Author Topic: A short walk along the River Hamble  (Read 2182 times)

Warbler

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
A short walk along the River Hamble
« on: 20:21:04, 11/01/20 »
I went for a local walk yesterday, half of which was along the River Hamble.

The first view of the river was from the village of Bursledon, the highest point of todays walk at a whopping 107ft.



The route took me over the Southampton to Portsmouth line.



Crossing the busy A27 on the Bursledon Bridge offered views down the river of Deacons Marina, Elephant Boatyard and the Jolly Sailor pub. For those of a certain vintage, this is where the 1980's tv drama Howards Way was filmed. I doubt there was any paddle boarding going on back then. Looks like fun though.



Leaving the traffic behind, I set off down the other side of the river.



It was an eerie kind of day, one minute lovely winter sunshine, the next minute dark moody clouds. The rain never materialised though, thankfully.







Here comes my taxi to take me home.



I've done this walk a couple of times before, but never in winter. The first half was through an overgrown former airfield and a short stretch of woodland, both of which had lots of mud, unsurprisingly. A very pleasant afternoon out nonetheless, covering 7.5 miles. No transport required, started and finished at my front door  O0

Thanks for viewing.                           

GnP

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2052
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #1 on: 21:07:02, 11/01/20 »
Very nice..brings back memories of that area. Further up the estuary, I used to love going on the floating bridge at Woolston.Lovely photos O0
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

Bigfoot_Mike

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2407
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #2 on: 22:55:20, 11/01/20 »
That brings back some memories of walking in the same area - also of drinking in the Jolly Sailor and the Ship Inn.


G&P I remember the Woolston ferry (Floating Bridge) very well and must have travelled on it hundreds of times. I also remember the hovercraft that used to depart from close to the Floating Bridge and travel to the Isle of Wight.

GnP

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2052
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #3 on: 10:32:58, 12/01/20 »
That brings back some memories of walking in the same area - also of drinking in the Jolly Sailor and the Ship Inn.


G&P I remember the Woolston ferry (Floating Bridge) very well and must have travelled on it hundreds of times. I also remember the hovercraft that used to depart from close to the Floating Bridge and travel to the Isle of Wight.
Oh wow similar memories..! I remember the name Jolly Sailor, but not where it was..my brother & I walked all around those areas when we visited our Gran.Yes loved the passenger ferries that went all the way down to Shanklin and Sandown from the pier at Southampton....and walking in Mayflower park beforehand to pass the time. sadly the ferries no longer go that far now & only to Cowes of course.
& yes the noise of those hovercraft at the time, were so exciting as a child I was around 8 years of age
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

Bigfoot_Mike

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2407
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #4 on: 18:07:28, 12/01/20 »
I caught the Red Funnel ferry several times to Cowes and once I went by hydrofoil, but never travelled on the hovercraft. I also sailed to the Island with my boss, having a barbecue on the beach at Bembridge.


The Jolly Sailor is on the west bank of the Hamble river, south of the A27. You can park near, but not at the pub and have a bit of a walk to get there, but you can arrive by boat and tie your gin palace alongside the jetty. There are quite a few good pubs in that part of the world. Living in north east Scotland, I miss the decent beer and the ability to sit outside and enjoy it without it freezing solid.


The Floating Bridge was a quaint old chain ferry. The concrete Itchen Bridge that replaced it does not have the same charm - a bit like the ferry from Kyle of Lochalsh being replaced by the Skye Bridge.

Warbler

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #5 on: 21:21:29, 12/01/20 »
The Itchen Toll Bridge is indeed a concrete monstrosity. Hard to believe the rivers source is only about 25 mile upstream.

Of course, I'm too young to remember the floating bridge  ;)

GnP

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2052
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #6 on: 10:53:25, 13/01/20 »
I caught the Red Funnel ferry several times to Cowes and once I went by hydrofoil, but never travelled on the hovercraft. I also sailed to the Island with my boss, having a barbecue on the beach at Bembridge.


The Jolly Sailor is on the west bank of the Hamble river, south of the A27. You can park near, but not at the pub and have a bit of a walk to get there, but you can arrive by boat and tie your gin palace alongside the jetty. There are quite a few good pubs in that part of the world. Living in north east Scotland, I miss the decent beer and the ability to sit outside and enjoy it without it freezing solid.


The Floating Bridge was a quaint old chain ferry. The concrete Itchen Bridge that replaced it does not have the same charm - a bit like the ferry from Kyle of Lochalsh being replaced by the Skye Bridge.
My Dad used to take me on the floating bridge & we used to take three or four crossings without getting off. I cannot remember exactly but it was only a couple of pence, & not sure if they charged chidren at all. I can still recall the loud clanking sound of the huge chain as it was pulled through the winding gear on its way across the river.

I guess all those great pubs originally used to cater for all the sailors when ashore, as well as the locals..
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11824
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #7 on: 12:59:00, 13/01/20 »
I had 3 RN tours and 1 RAF tour in the Gosport/Portsmouth/Fareham area.  I too have had the odd pint in the Jolly Sailor and sailed up and down the Hamble a few times but I never walked it, perhaps I missed an opportunity.  I did on one occasion have a chat with a certain Robin Knox-Johnston, who was a friend of my then boss, just before slipping across to Cowes for an evening out.
Solvitur Ambulando

sunnydale

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9105
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #8 on: 22:02:19, 21/01/20 »
Really nice photos Warbler, especially the one with the upturned boats & the bridge shot O0
***Happiness is only a smile away***

Mel

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10936
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #9 on: 23:00:41, 22/01/20 »
That looks like a right nice little mooch Warbler  O0   It's great when the sun and clouds rapid-cycle.  Makes for nice, atmospheric pics, I think.

vghikers

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2605
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #10 on: 06:04:25, 23/01/20 »
A grand local walk, very pleasing pics in the changing light and clouds  O0

Warbler

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #11 on: 14:41:56, 24/01/20 »
Thanks everyone.

All photos were taken with my phone camera, as my normal camera that I take on walks has recently perished. I'm no photographer, I just "aim and shoot", but it's quite surprising what you can get out of them these days.

GnP

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2052
Re: A short walk along the River Hamble
« Reply #12 on: 16:53:16, 29/01/20 »
The great thing about phone cameras seems to be the spontaneity of being able to take pics with them. Yours are very authentic shots .
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy