| 1. This is an ideal, gentle, road route, mostly on country roads, but with an element of A road over the river, that is not hilly. There are cycle lanes leaving the city and some of the surfaces on the route aren't always the best. If you don't want to ride back, you can ride on to Beaulieu Road and catch the train back to Southampton Central or get the Hythe ferry.
Follow the A3025 across the river towards Southampton Centre. Take the slip road on the left, just before the roundabout, and turn left, off the A3025 onto the B3039. Follow this as it swings left and then turns sharp right onto Canute Road. Continue till the A33 T junction.
At the junction turn left onto Platform Road, A33, and follow the road past Queen's Park on your right and on till the roundabout at Mayflower Park. Turn left, off the A33 onto Herbert Walker Avenue, skirting the edge of Mayflower Park. Take the first turn off to the left, staying on Herbert Walker Avenue, which runs parallel to the dock side. Continue on this road till it swings right and comes to a roundabout.
At the roundabout turn left onto Western Avenue, and follow this as it swings left around the dry dock. Go straight across the roundabout, staying on Western Avenue and follow this past the container port, on your left to the roundabout.
At the roundabout turn right, heading towards the A35. You now have the option to swing around the A35 roundabout, head back to the Western Avenue roundabout and come back up again, or you can more simply take the left turn, just before the A35 roundabout, onto Second Avenue.
Either way, follow Second Avenue till it turns left at the end of the buildings. Now take the second right and turn left to skirt around the edge of the facility. This involve going right, right and right again around the large building and the left out past the car park. Take the first left past the building and go along to the T junction. Turn Right onto Alington Road and go to the A35 T junction. (If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can alternatively take the first right, after you have turned left on Second Avenue, staying on Second Avenue. This brings you to a T junction at Allington Road, where you turn right and go to the A35 T juncion.)
At the junction, turn left onto Redbridge Road, A35, and immediately follow the slip road to the left, off the A35 and staying on Redbridge Road. Go left at the Redbridge roundabout, following the slip road back onto the A35. Follow this over the bridge across the river, then as it swings left and then right and passes under a footbridge. Take the first left after the footbridge, off the A35 and onto Bartram Road.
Follow this and take the second turn off on the left onto School Road. Follow this to the T junction. At the junction turn right onto Eling Lane and follow this as it swings right, where you have the harbour on your left. Take the first left, onto Eling Hill, which goes over the bridge across the river. Follow this road as it becomes Bury Lane and goes on till the T junction.
At the T junction turn left onto Marchwood Road and follow this, as it runs parallel to the river, until it comes to a roundabout on the outskirts of Marchwood.
At the roundabout turn left onto Normandy Way and follow this as it sweeps right around Marchwood. Go straight through the first roundabout, run parallel to the railway lines for a short stretch, swing right in through Marchwood on Oakland Drive/Main Road, go over the railway lines and swing left onto Hythe Road.
Follow this road as it runs alongside the A326 and comes to a T junction. At the junction, turn left onto Main Road and follow this as it becomes Southampton Road at the outskirts of Hythe. At this point, turn left, off Southampton Road onto West Road.
Follow this as it turns sharp right, swings left, goes hard right again and ends at a T junction. At the junction turn right, still on West Street and go to the mini-roundabout. Turn left onto Prospect Place and follow this past the ferry terminal, swinging right and then left. Take the left turn onto St John's Street and go till the T junction. Turn right, staying on St John's Street and follow thi out till it becomes Shore Road.
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