Portchester to Southsea
2nd September 2022 | Miles 10.4 | Elevation gain 118ft
10.4 miles from Portchester, around and under the M27 and M275 then heading south back to Portsmouth. Worth spending a bit longer in Old Portsmouth where there is plenty of history and some very inviting looking old pubs. This leg officially finishes at the Old Tower, where the chain mechanism that used to stretch across the narrow entrance to the harbour invokes images of bygone battles to defend the harbour. We walked on towards Southsea, towards our accommodation, via a couple refreshment stops!
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Getting there and back
We caught the 23 bus from Southsea to Portsmouth and then the X4 Solent Rangers bus up to Mother Kelly's in Portchester to start the walk.
By public transport, South Western Railway trains run from London Waterloo to Winchester, change there to get the train to Portchester. At the end of the day, South Western Railway trains run from Portsmouth back to Waterloo.
Weather conditions
Overcast at first and slightly cooler, but almost zero wind and very pleasant walking conditions. The sun came out later to push the high to 22 degrees, enabling us to enjoy the walk from Portsmouth to Southsea via some refreshment stops.
Walking difficulty
Easy - flat, quite a lot of tarmac
The story of our day in photos
.jpg "Under the M275!")
Under the M275!
.jpg "More busy traffic, haven't seen any coast yet")
More busy traffic, haven't seen any coast yet
.jpg "But we are on the path as the yellow arrow shows")
But we are on the path as the yellow arrow shows
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.jpg "Still on the coast path despite appearances")
Still on the coast path despite appearances
.jpg "We've found the harbour again, the M275 is on the immediate left")
We've found the harbour again, the M275 is on the immediate left
.jpg "Hmm")
Hmm
.jpg "We can't go in there either")
We can't go in there either
.jpg "Working out where we are")
Working out where we are
.jpg "Gunwharf Quays and the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth - our lunch stop")
Gunwharf Quays and the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth - our lunch stop
.jpg "Old Portsmouth - some great looking waterside pubs")
Old Portsmouth - some great looking waterside pubs
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.jpg "The Isle of Wight ferry leaving Old Portsmouth")
The Isle of Wight ferry leaving Old Portsmouth
.jpg "Walking round the little peninsula towards the Round Tower")
Walking round the little peninsula towards the Round Tower
.jpg "These chain link symbol mark out a 3km promenade walk round Portsmouth's historic waterfront")
These chain link symbol mark out a 3km promenade walk round Portsmouth's historic waterfront
.jpg "The Round Tower")
The Round Tower
.jpg "This is the original chain that stretched across the harbour entrance to provide protection from invading armadas")
This is the original chain that stretched across the harbour entrance to provide protection from invading armadas
.jpg "And this is the narrow harbour entrance across which the chain stretched - the far shore looks close but we were there two days ago")
And this is the narrow harbour entrance across which the chain stretched - the far shore looks close but we were there two days ago
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.jpg "Looking back towards the harbour entrance and the Round Tower")
Looking back towards the harbour entrance and the Round Tower
.jpg "Heading towards Southsea")
Heading towards Southsea
.jpg "Nearly home so our first refreshment stop at the Beach Club at Southsea Common")
Nearly home so our first refreshment stop at the Beach Club at Southsea Common
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.jpg "Heading across Southsea Common - the works on the coast are part of the £160m Southsea Coastal Scheme which is upgrading the sea defences to reduce flood risk")
Heading across Southsea Common - the works on the coast are part of the £160m Southsea Coastal Scheme which is upgrading the sea defences to reduce flood risk
.jpg "Our second refreshment stop of the afternoon at Southsea Castle")
Our second refreshment stop of the afternoon at Southsea Castle
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.jpg "Walk done, out for the evening for a little celebration!")
Walk done, out for the evening for a little celebration!
Useful links
