|
Coasting Through Hampshire- Motorcaravan Motorhome Monthly
With rolling countryside, picturesque villages and one of the top National Parks in the country, Hampshire has a lot to offer. It’s the coastline however that is the highlight for me and the promise of a warm week of good weather (well, you can hope can’t you), I was really looking forward to discovering the full array and explore the redeveloped Portsmouth waterfront, that has a naval history bar none. The beaches are shingle rather than soft sand, but this doesn’t stop Brighton being a top beach to visit and the views more than make up for it anyway. The M27 runs the length of the coastline and thus makes it easy to get to as well, so you can just hop off at the junction of your choice to visit different attractions.
As you head onto Hayling Island, don’t think you are going mad if you spot a few scarecrows in unusual places. I believe it is part of a festival on the island, but I spotted all sorts of peculiar scarecrows in people’s gardens, ranging from kids climbing walls to speed cops complete with camera and uniform! There’s not that much to see on the island, but the beach is nice and popular with surfers. Beach huts line the shingle shore as they do in several places along this stretch of coast and you half expect to see Dick Van Dyke hop out of one, in his striped, all-in-one bathing costume, but sadly no!
It’s best to approach Portsmouth from the east, so that you come in via Southsea and along the main front. There’s lots to see here even before you land in Portsmouth itself, including the D-Day Museum, the castle and the Sea Life Centre. Southsea Castle is unusual in that it has a lighthouse on its ramparts and it’s from here that Henry VIII watched his flagship Mary Rose warship sink in 1545.
Head further along the seafront and you pass the pier and the landing stage for the Isle of Wight hovercraft. Its just 20 minutes across to the island by this route, so if it suited your schedule, you could easily fit a day trip on foot to the island if you wanted.
Portsmouth, or Pompey, using its navel name, is home to some of Britain’s finest history of the sea. It has been a navel base since the late 15th Century and now attracts thousands of visitors every year (not all arriving this week I hope). It has grown from a small town around the main harbour (called the Camber) into the expanding city that it is today. The Historic Dockyard contains three famous ships, HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the aforementioned Mary Rose. As you may know, the Mary Rose is merely a wreck inside a visiting hall, which is constantly sprayed with water to help preserve it. Well worth seeing though.
The new development here, built for the Millennium, is the Gunwharf Quays, which includes the much delayed (think it was late 2005 before it was finished), but well worth the wait, Spinnaker Tower. This impressive tower affords fine panoramic views over the harbour and across to Gosport and includes one of those glass floors for that “walking on air” feeling (and yes, it works!). Gunwharf is a mixture of small shops and cafes and includes a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts outlet. Sorry for the advertising plug, but you must try one or three of these if you come. Simply delicious! The car park here is only 2.2metres max height, so obviously motorhomes are not welcome and parking nearby on street parking space will be required for all but the most compact of models.
The ferry departs from here crossing the harbour to Gosport, so you can leave the van parked at Portsmouth or drive round if you prefer, for even more naval attractions. Gosport has also seen much rejuvenation and the place has really been transformed. The Submarine museum is over here and this has now been joined by Explosion!, an exciting new attraction housed in a former powder magazine and traces the history of naval firepower from gunpowder to Exocet, from the 18th Century right up to the Gulf War. As you disembark the ferry, there’s a new promenade providing views back across to Portsmouth, as well as an enormous ‘Time Space’ sundial and clock. One attraction I hoped to visit was the Fort Brockhurst, however my timing was off, as it only opens on limited days now, about once a month, so check beforehand if want to see inside yourself.
 |
Leaving Portsmouth behind, before you head west along the M27, turn off the M275 Portsmouth approach and check out Port Solent and nearby Portchester Castle. Port Solent is a modern harbour with restaurants and bars and a few shops and actually really nice to walk round. Portchester Castle is a mainly Roman built fort and has amazing views over Portsmouth from the top of its Keep.
The shingle beaches continue as you head along to Lee-on-Solent. These are the main beaches Hampshire has and although may not be as impressive as Bournemouth and Brighton, they are a lot quieter and peaceful and have better views out to sea as well.
Coming off the motorway at junction 8, you head down to Hamble and Netley with the Queen Victoria Country Park. Hamble is the most famous harbour in Hampshire and a huge area for storing your yacht or even just your rowing boat. There’s a nice restaurant down here too. The county park is a wide open space overlooking Southampton Water and includes the Old Hospital Chapel that is all that remains of the once huge military hospital. No height barriers here, which I was half expecting, but its gates are locked at night to stop wild camping (just in case you forgot you weren’t in France!). It’s a great place to stretch your legs or run the dog, as well as picnic with the van doors open looking across the water. Lots of people also come here to see the QE2 arriving and departing in Southampton. If you turn right at the junction for the country park instead of left, you will come to Netley Abbey. There’s just enough room to park a few cars or a motorhome or two or you could just walk up from the county park as its not far if you prefer. It’s free entry and is the remains of the abbey, apparently the most complete surviving Cistercian monastery in southern England.
