Today, I rode a variation on
my Portsmouth Harbour Circuit: park at the Ship Inn car park, beside Langstone Harbour; Hayling Billy Trail/NCN2, Eastney ferry, Southsea sea front road (much of it closed to motor traffic), Old Portsmouth, then new ground: Gosport ferry, excursion to the sea at Stokes Bay, then NCN224 disused railway plus bus/cycle way to Fareham, NCN236 via Portchester Castle to Hilsea lido; then familiar territory back to the start via Hilsea Lines and NCN22 twixt the A27 and Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve.
It was a rather longer ride than I originally planned (nearly 40 miles) but it was a brilliant day, blue sky and cooling sea breezes, and great to be close to water for most of the way. Of particular interest were the bus and cycle way which is being constructed to link Fareham and Gosport using the disused railway route, and also the fine new cycle path bedside the new sea wall at Hilsea, and the impressive ruins of Portchester Roman Fort.
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| Car park at the Ship Inn |
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| Hayling Billy Trail |
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| Beach at Hayling Island |
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| Cafe on Hayling shore |
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| All aboard the Hayling-Eastney ferry |
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| Cycleway from Eastney |
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| Cycleway along Eastney sea front |
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| Much of the road closed to motor traffic |
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| Southsea war memorial |
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| On board Gosport ferry |
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| Gosport |
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| The fine crescent on Crescent Road, Gosport. Intended to rival Brighton, but didn't quite take off. |
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| Prom at Stokes Bay. Pity such a wide prom could not allow cycling |
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| Disused railway path NCN224 |
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| NCN224 crosses the Stoke Lake inlet |
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| The path is being comverted to a bus/cycle way |
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| Brilliant! |
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| Bus on the busway |
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| All that space just for buses and cycles: brill! |
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| Fareham Railway viaduct |
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| Cams Hall, venue and golf club Fareham |
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Excursion to the sea front at Cams Water
 | | Salt Cafe on the Wicor Shore (see map) |
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| Portchester Castle, a Roman Fort |
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| Built to last (the wall.... and my bike) |
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| Portchester village |
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| Waterfront at Paulsgrove |
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| Port Solent marina |
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| New sea wall and cycle path at Hilsea Lido |
Fun to watch the water ski tow at Hilsea Lido
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| Good paths either side of the moat along Hilsea Lines |
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| Waterside trail approaching A2030 bridge |
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| NCN22 at Farlington Marshes |
Sandwiched between the busy A27 and the nature reserve
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| End of a great day out |
Great ride, great pictures!
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