0388 Around Milford 2

3^rd November

Some adventures cycling and walking around Milford

We have been pretty lucky with the weather in England so far, and most mornings have been dry enabling us to get out for either a walk or a cycle – Janet usually walks while I go for a cycle !  Some mornings have been absolutely gorgeous, while others have been more overcast.

One morning I was in thick fog, and could hardly see the yachts or swans on the water just a few yards away, let alone the Isle of Wight on the other side of the Solent.

Another day was clear and sunny, and the Swans came down towards me inquisitively, probably hoping I had some food for them !  There are some delightful cycle and walking paths around here – Along the Milford cliffs; Through the Keyhaven Marshes with the masses of birds enjoying the wetlands; Around the narrow lanes in the area.

Today I did something different – I went for a walk down along the (long !) Hurst Spit to Hurst Castle – Originally one of Henry VIII’s coastal defences. (See the map linked to the photos for how long it is !!)  The Spit is not only about 1.5 or more miles long, but is made of loose beach pebbles, which make it very hard to walk on !  Janet had gone down by train to see some friends overnight in Wareham, so when it stopped raining for a while, I set off. It was getting darker and darker as I went down the Spit.  I kept going to the Castle and lighthouse, seeing some great views across to the Needles at the SW corner of the Isle of Wight.

Heading back along the Spit towards Milford the skies continued to get blacker , but I made it back to the house without getting wet nearly 2 hours after I had set off.  Not going to do that walk every day !! 

This coming week I hope to get into the heart of the New Forest – Created as a Royal Forest way back in 1079 for Royal Hunting, mainly of deer, and was mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086, and King William II died there in 1100, so it has quite a long and illustrious history.  

Pics are here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0388EarlyMorningCyclesAroundMiford?authkey=Gv1sRgCLTotOHY5IrLlgE