LYMINGTON

The town of Lymington, on the Lymington River in the Solent, the stretch of water separating the mainland of England from the Isle of Wight, dates from the Iron Age. Between the Middle Ages and the 1800s, the mainstay of the economy in the town was salt, which used to be produced by evaporating sea water in copper pots. The salt was then shipped all over England. However, the industry died a death following the discovery of mineral salt in Cheshire. By then, Lymington had another string to its bow in the form of shipbuilding, helped along by the proximity of the New Forest, which proved a rich source of the timber needed to build the ships. Boat building remains big business in the area to this day. Another activity which was rife in Lymington several centuries ago was smuggling, and the town’s most famous smuggler was Tom Johnstone, who was a fully fledged smuggler by the time he reached 15. This was around the time that France and England were at loggerheads, and Tom Johnstone didn’t seem to mind which side he took, allegely working alternately for both the French and English governments, either as smuggler or revenue man. His life story was a dramatic saga of escapes, spells in prison and mishaps.

Much of the architecture of today’s Lymington is Georgian, and it has some charming cobbled streets. There are a number of attractive pubs, including The Ship, with a terrace overlooking the Marina, and The Angel, which is reputed to be haunted. The original inn to stand on the site of the Angel, called The George, dated from 1250, and there are two ghosts associated with it, one of a shadowy coachman, and the other of a tall figure wearing a naval uniform. Another spooky tale dates from the 60s, when a piano was heard being played loudly at midnight. The possibility of it coming from somebody’s radio was discounted due to the amateurish thumping that the “playing” consisted of. It transpired that the inn’s only piano had been broken up only the previous day.

Live streaming webcams from the Yacht Haven.

Map of the area.

Boats at the mouth of the River Lymington - geograph.org.uk - 592863. Photo by Margaret Sutton, via Wikimedia Commons.

MILFORD ON SEA

So it’s goodbye Dorset, hello Hampshire. Like Mudeford, Milford On Sea offers excellent views across to the Isle of Wight, which is not surprising since the spit of land which juts out just to the east of the village is less than a mile from the nearest point on the island. If you can summon up the energy to walk 2 miles over a pebble causeway to get out to this spit, you will be rewarded at the end of it with a chance to visit Hurst Castle, built by Henry VIII between 1538 and 1544 to defend the western approach to the Solent. It was here, in 1648, that Charles I was imprisoned before being tried and executed in London. The castle rediscovered its purpose in life during World War II, when it was manned with coastal gun batteries. In case the castle and guns are not enough to fill your visit, there is also a lighthouse with an exhibition. If you don’t fancy the walk to get here, there is a ferry crossing from Keyhaven in summer.

Milford On Sea itself has a villagey feel to it, enhanced by the presence of a village green. This hosts a May Day festival every year. Other events include a music and arts festival in late June/early July.  

Map of the area.

Hurst Castle Spit - geograph.org.uk - 37160. Photo by C D Uglow, via Wikimedia Commons.

MUDEFORD/HIGHCLIFFE

Hengistbury Head is a headland with a spit at the end which creates the narrow entrance to Christchurch Harbour. Mudeford, named after the River Mude, started out as a fishing village, but has more recently expanded into a large residential area, forming the outfall of the Avon and Stour rivers. Mudeford Spit houses 300 beach huts which have been known to change hands for as much as 140,000 pounds. This may seem like a lot, but the setting is fantastic, fringed by golden sand, and with superb views of the Isle of Wight. The town still has a Quay, which is used for watersports and as a base for fishing boats, and the pub here is renowned for its seafood. The pub also has an interesting history, having been the scene of a battle between the Royal Navy and smugglers in the 17th century, culminating in the grisly sight of one George Coombes hanging from a gibbet outside the pub.

Highcliffe is dominated by Highcliffe Castle, a gothic revival dating from the 19th century which owes its existence to a large amount of masonry which was shipped across the Channel. The castle was built mainly between 1831 and 1836 by Lord Stuart de Rothesay. The building nearly came to grief as a result of fires in the 1960s, but was saved by Christchurch Borough Council, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For events at the castle, see here 

Map of the area.

Mudeford Harbour sunset. Photo by George Buckingham, via Wikimedia Commons

CHRISTCHURCH

If you park at the top of the town centre and walk down through the main shopping street as we did recently, Christchurch presents a fairly uninspiring initial impression. The main street looks a bit down-at-heel, with a liberal sprinkling of charity shops. However, as you approach the bottom end of the main street you are confronted with an incredible sight: the imposing Christchurch Priory Church, which has the distinction of being the longest parish church in the country, and which resembles a cathedral in appearance, both outside and inside. The origins of the priory date back to at least the 11th century. The day we visited, the donations being collected from vistors were being diverted to the town’s namesake in New Zealand, which had just recently been badly damaged by an earthquake.

Beyond the Priory Church, a pathway leads through to the attractive Quay, which provides a recreational haven formed by the mouths of the rivers Avon and Stour. There is a cafe and a cafe bar, and it is possible to buy food for the many swans which congregate in the area, pursuing visitors in the hope of being fed. The harbour was formed 7,000 years ago when the sea level rose at the end of the last ice age, and in ancient times was an important port for the export of copper, gold, silver and iron, as well as for the import of goods such as wine and glass.  The harbor is almost completely enclosed by the arm-shaped Hengistbury Head, and there is a Visitor Centre and nature reserve with walking trails on the headland.

