Hampshire: An Island City, the Solent and Watercress!
Hampshire is a large county on the south coast. It has England’s only island city (Portsmouth), the holiday resort of Southsea, the sailing city of Southampton and England’s former capital city of Winchester.
Most of the South Downs National Park (England’s newest) is in East and West Sussex. But the western side ends in Winchester. In summer, chalk grasslands brim with butterflies and orchids. And walkers can enjoy views across the English Channel. On clear summer nights, the dark skies means you can even see the Milky Way.
Always follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe.
If at the coast, read our post on keeping dogs safe by the seaside.
Portsmouth: England’s Only Island City
Portsmouth sits right on the coast, facing the Isle of Wight. Known for its naval history, the city skyline is marked by Spinnaker Tower, which offers sweeping views across the Solent.
Unfortunately it takes money to light up at night, for celebration. This could cause bird strike, as it’s best to turn off lights at night, especially with glass buildings.
A short walk from Portsmouth is Southsea, a nice little seaside resort with a pier and boating lake. You can walk between the two resorts.
You can also reach Yarmouth (on the Isle of Wight) from another Hampshire town, the affluent resort of Lymington. This is a longer ferry trip, but a beautiful area to explore, so why not combine the two?
Southampton: A South Coast Sailing Port
Southampton is known for being home to sustainable sailors. It’s also sadly the place, where the luxury ship Titanic set sail, for its final voyage. Before it hit an iceberg and sank, in 1912.
Winchester: England’s Former Capital City
This elegant city has a lovely cathedral and castle ruins. The weekly farmers’ market is one of England’s largest, bring fresh Hampshire produce to everyone’s table, with no or low food miles.
Jane Austen (who spent a lot of time in Bath) was born in Steventon (her father was the local vicar). Several of her nephews attended Winchester collage, and she spent her last weeks in the city. She is buried at Winchester cathedral.
Hayling Island: Sandy Shores and Windsurfing
The Solent (a narrow stretch of sea between mainland Hampshire and Isle of Wight), is dotted with unique islands. Each has its own story, scenic views, and natural beauty. While some islands have thriving communities, others remain quiet refuges for wildlife and history lovers.
Hayling Island is the largest, with Blue Flag beaches that stretch for miles. The shallow waters means it’s popular with water-sports, and is the birthplace of windsurfing.
Marine campaigners ask people to avoid jet skis. They cause so much harm to creatures, with collisions and noise pollution. Many councils are thankfully banning their use.
It’s illegal to drive into flocks of gulls or seals on the water, as it can separate them from their young. Report anyone you find doing this.
Wild Ponies in the New Forest
Hampshire is known for its New Forest ponies. These are cared for by commoners (who benefit from right to graze animals).
The New Forest Verderers employ five Agisters whose oversee all grazing ponies, livestock, cattle, donkeys, pigs and sheep (but not deer or other wild animals). And ensure commoners abide byelaws.
Do not touch or feed semi-wild New Forest ponies. It taking photos, use a zoom lens (from far away, without a flash).
If visiting the New Forest, take all litter home and don’t light fires, stoves or barbecues (wild camping is not allowed).
Don’t let dogs approach or chase ponies or any other animals. Keep to main tracks, and drive carefully (obeying all signs).
Sick and injured animals can be reported to the Verderer and Agisters website. This page includes numbers to call and details of penalties, for failing to report incidents.
Road Traffic Accidents involving ponies, cattle, donkeys, pigs and sheep must always be reported immediately to the Police on 999.
Ponies wander onto lanes and streets, so drivers must slow down and pay attention. Local signs warn visitors to watch out for ponies, especially at dawn and dusk, when they often cross busy roads.
Why Hampshire is ‘King of the Watercress!’
Watercress is Hampshire’s best-sold crop, easily cooked, so only add at last minute of cooking. Also popular in Dorset, it was first eaten by the Romans and was an ingredient in the first sandwich!
Watercress has a peppery taste (similar to mustard). Try this Try this 15-minute watercress soup (Salted Mint).
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (watercress is high in vitamin K so should be avoided for some medications).
One bag of watercress is sold each second in England. It’s been popular since Roman times, when it was thought to cure everything from baldness to insanity. Or just to freshen breath.
Best enjoyed from April to September, choose strong green leaves for freshness and only wash and shake dry before use. Store in the fridge (ideally in water) and eat within a couple of days.
A former watercress farm near Chichester, is set to become a glamping site. The owners plan to let tourists help themselves, and remaining beds will be turned into wildlife ponds.
The founder of England’s largest watercress farm eats it each day, as does his family. He’s so passionate about the crop, he arranges a watercress festival in the village of Alresford.
The company is also trialling ‘free watercress soup’ at an NHS hospital,. This could use up 90,000kg of winter watercress that would otherwise go to waste, and serve nutritious tasty food to patients.
M & S were recently criticised for selling a ‘posh’ egg cress sandwich for £6. Boasting it contained ‘a whole sliced egg, fresh baby watercress and luxury mayonnaise in two slices of bread.’
It did not take long for social media comments to come through like ‘this country is finished’ and that ‘the word posh costs you 3 quid’.
