The southern English county of Hampshire is only two hours from London by car or by frequent rail services. The county has much to offer regardless whether you seek fast moving cities, rural open countryside, or beaches and boat trips.
On the coast you will find the bustling fierce rival city ports of Portsmouth, (fighting ships), and Southampton, (merchant and cruise liners). In Portsmouth you must visit the historic dockyard. Go on board Horatio Nelson's flagship "Victory", check out the "Warrior" and Henry the eighth's "Mary Rose" which is still undergoing restoration after being raised from the seabed. Take an hour's cruise to the Isle of Wight and see Britain's biggest yachting extravaganza at Cowes week. Southampton is the traditional homes of the Cunarder Queen liners. It still is, and fabulous views can be had of the spectacular liners coming and going up Southampton water from Calshot beach in the south of the county.
To the west of Southampton lies the tranquillity of the New Forest. The New Forest was established in the eleventh century by William the first as his personal hunting grounds. Thousands of wild ponies, deer, cattle, donkeys, and at certain times of the year pigs can be seen all over the forest running free. Drive with care at all times! Good months to visit are early May to take in and photograph the foaling season, and September, to see the roundup, known locally as the drift, when all the ponies are rounded up and branded and checked for health problems.
If you go walking in the forest, and you can go just about anywhere and it costs nothing, ensure you wear stout shoes as the Forest is the stronghold of Britain's only poisonous snake, the adder. All the town's stock antidote these days and deaths are unheard of, but an adder bite can still inflict nasty pain. Bites are very rare, adders are small snakes that rush off into the undergrowth, but just in case you should stand on one, good shoes are a must.
Check out Lyndhurst in the centre of the forest, Burley for the witches, I kid you not, Brockenhurst for the ponies, restaurants, hotels, and main line quick rail links, and lastly Lymington for sailing and interesting shops and antiques. To the north east of the county you will find Winchester, Hampshire's third city and the county town. This is a smaller ancient city boasting an impressive Cathedral, burial place of Jane Austen, as well as the monument to King Alfred, he of the burning of the cakes fame, Wessex's own ancient king.
There are ample opportunities for golf, sailing, and riding, and fly fishing too on the three majestic rivers, Itchen, Test and Avon. They can provide fishing on rivers as beautiful as you will find anywhere. If sea fishing is your thing check out Lymington where boat trips are to be had all year round. Hampshire is unquestionably one of England's most beautiful counties and a week would never be enough to take in all it has to offer. Why not stay for two? There is a wide variety of accommodation available from small inexpensive boarding houses to international standard hotels, cottages to riverside marina apartments. You can see thousands of cottages, villas and apartments worldwide on my web site now at www.pebblebeachmedia.co.uk.
Have a good holiday! And take care.
David Carter has written and published hundreds of articles over more years than he cares to remember. His latest work is SPLAM! a 244 page book on property letting and management. He runs three websites, SPLAM! for property, Homemax crammed with ideas for those who work from home, and Pebble Beach Media where you can find thousands of superb holiday cottages, villas and apartments worldwide.
He has recently completed a new novel "White Flags" which will be available in the new year.
Websites:
http://www.splam.co.uk for property letting and management
http://www.splam.co.uk for working from home and small business
http://www.splam.co.uk for worldwide holiday accommodation
Fancy holidaying somewhere unusual? How about a 7 day tornado... Read More
Tip #1 : Buy a beach front Caribbean villa! ... Read More
More often than not, a person will base his or... Read More
Going away on a vacation brings numerous benefits. It refreshes... Read More
Those looking to invest in real estate should not overlook... Read More
Lodging Hotels in Davenport, FLThere are numerous choices for lodging... Read More
The secret treasure of Davenport's and Kissimmee's townhouses.Though usually Orlando... Read More
Three major cascades at Havasu Creek create a landscape that... Read More
The Algarve, and particularly the areas around Carvoeiro, Albufeira, Praia... Read More
The southern English county of Hampshire is only two hours... Read More
You have your tickets, your hotel or vacation rental reservations,... Read More
Families have flocked to Hilton Head, South Carolina as long... Read More
Have you ever done something spontaneous? Are you in love... Read More
Made famous by Revolutionary events, infamous by cold winters, and... Read More
Hospitable to all of our visitors, rental agencies on Hilton... Read More
Spent a fantastic trip going down the Oregon Coast to... Read More
How to find a Town Houses that will make your... Read More
Real estate in Gatlinburg is thriving. While the 2000 census... Read More
Orlando is calling to you and your family to come... Read More
Visiting the best Orlando timeshare resorts: a report on my... Read More
When staying in Orlando, you really do have a lot... Read More
Welcome to Washington, DC - The nation's capital is a... Read More
If your vacation time is coming up and you are... Read More
Within Volusia County, Florida, the small community of Ormond Beach... Read More
Originally founded in the early 1800s as White Oaks, Gatlinburg... Read More
emergency cleaning services Northbrook ..Maui is one of the islands found in Hawaii. It... Read More
Florida beachfront rentals are a great way to enjoy a... Read More
Cabin rental in Pigeon Forge are one of the city's... Read More
The rental market and Vacation Home sale market is unsustainable.... Read More
More than one million tourists visit Costa Rica each year.... Read More
Because many people want to live in or near Lake... Read More
Taking the plunge from average vacationer to vacation property owner... Read More
The demand for a stay in an ice hotel has... Read More
The typical scenario goes something like this: your casual mention... Read More
The largest barrier island on the Atlantic coast between New... Read More
What are your chances of getting the vacation of a... Read More
Pigeon Forge is rapidly becoming one of the major tourist... Read More
As beautiful and modern as Cozumel is, visitors must remember... Read More
Edinburgh and beyondRoadtrips around BritainIt's hard to overstate the poetry... Read More
Disney Area Lodging DealsThe Orlando area communities of Lake Buena... Read More
The southern English county of Hampshire is only two hours... Read More
I had always been told that if you wanted to... Read More
Many times, when we plan a vacation, we know where... Read More
Are you thinking about a great place to go for... Read More
For many decades Gatlinburg has been a favorite resort getaway... Read More
There are many wonderful resorts with tons of activity in... Read More
RV rental vacations aren't cheap, but they do contain loads... Read More
How many of you have seen the classic Chevy Chase... Read More
Summer vacations - what better topic could there be for... Read More
Family Vacation in Costa RicaYou will not have any problem... Read More
Vacation Rental |