Wake up early having not slept too well in the tent but I am so excited to be going to play crazy golf!! Enjoy a few grapes and a peppermint tea for breakfast then head over to Lymington Adventure Golf. We are first in the queue!

We have an hour or so of fun and frustration hitting a little yellow ball around the Astro turf trying hard not to hit into the water and rocks. The highlight is the little wooden ferry that actually moves over the water – awesome. Sadly, the final result doesn’t reflect my recent practice in Hastings, but I have a smile on my face.

We head to Lymington for a hot chocolate and cookie and a wander round the market and little shops. Picnic lunch is enjoyed whilst lying on a blanket in the sunshine in front of the tent, then fall asleep listening to music.

Set of for today’s walk on foot from the campsite, joined by my sister and two eager dogs, down the short footpath to the coast. It looks so different in daylight! Lovely to see the incredible view of the needles, reminds of a trip to the Battery with young children in a buggy on a cold and windy summers day many years ago.

Wander the short walk round the coastline to Keyhaven. It feels somewhat strange to be walking past Hurst Castle as it wraps back away from Keyhaven. We make an impulse decision to catch a ferry from the little harbour to Hurst Castle. As it docks the skippers black Labrador bitch escorts the passengers off and us back on! Our male spaniel takes rather a fancy to her and is somewhat distracted on the short trip to the castle!

Oh my, how close are we to the Isle of Wight now? We sit on the beach close to the lighthouse and right opposite the needles and enjoy the view. The castle is now closed so we make our way along the far side of the castle to the shingle spit which according to the ferryman is a mile and a half! We choose to walk along the lower path – the shelter from the breeze makes up for not seeing the needles.

On arrival back at Keyhaven we cross the bridge and follow the road and pathway back to the little harbour and car park. We meet my brother-in-law and try out the local pub before driving back to the campsite to erect another tent and wander along to the Chequers. Sit in the courtyard and enjoy today’s special – hake in a creamy sauce with superbly cooked chips – crispy on the outside, soft in the middle and super-hot 😋. After decades of inactivity, I challenge them all to a game of darts – I should have known that after this morning’s failure on the links I wasn’t going to win.

Wander our way back in the darkness to our tent and collapse.