Hampshire Tourist Guide New Forest Isle of Wight Portsmouth Southampton

New Forest Holidays Tourist Information Hampshire

The New Forest is a vast area in the south west of Hampshire that has maintained a unique way of life for those that live there. The New Forest has been a wilderness, an ancient Royal Forest and the source of timber for the forces during World Wars. All this has impacted on the site and made it what it is today - one of the largest expanses of heathland in Europe and one of the most popular places for recreation in the country, let alone Hampshire.

As you travel around the New Forest you'll see the New Forest ponies and cattle wandering around the countryside, villages and roadsides. They amble along with an air of confidence that stems from their right to roam the commons never having been hindered. The heathlands are vast and bloom a wonderful purple in the late summer. The shade of the woodlands hide woodland walks and over one hundred miles of cycle trails particularly in the Forestry Commission areas.

• Hotels in the New Forest
• Accommodation in the New Forest
• Bed and Breakfast in the New Forset

Isle of Wight Holiday Tourist Guide

The Isle of Wight has long been a popular holiday destination. It's just a short hop across the Solent and there are plenty of ferries that will take you there from the Hampshire coast. The Isle of Wight has played an important role in Britain's history in the defence of the country and was the favoured home of Queen Victoria at Osborne House near East Cowes.

Today it's an excellent family holiday destination with a range of sunny beaches and fun visitor attractions. The island has a lively events calendar with music festivals to suit all tastes as well as walking festivals and of course the internally renowned Cowes Week sailing regatta. If you want to explore the countryside of the island there are downland walks, coast walks and plenty of beautiful countryside to marvel at.

• Isle of Wight Hotels
• Isle of Wight Accommodation
• Bed and Breakfast Isle of Wight

Portsmouth Tourist Guide Attractions in Portsmouth England

Portsmouth is both a city full of shopping and entertainment options as well as a city with a maritime history rich in visitor attractions. Most of the tourist attractions are found along the waterfront where fortified defences and the historic naval dockyard provide a wealth of places to visit to find out how the invasions through the centuries were defended.

The town was also the birthplace for one of the world's most influential authors, Charles Dickens whose family worked for the Navy. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the celebrated Sherlock Holmes, also made his home here and you can find out more about their lives in the city's museums. Portsmouth is also the centre for the Royal Navy and a working port with a huge choice of ferry crossings to the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, France and Spain.

• Hotels in Portsmouth
• Portsmouth Accommodation
• B&B Portsmouth

Southampton Tourist Guide Jane Austen Trail

Southampton is an interesting mix of historic medieval town linked to some of the world's most famous naval events, and a modern cosmopolitan city with a fantastic art scene and stacks of shopping. The city centre is effectively split in two with all the historic sights, the docks and modern marinas in the south, Below Bar, and the art galleries, theatres, parks and the majority of the shopping centres Above Bar in the north.

There is masses to do whether it's a historic walking trail around the city's medieval walls that once fortified the town, or a day of shopping til you drop - and with so many shopping outlets it's not difficult to! The city's art galleries and theatres along with the Guildhall that houses the City Art Gallery and hosts international pop and comedy acts gives all the culture vultures plenty to see and do while the variety of parks provide a welcome quiet oasis to rest your feet.

• Hotels Southampton
• Southampton Accommodation
• B&B Southampton

Inland Hampshire Winchester Aldershot Military Museums Farnborough Air Show Jane Austen House

Away from the coast Hampshire is covered in some of the country's most beautiful countryside. Over to the east the South Downs stretch into Hanmpshire where rolling chalk downland contrasts with the rich hanger woodlands. The towns and villages often stem from historic market towns that are rich in listed buildings such as Winchester, Stockbridge and Petersfield. Some have modernised and kept up with the times and are now main shopping and business centres like Basingstoke and Andover.

There is plenty to see and do with military museums at Winchester, Aldershot and near Andover. Every two years Farnborough hosts the International Air Show drawing in thousands from all over the world to see the flying and aerobatic displays. It's this part of Hampshire that Jane Austen loved so much and where she wrote her best work in Steventon and Chawton near Alton. For exploring the countryside you can find a whole network of footpaths and cycle ways or take a leisurely steam train ride on the Watercress Line.

• Hotels Winchester
• Farnborough Hotels
• Aldershot Hotels

Hampshire Beaches Coast Holidays Portsmouth Tourism Southampton

The Hampshire coast is a mix of busy ports with a long industrial and naval history and quieter beachside towns and villages facing out across the English Channel. Southampton is the centre of maritime industrial history particularly linked with the cruise lines like the Titanic that were so popular in the early 20th century. Portsmouth, on the other hand, is the centre of naval and maritime war history. The Waterfront along Portsmouth and Southsea is where you'll find the majority of the attractions and there's plenty to keep the whole family occupied.

For peaceful family seaside holiday friendly beaches try Milford-on-Sea on the New Forest Coast, the long beaches of Lee-on-the-Solent or Hayling Island and of course those dotted around the Isle of Wight coast. At Lee-on-the-Solent, Hayling Island and Sandown there are dedicated family attractions beside the beaches. And all along the coast of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight it's excellent sailing and windsurfing territory.

• Pubs Portsmouth
• Guest Houses in Southampton
• Apartments in Portsmouth