Waterlooville Havant Hampshire

Waterlooville Tourist Information Hampshire

Waterlooville lies in the Havant area of South Hampshire, around eight miles north of Portsmouth. The town was renamed after soldiers disembarking from ships in Portsmouth after the Battle of Waterloo stopped at the local pub in what was then called Wait Lane to celebrate their victory. The town now includes the villages of Clanfield, Denmead, Hambledon and Horndean.

There is a Tourist Information Point in Waterlooville Library at The Precinct, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO7 7DT. Tel: 023 9225 4626/7. The nearest Tourist Information Centre is at Havant Borough Council Tourist Information Centre, Civic Offices, Havant, Hampshire PO9 2AX. Tel: 023 9248 0024.

Waterlooville's centre for shopping is bolstered by a weekly street market on Fridays and a craft fair on the second Saturday of the month.

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Hayling Island Tourism Windsurfing Birdwatching Hayling Ferry

Visiting the coast is a short trip to Hayling Island from Waterlooville. Hayling Island is located between Portsmouth and Emsworth near the Hampshire border with Sussex. It is linked to the mainland by a road bridge that takes you over Langstone Harbour. To the east is Chichester Harbour - making it an ideal location for sailing, windsurfing, power boating, jet skiing, kitesurfing and a range of other watersports. In fact one of Hayling Island's claims to fame is as the birthplace of windsurfing.

It is already a popular family seaside resort but there are plans afoot to spruce up the seafront adding a watersports centre, restaurants, public spaces and cafes and play areas.

Being one of the sunniest places in the country and with beaches and seaside attractions, South Hayling makes an excellent summer holiday choice. It is the centre for windsurfing, family holidays and holiday parks in Hampshire. Beachlands and Funland in the centre of the beaches provide a whole host of family entertainment from rides, amusements, go karts and golf. The Hayling Seaside Railway is another popular attraction here - a narrow gauge railway that runs up and down the seafront. The three mile stretch of shingle beach is excellent for all, whether you want to swim, soak up the sun or have a go at a range of watersports.

Alongside the beaches are some important wildlife habitats amongst the swathe of grassland and dunes alongside the beach. Hayling Golf Club has been formed out of the dunes here to create a traditional links course. The habitats on the golf course and Sinah Common are important for a range of wildlife and make an excellent place to walk whether it's to look at the wildflowers or do a spot of birdwatching.

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Portsdown Hill

To the south of Waterlooville is the striking Portsdown Hill to the north of the city. Its highest point is 390 feet and it stretches from Fareham in the west to Havant in East Hampshire. It is very much like the South Downs that cover much of East Hampshire. The hill has been a centre of occupation since prehistoric times and several Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Saxon burial sites have been found on the hill.

The grassland that grows naturally on the chalk is species-rich with a range of flowers including hairy rock-cress, pale flax, meadow cranesbill, horseshoe vetch, bastard toadflax, early gentian, knapweed broomrape, bee orchid and fly orchid. These attract a wide range of wildlife including crickets and a huge array of butterflies including chalkhill blues, gatekeepers and marbled whites. Some of the hill is open to the public.

The Portsdown Hill Conservation Volunteers have a helpful downloadable map with accompanying notes on what you might see.

Another interesting aspect to Portsdown Hill are the tunnels that were excavated and used during World War II. Excavation was started in 1941 and eventually included facilities such as bunks, canteen facilities, toilets and ventilation shafts.

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Military Forts near Portsmouth

With its high vantage point with views right across Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent Portsdown Hill's traditionally been an important defensive barrier. Because of this a string of fortifications were built due to worries that the French would invade and that Portsmouth was vulnerable. As a result of the 1859 Royal Commission's conclusions a series of forts were built along the south coast and Portsmouth Harbour was encircled by a series of forts. Collectively these were known as the Palmerston Forts after Lord Palmerston who instigated the Royal Commission on the Defence of the UK in 1859, with a particular concentration built to protect Portsmouth's harbour and dockyard from seaward and landward attack. The forts along Portsdown Hill were Fort Wallington, Fort Nelson, Portsmouth, Fort Southwick, Fort Widley, Fort Purbrook, Crookhorn Redoubt and Farlington Redoubt. There are also a variety of pillboxes and batteries across the hills.

Fort Nelson is open to the public and has been fully restored on a nineteen acre site. It houses a collection of 350 guns and historic canons that are part of the national collection of arms and armour. Other displays within the fort cover a variety of military stories and include Saddam Hussein's infamous "Supergun" and the trebuchet from the movie "Gladiator". Galleries in the fort trace military history and the development of artillery through thousands of years. There is a gift shop on site where you can buy toys and gifts and military related books and souvenir guides.

Fort Nelson is open: Apr-Oct daily 10am 5pm. Weds 11am 5pm. Nov-Mar daily 10.30am-4pm, Weds 11.30am-4pm. Closed 24-26 December. General museum enquiries Tel: 01329 233 734. Email: fnenquiries@armouries.org.uk.

Royal Armouries Museum, Fort Nelson, Portsdown Hill Road, Fareham PO17 6AN.

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