Log No 301. Thu 1st May 2014 - Milford on Sea to Exbury, 20 miles (4603 miles walked)

There was no choice of campsites today with just the one at Beaulieu. At 15 miles I was expecting an early finish with my start at 08.00.

It was overcast when I left the campsite taking the minor road through Lymore to get back to the coast at Keyhaven.

I hadn't realised, when I was walking yesterday, that the headland I could see ahead of me was actually The Needles on the Isle of White.

The Solent Way hugs the coastline all the way into Lymington but with light rain having started I didn't want to risk jarring my leg on slippery paths so I took a more direct route to Lymington using cycleways, bridleways and minor roads.

There are no footpaths along the coast from Lymington and the Solent Way is for the most part along the minor roads to the old maritime village of Bucklers Hard on the side of Beaulieu River. Where there was a footpath through fields I stayed on the road.

There was no let up in the rain but it was light enough to be refreshing rather than soaking through everything.

It was a good footpath from Bucklers Hard into Beaulieu and I was there before 2 o'clock. The campsite wasn't shown on the map but I had a phone number so I went into a Tea Room and had a pot of tea while I phoned them.

The campsite was full and they couldn't squeeze me in, I looked at getting a bus out to another campsite but it was too complicated so I decided to wild camp somewhere.

Most of the woodland seemed to be part of private estates but with a footpath running through a wood past Exbury that wood looked my best option.

This woodland was part of the Exbury Estate but I have hopefully gone far enough into not to be noticed.

My short day became a 4 o'clock finish and 20 miles but my leg has felt not too bad.