The New Forest coastline is a bit of a secret. Running from Calshot in the east to Barton on Sea in the west, this is a landscape of contrast. There are glamorous marinas and breezy shingle beaches lined with beach huts, quaysides perfect for crabbing, marshes teeming with wildlife, a retro seawater pool, historic Tudor forts, dramatic pebble spit, and a clifftop golf club.
Its diversity is perhaps best appreciated on foot, following the Solent Way, a long-distance path running along Hampshire’s coast. It starts from Milford on Sea, close to the border with Dorset, and meanders along the seawall through Keyhaven marshes with panoramic views to the Isle of Wight. You might spot kitesurfers performing aerobatic pirouettes against the scenic backdrop of Hurst Castle and Hurst Point Lighthouse. The way continues through marinas before crossing Lymington River and running alongside Beaulieu River, taking in Buckler’s Hard, an 18th century ship-building village, before tracking across the Forest to Hythe on Southampton Water. However, it misses Lepe Country Park with its beach café on stilts and D-Day remains, and Calshot, a great spot for ship watching.
At the heart of the New Forest coast is Lymington. This delightful port town is known for its elegant Georgian high street, popular Saturday morning market, and Quay Hill – a cobbled lane running down to the river which bristles with yacht masts. Popular with yachties, Lymington is often called the sailing capital of the UK.
This stretch of coast is also a good spot for foodies. Lymington runs the gamut from Michelin-rated The Elderflower to vegan café The Tinker’s Granddaughter. Head west for The Gun at Keyhaven, while Milford on Sea, once an old fishing village, is now home to the likes of Saltwater café, The Cave wine and tapas bar, and The Lighthouse on the seafront.
St Barbe celebrates 25 years
Congratulations to St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery celebrating a quarter-century of heritage, culture and community engagement this year. The building, with its wave-style frontage, was once a school with St Barbe starting as a museum in a room, with a few bits and pieces of local social history. However, over the past 25 years it has grown and been redeveloped into an inviting and creative space where visiting exhibits have included pieces from establishments as significant as The Imperial War Museum and The V&A.
Freya Gulliver , Collections Curator, says: ’For such a small museum it’s amazing!’
This museum is very much about community. Freya joined St Barbe Museum just over a year ago. Her past role was in conservation. She laughs: ‘I used to work in a cupboard and although I loved it, you can’t see people enjoying and experiencing collections. St Barbe is a local museum so there’s that connection between people and the collections. People get excited, for example, seeing old photographs of shops and places they remember visiting.’
Freya’s role is broad. She looks after the collections but also makes sure they are seen. This includes outreach exhibitions – taking items into community stores and village halls in places such as Boldre, New Milton and Sway, where objects can be handled, and old photographs trigger happy memories and conversations. She also catalogues all new donations, among them photographs, letters, deeds and, recently, a christening robe, and paperwork and medals belonging to a young man from East Boldre shot down in WWII.
However, the museum looks forwards as much as backwards and has a role in the community as an agency for change. This can be seen in St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery being selected as a Regional Winner in the Department for Education's Holiday Activities and Food Awards (HAF) 2024. The HAF programme aims to provide free holiday provision, including healthy food and enriching activities for children in receipt of free school meals. Activities organised by St Barbe Museum included working with Royal Lymington Yacht Club and their Wednesday Sailing Scheme to give local children and Ukrainian refugees the opportunity to experience sailing.
Freya explains: ‘None had been on a boat before; people don’t know those opportunities are there.’
St Barbe’s next major exhibition is Lymington Afloat: 1000 Years of Innovation, running from 14 September into January 2025. The main launch will coincide with the Southampton Boat Show while a special Festival weekend will be held on 28-29 September. The intention is to focus on the significance of the river to Lymington’s development, from its early geology, through Roman and medieval times to the present day. It will include the boat-building industry, including the yachts of the early 19th century and the electric boats being made in Lymington today. There will also be a new town trail, involvement from the sailing, swimming and rowing clubs, while the festival weekend will feature the RNLI, boat trips, and a special focus on education, engaging with young people from pre-school to university students.
A local escape
New Forest Escapes does things differently. Established in 2013 and run by business partners Rachel Parsons and Jane Wilkinson, this is a holiday home company with sustainability at its core. They achieved B Corp accreditation in 2022 – ie verified by B Lab as achieving high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. They also have a particular focus on hyper local.
Jane explains: ‘Rachel and I have always agreed on that personal touch. We phone up every single guest after they’ve booked. It means they are already enjoying their stay. We asked ourselves – how can we be helpful to our guests?’
They wanted guests to get the most from their break, and they have achieved this by researching holiday experiences, so they don’t have to… Asking each home owner questions, such as where they walk when they go out the back door and which is their local pub.
Rachel adds: ‘We want to deliver personal, authentic experiences of the area with tourism that is hyper local to each house. You don’t have to use your car when you’re here. Encouraging this hyper level local tourism keeps the local community robust.’
A consequence of this is that their Facebook page has become a what’s on for locals as much as for guests.
Rachel again: ‘We have a lot of local followers on Facebook; we are like an informal tourist information centre!’
They now have 52 unique, eclectic and luxurious properties on their books, with two-thirds of those on the New Forest coast. These range from a mini Grand Design Boatshed in Lymington to Gins Barn on the Beaulieu River, where Rachel says: ‘You can stop the world and get off – walking to the end of the private jetty and sitting and reading a book is really cool. Step outside the door and you’re in nature.’
Coastal style
JoJo Macnamara has contemporary coastal style down to a T: smart, fresh, with the subtlest reference to seascape in muted shades of blue, use of texture, and elegant stripes. Jojo’s eponymous interior design business, Studio Macnamara, is based in Lymington. She moved to the New Forest from London in 2007, having grown up in Singapore and Hong Kong, and you can see the influence of place on her work.
Jojo says: ‘Living where I do, design choices are influenced by the beauty of what I see around me every day. The stunning forest and coastal landscape play a huge part in my work.’
This work has included refurbishing Lymington landmark, Stanwell House Hotel, including bedrooms and public areas from reception to restaurant, orangery and bar, creating a contemporary and classic interior that is sympathetic to the character of this Georgian building.
Currently Studio Macnamara is busy redesigning country houses in and around The New Forest from Beaulieu and East End to Lymington and Milford on Sea.
In her free time Jojo relishes life on the coast: ‘My favourite place to meet up with friends and family is the beach at Milford on Sea, while spots for delicious food and drink include The East End Arms and The George at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.’
DID YOU KNOW?
Built in 1833, Lymington Open Air Sea Water Baths are the oldest in the country and one of the largest, too. Fun activities include an inflatable obstacle course and paddleboard sessions.
