Soueas one

Verified Slow Way

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The first part of the route from Southampton Central train station through Watts and Andrews Parks was pleasant. As you would expect, access is excellent with plenty of safe places to cross the road and sit down, if you need to. In my opinion, the best part of the route was the open expanse along the banks of the River Itchen between Riverside Park and Mansbridge. I saw a family of swans gliding along the river and plenty of fish in the water.

Things get interesting when you pick up the Itchen Navigation Trial pathway, where the pathway becomes very narrow and overgrown and tricky to negotiate in places, with plenty of obstacles to keep you on your toes. If you are sensitive to loud noise, note that the volume increases significantly when you reach the busy M27 motorway, which is directly below the runway of Southampton Airport, with large aircraft taking off overhead.

At the time of walking (13th July, 2023) it was not particular warm: 20°C (68°F), but the proximity to the river combined with masses of overgrown vegetation made the conditions very warm and humid. Combined with the narrow and neglected towpaths, plenty of buzzy things buzzing around your head made the stretch along the Navigation Trial feel a little claustrophobic and a bit of a slog at times.

To avoid scratches, scrapes and nettle stings, I would strongly advise that you cover your arms and legs and wear something that you don't mind being snagged or potentially torn. With hindsight, I also would have worn walking boots, as walking trainers were soaked brushing through the long grass.

I walked this route as part 2 of my walk from Winchester to Southampton. It's a pleasant walk and a beautiful way of entering Southampton. Instead of walking straight to the railway station I can recommend to walk through the park, through Bargate and enjoy High Street. I added a few deviations, inspired by Soueas 2 and by the route description of St James Way, the pilgrims route from Reading to Southampton, which ends at God's House Tower.

Not as off road as Soueas two but allows access to refreshment facilities at Itchen Valley Country Park.

Easy walking on roads and surfaced paths for the first section, then a pleasant woodland walk following the Itchen Way along the route of the Itchen Navigation. Can get very muddy in wet weather. The route map appears to take an unnecessary detour and probably needs to be corrected. I prefer to walk out of Southampton along the Itchen riverside boardwalk from Mount Pleasant to Horseshoe Bridge.

A lovely route once you cross the Itchen at St Denys and then can walk the Itchen Navigation all the way to Eastleigh which is delightful. Would really recommend as I walk and cycle this route often. You do need to be careful in winter as the river path can be flooded.
However this one does need to be tweaked of the GPS track as this one has taken a detour into Itchen Valley Country park to play area.

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