We arrived back at Prinsted to be greeted by a dark and gloomy morning.  The tide was in but the waters of Prinsted Channel stood still, almost as if time had stopped.

Our walk took us through a deserted Thornham Marina.  The bridge which led to it was rather narrow.

Once we were out of the marina we came across another bridge.  It stood in the middle of absolutely nowhere.  It was actually quite a beautiful structure; well proportioned and inviting, I thought.  I know that all bridges are made to be walked on, but whoever designed this bridge really had the pleasure of crossing it in mind, I thought.  I enjoyed walking across it.  People reading this will think I am quite mad, but there is something very enjoyable about walking across a good bridge.  Remember that when you next walk across one – you’ll see!

We continued south, crossing south into Thorney Island.  Much of Thorney Island is taken up by a military base.  The previous week a taxi driver had told us that the SAS and SBS had both operated from here in the past.  “Perhaps they still do,” he suggested.  Although the island is military land, there is a right of way that circles it.  We crossed a concrete bridge and officially stepped onto it.  To access the right of way we had to request formal permission to enter.  Prior arrangement is not required; pressing an intercom will let you in.  As we approached, security cameras watched us.

Our every move was clearly being tracked.  As I neared the gate the intercom crackled into life.  “Just press the button,” said a voice.  I dutifully obeyed.  The gate clicked.  “Make sure the gate is firmly closed behind you”.  We walked through and I obliged again.  We were in!

Points on this part of the walk (copy and paste the co-ordinates into Google Earth):

• Thornham Marina:  N 50° 50.155  W 000° 54.980
• Pleasant Bridge:  N 50° 50.018  W 000° 54.820
• Entrance to Thorney Island Base:  N 50° 49.678  W 000° 54.747

Walk #61 Statistics (of which this post forms the first part):

• Date of Walk: 17 November 2013
• Walk #61 total distance covered: 8.24 miles
• Coast of Britain Walk Total Distance Covered: 508.89 miles
• CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO INTERACTIVE MAP!!!