Ecological writer Satish Kumar once wrote that ‘unless you know Nature, you cannot love her’. Likewise, if we wish to protect England’s green and pleasant land, it’s important to get to know why. People who drop fast food litter, pollute our seas with oil and hunt our precious wildlife, obviously were never taught all about why our land is so beautiful and precious.
Hampshire is a large county that like East and West Sussex, is home to a large part of the South Downs, along with the beautiful New Forest, that’s home to free-range ponies. The coast is home to many popular seaside resorts.
the wild ponies of the New Forest
Set mostly in Dorset (and a little in Hampshire), The New Forest is home to 600 km of woodland, heath and river valleys where ponies, deer and cattle roam free in peace, with most areas car-free. The ‘capital’ of Lymington has a ferry to take you to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. Keep dogs clear of areas rich in bluebells and mushrooms, as both are unsafe.
The 5000 or so semi-feral New Forest ponies should never be touched or fed – they have plenty of natural food and could bite or kick, if disturbed (‘verderers’ are employed to watch over ponies and attend incidents). The ponies have grazed these parts for over 2000 years, which helps to protect rare species like chamomile. Southern damselflies even lay their eggs in the water-filled hoofprints of ponies and cattle! Animals have right of way on New Forest roads. So carry an animal emergency card as it’s a legal requirement to report accidents. Read how to make roads safer for wildlife.
England’s newest National Park
The South Downs is England’s newest national park, which stretches from Eastbourne in East Sussex through West Sussex all the way to Winchester in Hampshire. Famed for its chalk hills (and the ‘Old Man of Wilmington’ chalk carving), it is the most populated of all the national parks – over 100,000 people live within it, and 2 million people live nearby on the boundaries.
don’t use jetskis near Hayling Island
Hayling Island lies between Portsmouth and the West Sussex city of Chichester. A popular holiday spot for a bucket-and-spade holiday, it has pretty beach huts and a real outdoor lifestyle. However local marine creatures have been at risk from the many jetskis, so either avoid them (best) or if used, follow the local rules, to ensure wildlife stays safe. The island small (4 by 4 miles) linked by a small pedestrian ferry and road bridge.
the former capital of England
England’s former capital of England houses one of Europe’s largest cathedrals, where the writer Jane Austen is buried, along with England’s first-ever public library. Jane was healthy until age around 40, then succumbed to a mysterious illness and died just a few weeks after she arrived, aged just 41 (believed to be Hodgkin’s disease).
England’s only island city
Facing the Isle of Wight (which you can travel to by hovercraft) is the port city of Portsmouth, with its historic dockyard housing the Mary Rose (the nickname of Pompey is thought to be how the city was pronounced by drunken sailors! The birthplace of Charles Dickens, Portsmouth’s skyline is now dominated by Spinnaker Tower, a striking observation tower which alas has critics due to lighting up at night. It frequently lights up different colours to promote causes – not good for local wildlife nor to prevent bird strike).
Just up the road is the pretty little holiday seaside resort of Southsea, full of local bed-and-breakfasts. The local gym here in the 1960s had a now-famous resident (the former Mayor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger), where he trained as a bodybuilder.
the port city of Southampton
Southampton is a port city situated on the south coast, known for its affluent boating lifestyle (the series Howard’s Way was filmed on the Solent, though set in a fictional town). Derided by critics, the public loved it as a piece of seaside escapism (a bit like our version of Dallas or Dynasty).
Situated just 20 miles from the cities of Portsmouth and Salisbury, it’s only 80 miles from London, making it a popular holiday destination for inlanders. It has a large population of around 250,000 people and is also close to the beautiful New Forest and a short hop across the sea to the Isle of Wight.
A major port even years ago, this is where the doomed Titanic ship set sail for its final voyage, where 1500 people died. Declared seaworthy in Belfast, the ship then set sail for Southampton where it docked, before the passengers and crew alighted (nearly all the crew were from Southampton). The city also had many people die, from being heavily bombed during World War II.
The city obviously is influenced by the ocean, featuring a double high tide, which makes it easier for big ships to arrive and leave. Something to do with the shape of the English channel, apparently. The climate is pretty mild considering its position, and some of the city is even heated by geothermal power from hot water aquifers, the only one of its kind in England. This has led to it being one of the least energy-polluting cities in the country.
Despite its reputation as an affluent boating paradise, mean incomes are lower than average, especially now most of the docking industry has disappeared. One of the main employers is now Ordnance Survey, who make the most reliable maps for mountaineers. So sadly like other cities, its ‘regeneration scheme’ is not going with the historic stories of the city (perhaps ocean-themed local shops and museums) but instead a project including a cinema, two hotels and a casino (as if England doesn’t have enough gambling problems and debt already).
Many musicians hail from here including Craig David and Howard Jones. And ‘man of the moment’ Chris Packham (who is doing everything from trying to stop HS2 to presenting BBC Springwatch to calling out the government on broken climate change promises) is from here. One famous person from yesteryear is the writer Jane Austen (more associated with Bath but she lived in Southampton for many years). Also from here was the Canadian pacifist minister Robert Edis Fairbairn, who often called out the hypocrisy of churches that celebrated war.