From eating local food to walking along coastal paths, we reveal the best things to do from Hayling Island. Words: John and Tanya Young Compiled by Alex Reece
1. BOATING
If the weather’s fine, we’d take our classic wooden powerboat out of Sparkes Marina (mdlmarinas.co.uk) and go for a run in the Solent. We’d anchor off Seaview on the Isle of Wight and have a picnic on the boat.
The Solent. Photo: Oscar Johns/Shutterstock
2. PUFFING BILLY
There’s also the Puffing Billy coastal path. There used to be an old steam railway from Havant to Hayling. Now it’s a walking trail and it takes about two hours. There’s a pub at the end across the bridge in Langstone village, The Royal Oak (023 9248 3125).
Former railway bridge from Hayling Island to Havant. Photo: Graham Prentice/Shutterstock
3. LOCAL FOOD
We pick our own samphire near the chalet and we order fresh fish from Johnsons Enterprises, Portsmouth’s original fish market (johnsonsenterprises.com), to be delivered. For eating out, our favourite restaurant is JSW, about half an hour away in Petersfield (01730 262030, jswrestaurant.com).
JSW Restaurant. Photo: JSW Restaurant
4. CHICHESTER
We like Chichester very much with its pedestrianised historic centre, cathedral, the Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery, which is first class (01243 774557, pallant.org.uk). Then we make our way back to Hayling via Bosham and Emsworth, two waterside villages in Chichester Harbour, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Chichester Harbour. Photo: Matthew J Thomas/Shutterstock
5. UPPARK
Uppark is wonderful. It’s a fantastic National Trust property on the South Downs – substantially destroyed by fire in 1989 but restored by the Trust (01730 825415, nationaltrust.org.uk/uppark). The Cass Sculpture Foundation on the Goodwood Estate is good for modern sculpture (01243 538449, sculpture.org.uk).
Uppark House. Photo: National Trust
