Hayling in the Evening and Langstone at Sundown

Langstone and Emsworth are the Borough of Havant's most attractive spots and the walk between them a classic piece of harbourside picturesque. But what if the walk went not to Emsworth but across the Langstone Bridge to Hayling Island? Well, if your awareness of Hayling is solely the showy seafront at the south, then the untouched nature of the north may come as a surprise. It still looks like the whole island did before the 20th Century. There are flat fields, parades of poplars, straggling settlements, cosy cottages and meadows which morph into mudflats. Near the end of the walk The Royal Oak at Langstone will provide a sensuous setting for a drink at nightfall.

The sights:

Hayling Billy Trail: Hayling Billy was the train service that ran on the branch line from Havant to South Hayling from 1865 (for goods) and 1867 (for passengers) until 1963. The Trail runs along the old track bed and is tarmacked in Havant and gravel on the island.

North Hayling: A series of hamlets (Northney, Eastney, Stoke, Tye), scattered across farmland. The gaps between have been filled with bulky suburban houses but pockets of woodland and open country remain. St Peter's Church, Eastney is 12th-13th centuries, lightly restored in the 1880s. A good array of well-carved heastones in the churchyard of the 18th to early 19th century.

Langstone: The old port for Havant. At the head of the creek separating Chichester and Langstone Harbours. Causeway created 1823, superseded by a timber road bridge (rebuilt in concrete in 1956). Stumps of old railway bridge, 1867, adjacent. Handsome quay walls with 18th century cottages of flint, brick and thatch. The Royal Oak pub probably dates from 1727 when the first license was granted. Former tower windmill, mid 18th century, converted 1932-6 for use by the artist Flora Twort.

The route:

Havant at its most banal after walking through the park: Burger King, Tesco, Next etc. but gradually having passed under the A27 at Brockhampton the houses will become spiffier before they too peter out into marshes and meadows at Langstone. A picking up of the Hayling Billy Trail/Shipwrights' Way will take us to a crossing over the Hayling Bridge. A resumption of the Hayling Billy Trail will take us to Stoke past the oyster beds, then crossing the 'head' of the island, to Northney. Crossing back over the bridge we'll be back at Langstone for our drink at The Royal Oak. The Hayling Billy Trail willl take us back through Havant to the station. 

(Image credits: Langstone Harbour Bridge, Seen from the East by Geni; The Royal Oak, Langstone by Peter Trimming; Former causeway to Hayling Island by David Martin; Hayling Billy Coastal Path by Anthony Brunning; Langstone Shore with Cottages by David Martin; St Peter's Church, North Hayling by David Martin; On the shore at Stoke by David Martin; View across Langstone Harbour to The Royal Oak by David Martin; The Bridge to Hayling Island by Gregory Williams (all licensed for re-use under Creative Commons).)