h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

On Saturday 30th June I cycled over 66 miles, travelled on 6 ferries on three wheels to complete the Solent Coast Cycle Challenge - a sponsored bike round around the Isle of Wight and Hampshire.
I arrived at Southampton's Town Quay ferry terminal for the ferry over Southampton Water to Hythe at 7am, crossing over to Hythe and arriving at 8am. From there I cycled across the New Forest National Park to the port of Lymington (this was interesting when, cycling in a convoy of half a dozen cyclists, we swerved in and out through a herd of cattle and a dozen New Forest ponies along a narrow country lane).
Ferry 2 was the 9:30am boat from Lymington over to the Island, and as it was the day of the Round the Island Yacht Race, the voyage was surrounded by over 1,800 yachts covering the sea as far as the eye could see. Arriving in Yarmouth it was a case of up and down very steep hills across the spine of the Island to Newport, and then taking the blissful National Cycle Route 23 (former Newport-Cowes railway) to Cowes and then the floating bridge to East Cowes - ferry number 3. From East Cowes the route went uphill, passing Osborne House, through Whippingham and down to Wootton and Fishbourne, for the fourth ferry over to Portsmouth, followed quickly the the fifth ferry to Gosport.
Outside Gosport I had a worrying moment when, between Gosport and Lee-on-Solent next to the Browndown Danger Area, disaster struck - my back wheel's axle snapped. I was devastated - surely this meant that my bike ride was over and that I was stranded miles from home somewhere I didn't know, and I didn't even know whether there was a station nearby to help me get home. Fortunately a couple of other cyclists stopped and informed me that a bike shop was located a couple of miles ahead. I managed to push my bike there, and fortunately they were able to repair my bike and replace my back wheel in half an hour - while I waited, I took advantage of the next-door icecream parlour.
After that I was back on the road, making up for my hour's lost time, although there was a large diversion near Titchfield when the road we were due to go down was closed due to pylon repair work. After winding around the diversion I made it to the Warsash-Hamble microscopic pink boat, which barely looked capable of floating, yet alone carrying bicycles. After being carried over on the sixth and final boat of the day I sped along, making it to the Royal Victoria Country Park, but an hour later than I'd hoped (my initial plan had been to arrive before 4pm so I could have a ride on the miniature railway, but it was just before 5pm, after the last train had gone). Sadly in the wood of the Royal Victoria Country Park I took a wrong turn and left the park somewhere random, but managed to make my way to the Itchen Bridge and back on track. From the bridge it was a short journey down to Hythe Ferry where I collected my medal for completing the challenge - and from there went back to Southampton Central station, arriving just in time to see a steam train (70013 Oliver Cromwell) rush through the station.

And then I went home.

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*They gave me a medal, therefore I'm award-winning

Congratulations!

I know the area very well, all that is, except the Warsash-Hamble microscopic pink boat. Something to add to the list

Oh, and did they let you take your bike on the Hythe pier train?

No, and they weren't running the train. But there is no way all the cyclists would have fitted on the train, let alone the bikes. I've taken my son over to Hythe a couple of times to enjoy the boat and train ride, and there's a nice park nearby, so I didn't feel that I'd missed out. (The train features in my article on Miniature and Narrow Gauge Railways of Hampshire - in Peer Review Now!)

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