Lee-On-Solent, Hampshire
Lee-on-Solent is a small town on the Hampshire coast, between Portsmouth and Gosport. It was always known for its military associations and in particular, the former airfield at HMS Daedalus which was used extensively on D-Day, with 435 units deployed – the largest number achieved by any other UK airfield that day.
These days the biggest reason folk go to Lee-on-Solent is to spend time on the beach and that’s fair enough because it’s rather a nice one and as it’s right opposite Cowes on the Isle of Wight you get a good view of the sights when it’s Cowes Week or during the Round the Island Race. The beach is shingle, backed by grassy areas where you can play ball games or enjoy a picnic, and what’s noticeable is that quiet ambience you get in coastal towns sometimes – the air and the light add to it of course, but it’s all about everyone getting on with their own thing. So you’ll see families having fun together, you’ll see sunbathers and rockpoolers, and there will be people out on the water kayaking, windsurfing or even jet skiing.
Lee-on-Solent isn’t as commercialised as a lot of seaside towns so it’s not heaving with things to do by any means, but you could easily pass a contented afternoon here. If you were interested you could go and have a look around The Hovercraft Museum, and if you get peckish there are several cafes, pubs and restaurants to choose from. Try On The Water, or if pizzas and pasta are more your thing go to Sapori.
All information correct at the time of writing