The Solent (seagrass meadows and chalk reefs)
The Solent is a 7000-year old stretch of water, formed when sea levels rose during the last Ice Age, to flood the River Frome estuary, causing the Isle of Wight to separate from the mainland. This narrow stretch of sea is a very important haven for seagrass meadows (home to endangered sea turtles and sea horses) and rare chalk reefs (like our version of coral reefs).
Seagrass is a flowering plant, not seaweed. Chalk reefs are hard, rocky stretches of seabed made from ancient chalk. Together, they help wildlife feed, breed, and hide.
Out walking? Follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. Keep dogs away from steep banks, mushrooms (and other toxic plants/trees) and on leads during nesting season (and near barnyard friends and wild ponies).
At the coast, keep away from nesting birds and never walk on sand dunes. Learn how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (check beach bans before travel).
Hayling Island (the birth of windsurfing)
Hayling Island is the largest island in the Solent, with many Blue Flag beaches. The shallow waters has made it popular for water sports.
Never use jet skis, they harm many creatures, and cause noise pollution and accidents, and drive baby gulls and seals away from their parents. Report wildlife crime to Crimestoppers (anonymous).
Read our post for sustainable sailors (covers wildlife-friendly tips).
Seagrass meadows are underwater nurseries
Seagrass (important for sea turtle – ocean lawnmowers) grows in green ribbons, swaying with the tide. Still, it does a lot. Unlike seaweed, seagrass has roots, flowers, and leaves. It grows in sediment and forms meadows across the seabed. The best way to help is to avoid anchors (using modern alternatives instead).
Think of those meadows as underwater nurseries. Young fish can hide among the blades. Crabs and other small animals move through them for shelter and food. In some places, seahorses may also use seagrass beds. Because the plants slow the water a little, they help trap fine sediment as well.
Chalk reefs (surfaces for sea life to cling)
Chalk reefs are less familiar to many people, yet they’re just as important. In simple terms, they are underwater ledges, faces, and broken surfaces of chalk. That hard ground gives marine life something firm to attach to, which soft mud and sand can’t offer.
As a result, chalk reefs support a different set of species. Anemones, sponges, sea squirts, and seaweeds can all settle there. Small cracks and overhangs create hiding places too. Fish and crustaceans use those spaces for cover, feeding, and rest.
Portsmouth (England’s only island city)
Nearby, Portsmouth has a commercial hovercraft service to the Isle of Wight (avoiding rudders, which helps marine wildlife). It’s (like Norwich) one of our few cities to have two cathedrals (one Catholic, one Anglican).
Birthplace to writer Charles Dickens, it’s skyline is dominated by Spinnaker Tower (which accepts money to light up at night – this could cause cause bird strike, as lights should be turned off in glass buildings).
A short walk from Portsmouth is Southsea, a nice little town with a pier and boating lake. Its main claim to fame is that one gym member during the 60s was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited for bodybuilding exhibitions, before he left to become a movie star and governor of California.
Southampton (a south coast sailing port)
One of the world’s busiest cruise ports), Southampton is sadly the place where the luxury liner Titanic set sail for its final voyage, before hitting an iceberg, and sinking in 1912.
Jane Austen also lived here (she wrote Sense and Sensibility while living here). The city is also home to the world’s oldest bowling green.
The Hamptons (visit another Southampton!)
Just a short drive from New York City is The Hamptons, a set of two affluent towns (Southampton and East Hampton) along with beautiful villages. It’s known as the East End, but not like our version!
Home to swanky millionaires, it has clean beaches and many independent shops, and a non-profit organic teaching farm. The local bookstore was saved from development, bought by a local art dealer.
Bookstores are genuinely useful to me. I like picking things up, reading the dust jackets. The great thing about a bookstore, is that you’ll go in looking for one thing, and come out with five. Larry Gagosian
