South Coast
All aboard for a virtual tour of the South Coast in paintings. If you want to join we'll be leaving from Waterloo Railway Station in a couple of minutes, so grab that coffee and jump aboard your favourite armchair before our virtual train departs.
Where to? Well that's up to you and where you click or tap next...
We take the Weymouth train and disembark at Southampton Central for the bus to the car ferry and
an island adventure...
We change trains at Southampton Central for
Romsey (platform 4) for a wander around this historic market town...
We leave the Exeter train at
Salisbury for a walk around this beautiful old city...
We take the Weymouth train and disembark at
Brockenhurst where a hire bike awaits for a cycle around leafy lanes and open heath...
Want to see a bit more before we move on? Well grab yourself a virtual bike, or a very sturdy pair of imaginary boots, and lets go and explore the pretty little 'chocolate box' villages of the Test Valley. All you need to do is click or tap Test Valley.
Before we leave Southampton there is time for a quick look around. The city was mainly rebuilt after it was all but flattened during the war, but there are pockets of old building to be found among the modern architecture.
For something a little more pleasing we can follow the river Itchen. Before it reaches Southampton it is little more than a stream, but it widens greatly through riverside park, and under Cobden bridge. And that is where you can spot these houseboats.
Head further down the river Itchen, and for a while there are few places where we can reach the water, but eventually we come to Ocean Village. Thirty years ago it was a vibrant little marina with a two storey mall of quirky shops and cafes that spilled out for views of the marina. There were some desirable houses and flats to be found too. Development has been on turbo since then, so now the water and the original residences are all but crowded out by tower blocks. Its still an interesting place to paint though, and it was fun to try my hand at a skyscraper!
And now for a trundle along the coast...
We meet back at Southampton Central station, where our next train takes us up to Winchester. Its a little off our route, but worth it, as a short walk takes us to the great hall, where we can see King Arthur's round table hanging up (sadly not the actual original). Down the hill we are pulled to the bustling city centre - one long street of shops dipping down and up in a big 'U', with a long thin strip of market stalls crammed in the shady space between.
At the bottom of the slope a spur has some vegetarian and vegan stalls looking colourful against the Autumn trees. Did you spot the guy eating fish and chips?
Further along the 'U' we come to a little park, a prominent statue and an old mill. Turn right for a walk along the river and out to the water meadows at St Cross, or a muddy climb up St Catherines hill. But thats another picture I've yet to paint.
Back at the station we find a train back to Southampton and then another stopping service that trundles along the coast. We reach Hamble and remember an old TV series that featured the place. Its nothing like what we imagined, but there is a little cobbled street that heads down to the shore. And a little promenade to enjoy the views.
There is also a little pink ferry to take us across the river to Warsash and a drink at 'The Rising sun'.
From Warsash there is a nice walk up the East bank of the river to some boatyards, and then regrettably a section of busy road before we re-board the train to Fareham, for a connection to Portsmouth. The fit among us may have preferred to cycle to Gosport, for the ferry across Portsmouth harbour. Either was we end up by the historic dockyard. Walking South we pass through a modern shopping precinct with a tall pointy millenium folly, and eventually reach the more relaxing old town. There is a cathedral (which turns out to be mainly quite new), and then a stop for a drink and maybe a meal at one of the old pubs in this part of town. Looking back towards the historic dockyard and HMS Warrior, we see very little of the modern world.
Next we come to the artists galleries in the arches. Above on the wall we get a look back to where we've come from, which somehow sums up the city in one view. And below there is a slither of beach that gets covered by the tide. In this part of the coast there is a double high tide, so its in most of the time.
We walk the walls and next come to the very 1950s looking Clarence pier. It has to be the shortest we have seen, for it doesn't even reach the sea.
There is another pier a bit further on. We would stop and take a look, but our maps show we have made much less progress than we thought on the walk. The distractions soon fall by the wayside, and eventually we get to a road that winds along a thin peninsula, bounded by beached yachts and moorings. And finally the little ferry across to Hayling Island. Close to where we land there is a ramshackle cafe to enjoy a bit of tea and cake whilst local lads dip in the sea outside and cast their lines in the hope of catching something better than a chill.
We could walk along the beach from here, but we start along the ferry road instead, passing chalets and an inlet known as The Kench. At low tide its mud, but we catch it at high tide as a couple of swans paddle the shallows.
From Hayling Island the only other direction we can go is by bus (or foot) across to the mainland. The walk is along an old railway know as Hayling Billy. Its pleasant, but tedious, so I'd take the bus if I were you. At the station we catch the stopping train, jumping off at Bosham. Its a fairly pretty place known for the muddy creeks that surround it and the road which is submerged at high tide, stranding many a motorist that foolishly parked there, oh and a distinctive old church too. A footpath leads us out along the edge of a creek past a wild rose, nicely framing the view. A little further and we are back at a train station and heading on to Chichester.
Its a short walk into the centre of the city (which is very compact). A left turn at the crossroads takes us to the cathedral, which doesn't look very impressive from this side, but follow me round the back to a nice walled garden. Shop and office workers sit on sunny benches eating their lunchtime sandwiches watched on by a very tame robin. But beyond them and through a stone arch we come to a much bigger garden, and from here the cathedral looks far more impressive rising from a bed of roses. There is a well established mulberry tree too, dripping in lush ripe fruit, but regrettably even the lowest is just out of reach. One day we'll know the taste of fresh mulberry, but not today.
