Best walks to or from Portsmouth and Southsea
Hampshire · South East England | Walks by train
MapBeautiful walks starting or ending at Portsmouth and Southsea Station.
Ryde Esplanade Station to Portsmouth and Southsea Station
A short, easy urban route from the seafront into the city centre and passing a wide range of architecture and Southsea Common with a view over the Solent. Mostly flat and on pavements. The route includes a hovercraft crossing between Portsmouth and Ryde. Public toilets at the Southsea Hovercraft Terminal.
Easy: 9km, flat terrain.
The mapped crossing at the Winston Churchill Avenue roundabout is wrong; the road has railings between carriageways, so continue past the roundabout to the pelican crossing.
Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route
Portsmouth and Southsea Station to Havant Station
A largely urban walk on recreation footpaths and cycleways, following busy roads and through industrial areas for much of its length, with footbridges over the railway and the A27. Away from town and gravel paths along the harbour and through marshes are mostly easy for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Skirts the Solent Way and passes through Farlington Marshes, with the option to detour along the foreshore for birdwatching.
13km. Flat terrain.
Temporary coastal footpath closures around Langstone Harbour can force diversions onto busy, high-speed roads such as the A27.
Lunch: No shops or cafes en route through the industrial areas, so stock up beforehand.
A retail park with shops near Havant after the A27 footbridge.
Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route
Fareham Station to Portsmouth and Southsea Station
A mix of suburban pavements, a wheat-field path and shore-side paths and with a lot of bobbing and weaving between the two towns.
17km. Gentle ascents.
Multiple crossings of busy roads with no pedestrian crossings, including the Cams Hill roundabout and Twyford/Stamshaw roads; care needed. A metal post sticks out of the ground at the top of The Causeway, a trip hazard. Parts of the plotted route are hard to follow or appear to cross private land.
Lunch stop: Hilsea Lines Cafe.