Rather than head back to the M27, arriving in Southampton is best via the A3025 and over the Itchen Bridge, as you get a great view of the layout of the city as you approach. The Southampton Hall of Aviation (Solent Sky) in Albert Road South just the other side of the bridge depicts the history of aviation in the Solent area and is worth a visit.
Nearby Ocean village has changed since I was here years ago and gone is the nice shopping centre, now replaced by luxury flats and sadly it has lost much of its appeal. Instead, I recommend you head down to the Town Quay, where the Isle of Wight ferry departs. There’s a few shops and restaurants here too and the Isle of Wight catamaran also departs from here, which is the fast alternative to the Portsmouth hovercraft. The hovercraft is still the fastest route at just 10mins, whilst the FastCat takes 18 minutes.
The Titanic famously left the Docks here at Southampton in 1912 on its ill-fated journey across the Atlantic (best not to think about that though if you do get on the car ferry here!) In town, there is lots of history to see besides the excellent shopping. The Medieval Walls, the Bargate in the centre of town, which is one of the country's finest medieval town gates and Tudor house are worth seeing on the history tour.
Leaving Southampton, the coast route now heads into the New Forest and you catch glimpses of the enormous container ships in Southampton docks from the main road on your way round. However, if you ignore the trees and the ponies, there’s lots of beautiful coastline around the edge of the forest that probably doesn’t get as much attention as the main forest does. Hythe is a lovely place, with its small town centre and equally lovely quay and lots of good parking as well. This is the kind of place where you could think about swapping the van for a yacht moored in the quay (well, in part exchange anyway). There’s a small pier here with an electric railway running its length, which saves you the walking to the ferry, which travels back and forth to Town Quay in Southampton.
Keeping Southampton Water to your left, you will reach Calshot Castle in the bottom right corner of the forest. There is a small castle here, another of Henry VIII’s but the main attraction here now is the activity centre which offers sailing, windsurfing etc. Oh, and there is some beach and even more beach huts to see too.
Heading back out, go back to the main road and not via the signposted short cut, which is a bit tight and twisty and follow the road down to Lepe Country Park. This is similar to the Victoria County Park, but on two levels and the bonus of the best view out to the Isle of Wight. Lots of people come here with their binoculars to watch the annual Cowes Regatta, but on any given day the Solent here is full of yachts and boats.
As you follow the Beaulieu River inland a little, you can take in a few attractions including Exbury Gardens and of course Beaulieu Abbey and Motor Museum. Exbury’s famous gardens, covering 200 acres, were laid out in the 1920’s and look spectacular throughout the year especially in spring, with azaleas and rhododendrons blooming beneath the trees. Come autumn however, and the place takes on a whole new look with a wonderful splash of golden colour.
 There’s all manner of sports cars and historic classics on display, as well as world record-breaking machines like ‘Bluebird’ and ‘Golden Arrow’. There is also an exhibition of cars from the James Bond films, including a sawn in half, Jaguar XKR from the Die Another Day film. There’s a high level monorail that takes you around the grounds and even through the roof of the motor museum for a lateral view of the exhibits. I also jumped on board the open-topped London Veteran Bus to get to the Palace House where Victorian dressed staff take you back to an ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ era. I even caught a glimpse of Lord Montague himself wandering around the house, though I can’t guarantee you’ll spot him on your visit! Just down the road, is Bucklers Hard, which is also part of the Beaulieu estate. Here, an open green slopes down to the peaceful Beaulieu River, through two rows of Georgian houses. This former shipyard, features a fine maritime museum and the authentically reconstructed cottage interiors, give an insight to the life of 18th century shipyard workers
Lymington is the final route to the Isle of Wight, apart from water-skiing over yourself of course and is well known for its busy quay for yachting and the quaint, stone cobbled Quay Hill, another much photographed scene in Hampshire. The Keyhaven Marshes are also nearby and provide a sanctuary to many birds and wildlife. Park in the large car park before you reach the narrow road around the marshes and from here you can walk along the shingle bank to Hurst Castle, which is the nearest point to the Isle of Wight. If you haven’t already guessed this is another of Henry’s defences, though like Southsea, its lighthouse is more prominent than anything else
I stayed at the Lytton Lawn site whilst on this side of the county. It’s not the cheapest site I have stayed at, but popular and quite a nice site too. Most of the sites in Hampshire are more inland than on the coast, especially near Portsmouth, but of course the New Forest has plenty on offer and you can’t go wrong with the scenery around here. My last stop along here is Milford-on-Sea, with its fine views of the Needles on the Isle of Wight. I recommend getting yourself fish and chips from the local chippy, as they are some of finest I have tasted and parking up on the clifftop to take in the views. It’s the perfect way to end the perfect tour. Bliss!
© Craig Roberts
|
|