For events in Christchurch, follow this link.

Map of the area.

BOURNEMOUTH

On the rare occasions when the UK experiences a summer heatwave, prompting tabloid newspapers to scream predictable headlines such as “Phew what a scorcher!”, the accompanying photograph is almost invariably of a hideously overcrowded Bournemouth beach. This is because Bournemouth is one of the UK’s premier beach resorts, combining as it does a heady mix of sandy beach, shopping, vibrant nightlife and a varied restaurant scene, with the glorious Dorset countryside as a backdrop. A couple of years ago, Bournemouth decided that these fine attributes were not enough, and in a bizarre quest to emulate surfing hotspots such as Sennen and Newquay spent 3.2 million pounds on an “artificial surf reef” with the aim of generating waves big enough to attract the tanned and bleached-hair surfing set. However, the reef has been dogged with controversy, and has now had to be closed due to safety fears after an inspection found that the reef had changed shape resulting in dangerous undercurrents.

Bournemouth for a long time had a reputation as a magnet for the “blue rinse brigade”, however several weekend visits there over the last decade suggest that this is absolutely no longer the case, if the town’s nightlife at the weekend is anything to go by. Travelling back in time, Bournemouth rears its head in the works of Thomas Hardy, featuring as Sandbourne in Tess Of The D’Urbervilles. Meanwhile, Robert Louis Stevenson arrived in Bournemouth in 1884, and while there wrote some of his most famous works, including A Child’s Garden Of Verses ,The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Kidnapped. In 1887 he swapped Dorset for Samoa. The jury’s out on whether this was a wise move or not.

Not surprisiingly, a resort such as Bournemouth has a heady array of events throughout the year. The Bournemouth International Centre has regular events and concerts including some big names. There is also entertainment available on the pier. There is another pier just along the coast in Boscombe, and in summer there is a tourist road train linking the two locations.  For a list of events in the town follow this link.

Map of the area.

Bournemouth 07. Photo by Christophe Finot, via Wikimedia Commons.

SANDBANKS/BROWNSEA ISLAND

Sandbanks, which sits on a narrow spit of land enclosing the northern end of Poole Harbour, has the distinction of containing some of the country’s most expensive real estate. If you have a few million to spare, you can pick up a nice balconied number with views across Poole Harbour or over Sandbanks beach and out to sea. For example, a quick search in March 2011 threw up a “stylish and contemporary first floor apartment situated on the waters edge boasting superb uninterrupted views stretching across Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island and Evening Hill” for a cool £1,595,000. Needless to say, the inhabitants of Sandbanks are not your ordinary average Joe, numbering a famous English football manager among its illustrious residents.

Hop on one of the jaunty little yellow boats leaving from Sandbanks and you will find yourself in another world. Sandbanks is one of two departure points for ferries to Brownsea Island – Poole is the other. This small island near the mouth of Poole Harbour is one of the few places in England where red squirrels can be seen, being protected from the domination of their pesky grey cousins by virtue of their island habitat. There are also sika deer and a variety of birdlife such as avocets, redshanks and green woodpeckers. This little paradise is presided over by the National Trust, which offers guided walks on the island. The island has a long history stretching back to at least the 5th century BC, the time of the earliest evidence of settlement. Perhaps one of the best-known facts about the island is that it was the location of the first ever Scout camp, held by Lord Baden-Powell in 1907. This was the testing-ground for the Scout movement proper which began the following year. 

Live streaming webcams of Brownsea Lagoon.

Map of the area.

POOLE

Just north of the Isle of Purbeck is a large expanse of water called Poole Harbour, which is almost an enclosed lake but for the long spit of land at Sandbanks, which almost but not quite meets Studland Heath on the other side. The town of Poole, as well as being a tourist destination in its own right, is a jumping off point for the Channel Islands and Cherbourg, France courtesy of a number of ferry routes served by the town. The Harbour is a haven for watersports fans as well as for birdwatchers. The town of Poole, granted its charter by the Earl of Salisbury in 1248, is a mixture of the old and new, with a quaint old Georgian town nestling among the swanky new apartment complexes.

In the previous post, we met a group of rocks off Studland called Old Harry Rocks. Legend has it that these rocks were named after a notorious Poole privateer and smuggler called Harry Paye. During his lifetime which spanned the late 14th and early 15th centuries, and included a stint as a Commander in the Cinque Ports fleet, Paye went on the rampage along the coasts of France and Spain leaving a trail of devastation in his wake, for example by burning the town of Gijon in Northern Spain to the ground and stealing a valuable crucifix from the Church of Saint Mary in Finisterra. He also trounced a French fleet sent to help Wales' Owain Glyndwr with his uprising against the English. Paye’s memory lives on in Poole in the form of the annual Harry Paye Charity Fun Day; hopefully the money raised from these events goes some way towards atoning for the havoc wreaked by Paye all those years ago.

For events in Poole follow this link. 

Map of the area.

Evening sunshine over Poole Harbour - geograph.org.uk - 887983. Photo by Roger Davies, via Wikimedia Commons.