My Own On Going Guide to Hampshire

My wife and I moved to Southampton in Hampshire in 1999 and having rented our property for a while returned in August 2007.

I am travelling around Hampshire (with my job) and decided to put together my own memories and guide.

For those not familiar with Hampshire - the county is set on the South Coast of England. The North of Hampshire borders with Berkshire in the 'Home Counties' i.e. the area around London. The southern part of the county borders West Sussex and Surrey in the East and Dorset and Wiltshire in the West. The Isle of Wight is an island south of Southampton and serviced by ferries from Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington.

The county has a population of around 1.7 million people including the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. The county town of Hampshire is the historic city of Winchester - originally the ancient capital of Wessex. Portsmouth and the surrounding area has provided a home to the British Navy for many years. Southampton has been home to the commercial seafarer - think of the White Star Line and Cunard. Today the modern cruise ships and large container vessels make a huge contribution to the Southampton economy

To the west of Southampton is the New Forrest National Park serviced by the popular towns of Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst, Lymington and Ringwood.

I intend to develop this blog into a personal and helpful guide as I travel through the county.