British Coast - Stage 063 - Langstone to Portsmouth
4th March 2026. Dawn in Langstone, the sun rising red over Sweare Deep. Walking around the top of Langstone Harbour, with its salt marshes and avian breeding grounds on the expanse of Farlington Marshes. Portsea Island on the other side of Broom Channel, crossing by the Eastern Road Bridge. This the quiet side of Portsmouth, with coastal path and wildlife havens, including the artificially created Cockleshell Bay. The People’s Memorial, created as a tribute to those in service, in wars on foreign battlefields - intended as expression of hope for a better way and a new beginning, that might one day erase war forever. Having passed the lakes of Milton Common (Frog, Duck and Swan), Lock Lake and the hook curving back towards the Hayling Ferry and Fort Cumberland, its beach a haven for those who prefer to enjoy the sun and sea in a more natural way. And so back to the Solent coast. The long stretch of Eastney beach, towards Southsea and Portsmouth - with its ever present reminder of its naval heritage, historic and present. Indeed, as I was arriving, I coincided with HMS Dragon leaving Portsmouth Harbour. 16 miles (Total walked 933 miles, 40 in Hampshire)
