me smile. All it needed was a pushmi-pullyu.
A beautiful day, for the most part. Only one awful gap remains in the English Coast Path. Should I do it next?
Total distance: 5,083 miles.
Well done Tony, I did the more “direct” route on this stretch…..it was awful !
Life’s too short for me to walk sections that I’m not going to enjoy. Although sometimes it can’t be avoided as in the next post 😉
Hythe Ferry was running when I did this stretch – what a beautiful shot of the white horse – its mane almost looks blow dried 🤣
She turned her head as if to say “This is my best profile.” 😂
Your pony photos and video are gorgeous, but the little calf trying to stand up is a standout.
Thanks Anabel. My earlier videos of the calf were not quite so photogenic before his mum cleaned him properly.
Yes I think you have perhaps the right idea to not be too purist and just seek out a “nice walk” in the area if the route nearest the coast is not so nice. Like you I didn’t enjoy the slog alongside the A33 either. I guess if the Hythe ferry was still running that might have been a better route (for some reason, Red Funnel ferries bought the ferry and the pier, then closed down the service not long after that and don’t seem interested in restoring it, seems odd to buy it in the first place if they didn’t want to run it).
There are some place worth visiting along the coast there, like Calshot and Lepe but most of the rest is by busy main roads. I admit to be a little disappointed that there is so little access to the coast in the New Forest. I am hoping the England Coast Path might open up more access, but I fear it will just be routed along roads for the most part, as the Solent Way is now. Still glad you found a lovely route in the more open and accessible parts of the forest.
We each walk our own path. I enjoy challenging scrambles along pathless coastlines if they are interesting to me. The one on the south of Mull to Carsaig Arches was one of my favourites. I will be doing a lot more of that in the Highlands.