Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England.

Hurst Castle

A large castle, heavily used as a part of the United Kingdom's sea defences in World War I, the originally Tudor castle of Hurst sits on a spit of land in Lymington. Reached either by a regular ferry or by a reasonably long walk along the single strand connecting it to the mainland it is a fascinating place for an afternoon.

Almost entirely surrounded by water, the castle is broad and thin, with a separate lighthouse on one seaward point.

The Tudor part of the castle was built between 1541 and 1544 by Henry the VIII. It has been heavily renovated and changed in the centuries since it remained in use as a military fortification until the mid-20th century.

The other end of the castle has a newer feeling to it, being mostly red brick. The rooms here are larger and better lit, and various new additions decorate the walls.

There is also a pebble beach surrounding the castle. However, the tides between the castle and the distant Isle of Wight are treacherous.

Hinton Castle Museum

Name

Mine’s a Pasty

Great little place selling a variety of tasty cornish pasties.

Quay Side Gifts & Fishing Hut

Small souvenier shop with some serious fishing gear. A good place right by the quayside to get crabbing nets.

Goodall's Strawberries

Just outside of Lymington center, the fields of Goodall’s Strawberrys offer fruit picking. Strawberries (obviously), Raspberries and Cherries can all be added to your punnets and a small farm shop sells local produce in addition to the fruit you pick. Signs politely ask you to pay for the fruit before you eat it, but the red stained shirts of children clearly show this rule isn’t always followed.

A great hour or so’s fun for a family with children, though you should do some prep work with recipe books before leaving to figure out how to consue a half dozen punnets of fruit.

Crabbing at Lymington Quay Side

Pick up a crabbing net for a few pounds at any one of a dozen souvenir stores and head to the edge of the water to capture a few crabs. When you’re done, take the bucket to the ramp and have the crabs race back into the water.