A few stops after Chichester we spot a castle on a wooded slope and decide to investigate. The place is Arundel, and until a few years ago getting there involved running the gauntlet of traffic crossing the busy road. Thankfully there is a pedestrian underpass now, but its still a walk along a busy road. So instead of heading direct, we turn off down to the river bank and take a rather long walk along the bank to a tiny village near Amberley, cross on the road bridge and then climb up through the woods. This circuitous route leaves us making a grand entrance to the town descending grassy slopes from the North. And all that walking has worked up an appetite for tea and cake - so lets find a coffee shop.
After Arundel the train line heads into suburbia - the long sprawl of joined up coastal towns that leads eventually to Brighton - but must the train stop at every little suburb?
The obvious thing to do on arriving in Brighton is to follow the busy road that sweeps down to the shore, but in doing so you would miss so much. Its still a work in progress, but allow me to take you on a wander through some of the more interesting parts of the city by the sea. Just tap or click here or on the image to explore more.
Our walk is interrupted by the marina, but around the back, there is a route along the cliff base. The white cliff reflects the sun, so even in mid winter its quite a suntrap here. We'd stop and take the rays if it wasn't for the rather ominous site of mesh nets bolted to the cliffs to catch the falling rocks - and many clearly have. So instead we hastily stride past them to some concrete steps that take us to the main road just shy of Rottingdean. The first we see of it is the rather incongruous black windmill surrounded by a slope of long grasses rippling in the breeze. With puffy cumulus clouds it looks like we have wandered into a scene from a studio Ghibli animation. Savouring the scene we stop for yet more tea and cake at the cafe by its foot. And if you want so see more, there is a garden to explore, and further still at Saltdean, an art deco lido that one day will be fully restored.
Back at Brighton station, the next train takes us to Lewes, where we change again for Eastbourne. Eastbourne has a pleasant seafront and a rather stylish pier, but as I haven't painted it yet, we carry on with another train to Hastings...
At first sight we wonder why we've disembarked at Hastings. Its all very commercial and modern, and even on reaching the shore there is nothing of note. But with perseverance and many footsteps East we reach the old town, and eventually the fishing quarter with its distinctive tall fishermans huts preserved for posterity (and the photographers they attract). Behind them, on the beach is a jumble of boats and the rusty tractors used to pull them ashore.
It is possible to walk to Rye from here, but its quite a trek along the coast and then following the start of the old canal (built to keep Napolean out). You are welcome to take the bus instead.
Rye is a very pretty little town perched on a hill with cobbled street and old timbered buildings that ooze centuries of history. Want to see more? - well tap or click to explore my Rye paintings.
After Rye, we board the train that crosses the Romney marsh to Ashford. We have to change trains there at its modern shiny metal station - built to impress architects, not the people shivering on its exposed platforms. Our next train takes us further East, to Folkestone.
We rejoin the coast at Folkestone, exploring the historic harbour, which is now just a ghost of the interesting place it once was. But passing through we find ourselves descending a rough path to a beach the tourists don't know about. Its a wild place with a tranquil haven of shrubbery behind, in turn sheltered by the white cliffs. this makes it very quiet despite its proximity to the sprawling town. The railway to Dover cuts along the base of the cliffs, but its largely unseen behind the reinforcements put in place a century ago after one too many landslides. In the distance a slither of land juts from the cliffs - Samphire Hoe - created from the spoil from digging the channel tunnel.
We could walk the cliffs to Dover, but the train journey is not to be missed. So we head back to the station, and gaze from the train window as it weaves through the cliffs on one of the most scenic stretches of track in the country.
Dover is a busy port with thundering traffic, so lets quickly leave by the cliff path beside the port. It climbs below the busy A2 as it shoots out from the cliff. But soon its is quiet, and we have a choice of paths, some perilously close to the cliff edge (on a ledge), and others a bit more comfortable, such as this, where we can look back to Dover Castle.
With the castle behind us, our phones bleep a welcome to France as we dip out of range of the English network. A few yards later and they are back in England joining us as we head to the lighthouse for tea and cake in what can only be described as a traditionally decorated room. Val Doonican plays in the background in this little old fashioned time capsule.
Further along the coast the path turns Northwards at the Pines gardens. A chance for more tea and cake here before the short descent to St Margarets Bay. Nestled at the foot of the cliff, its a sun trap in the morning and chill trap in the afternoon, that our phones once again reckon to be part of France. One house at the end stands out as a brilliant white edifice befitting the lair of a Bond villain, but then it did once belong to Ian Fleming.
To continue we have to climb back up the cliffs, and follow them as they dwindle on the path to Deal and eventually the Isle of Thanet. And then there is the cathedral city of Canterbury to explore. But for now we have come to the end of this journey. So let us hop back on the train as it winds back through the cliffs and heads up to London Charing Cross.
If you've enjoyed this little journey, why not join me on another. Click or tap a picture below to explore another region...
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