Solent Way

Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton

The route crosses coastal marshes to Lymington before going inland and past the heaths, woods and villages of the New Forest, Bucklers Hard and Beaulieu to reach Hythe on the Test Estuary. The ferry is taken to Southampton from where it follows the Solent shoreline, crossing the River Hamble to reach Portsmouth via the Gosport ferry. It continues along the historic waterfront of Portsmouth and Southsea and passes the coastal marshes and quays around Langstone Harbour.

Between Broadmarsh and Portsmouth if forms part of the E9 E-Route. Route details are on Hantsweb website below. The first 7 miles of the Solent Way between Milford-on-Sea and Lymington are described in the book by Leigh Hatts (Countryside Books).

UPDATE MARCH 2021 - Part of this route uses the Hythe Ferry to cross Southampton Water from Hythe to Town Quay. Although the ferry was supported during earlier lockdowns, it ceased operating on Christmas Eve. In late February it was announced that even after the previous help it has a large deficit and is unlikely to resume operations when the lockdown is lifted. It has also been reported that Hampshire County Council are 'in discussions with New Forest and Southampton councils over ways to help the operator'.

UPDATE MAY 2021 - It has been reported that the Hythe Ferry is due to resume a service from 29 May.

See also E-Routes (E9).

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Details:

Path Type:	Paths Marked on OS mapping
Waymark:	Tern on named green arrow
Attributes:	Easy Coastal Heath Urban
Start:	SZ291918 - Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire
Finish:	SU753055 - Emsworth, Hampshire
Web Sites:	Hantsweb - Solent Way Annierak - Solent Way [blog] Jason McDonald's Walking Pages - Solent Way : Emsworth to Milford-on-Sea [blog] Solent Way part 1 [YouTube video] Solent Way part 2 [YouTube video] The Solent Way Walk (Visit Hampshire) SolentWay Solent Way route (OS map) Solent Way Walk (New Forest) Walking Englishman - The Solent Way

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Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Route Description - PDF	Solent Way leaflet  (Hampshire County Council  - 2005 )
Guidebook	Exploring the Bournemouth Coast Path  (Walking Books  - 2005 )
Guidebook	Exploring the Solent Way  (Countryside Books )

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