Solent Way - Hill Head to Gosport
A short history of the Solent Way
The Solent Way is a 60-mile long-distance coastal walking route from the seaside town of Milford-on-Sea to Emsworth Harbour. It passes the hustle and bustle of seafronts, quiet yachting harbours, deserted marshland and saltings.
The Way has been divided into 8 sections, each providing a really good day out. Choose between deserted coastal marshes or promenades and candy-floss. Or choose cosy riverside pubs or seaside picnics and shingle beaches with exhilarating views. There are castles and forts to explore, ships, submarines and museums to visit - and always with the smell and sound of the sea beside you. Walk past some of the finest marshes and lagoons in the south. Look for rare species such as foxtail stonewart, lagoon shrimp and starlet sea anemone.
The route is well waymarked with a Tern on a green arrow. Ordnance Survey maps Explorer OL22, 119 and 120 at 1:25 000 scale show the route in detail. These maps show the route with a green diamond and the name Solent Way.
Key
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- Route
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- Temporarily closed
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- Restricted use
Directions
From the tiny harbour of Hill Head, the Way follows a long shingle beach to Lee-on-the-Solent and its promenade. At Stokes Bay you are entering an area of naval history - you can see a fort out to sea and a land fort at the western end of the bay.
Walk inland before returning to the water's edge at Gosport, where there are excellent views across to Portsmouth. Visit the exciting Royal Navy Submarine Museum with several submarines to investigate. Then take the ferry across to Portsmouth.