9 Top Hampshire Beaches You Need To Visit

 

Stretching from Highcliffe to Chichester Harbour, Hampshire’s coastline is a haven for nature fans – so picking its best beaches isn’t an easy task. 

You’ll find some of Hampshire’s prettiest beaches fringing the New Forest National Park (and yes, there are lots of campsites nearby too). In the centre of the county, Southampton Water’s wide tidal estuary curves inland, running up to the Hamble Valley – which encompasses lush woodland, trickling rivers, and wide salt marshes soundtracked by sea breezes and the calls of oystercatchers. 

From peaceful nature reserves to family-friendly swimming spots, here are the 9 top Hampshire beaches you need to visit. 

Lepe Beach

Lepe Country Park’s mile-long shingle beach has gorgeous views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. It’s popular with everyone from avid birdwatchers (the meadows and woodland at its edge are all protected wildlife habitats) to adrenaline junkies (who come to kitesurf and windsurf). Walk the five-mile-long Lepe Loop, a circular walk which takes in D-Day remains, craggy clifftops and wild flower meadows, then pick up an ice cream from The Lookout and settle in to watch yachts, ferries and cargo boats sail by.

Not tired out yet? Discover other great walks in Hampshire.

Hayling Island

Hayling Island’s three main beaches (West, Beachlands Central and Eastoke) make up a three-mile stretch of sand and shingle – and they’re all Blue Flag-certified, which denotes high standards of cleanliness and water quality. The ‘lagoon’ created by mile-long West Winner sandbank makes West Beach a favourite with swimmers, while Eastoke’s proximity to Sandy Point Nature Reserve means it’s a good choice for birdwatchers and nature-hunters. Meanwhile, for a little bit of everything, plus easy access to family-friendly activities like Funland funfair, plump for Beachlands Central. 

Calshot Beach

Is your dog part of the family? Then head to Calshot Beach, where dogs are welcome all year round. Don’t forget your swimming gear – this mile-long stretch of shingly shore is a popular bathing spot. Try watersports like sailing and kitesurfing at Calshot Activities Centre, or get historical at Calshot Castle, built by Henry VIII in the 16th century to repel any French attempts at invasion. 

Milford-on-Sea

Pebbly shores (sandy at mid-to-low tide), rows of colourful beach huts and gorgeous views out towards the Isle of Wight’s famous Needles are the name of the game at Milford-on-Sea. Once a smugglers’ haunt, this coastal village is now calm, peaceful and packed with cosy cafés. If you fancy a walk, Hurst Castle (part of Henry VIII’s coastal fortifications) is a mile and a half south of Milford-on-Sea village – and the route is beach all the way. 

Hill Head Beach

If you’re especially keen-eyed, you can see Osborne House – Queen Victoria’s gigantic Isle of Wight holiday home – from Hill Head. It’s a long stretch of pebble beach, set within wooden groynes that look particularly dramatic during dusk-time strolls. To the west, there’s a small harbour looking out onto the Solent’s busy shipping lane. Hill Head is most popular for watersports and fishing.

Southsea

Nature reserves are all well and good, but some of the best seaside holidays include getting sticky-faced eating candy floss on a pier. And that’s exactly what you can do at Southsea, a former Victorian resort town. 

The beach itself is made up of flinty shingle and looks over towards the Isle of Wight and Palmerston’s Folly, four huge 19th-century forts built out to sea. It’s home to two piers, both with amusement arcades, and a funfair with rides ranging from the tame (the Flying Dumbos) to the mildly terrifying (Mad Mouse rollercoaster). 

Take a stroll through town to see the D-Day Museum, Blue Reef Aquarium and blue plaques commemorating notable former residents like Rudyard Kipling and Arthur Conan Doyle. Or base yourself here for easy access to Hampshire’s best activities (check out our list of Hampshire’s 8 best things to do this summer if you’re after inspiration). 

Stokes Bay

Do you like long walks on the beach? Then Stokes Bay is a great beach for you. It’s huge, running from Lee-on-the-Solent to Stokes Bay Harbour (and the car park is correspondingly large, meaning you’ll rarely have to search for a space). While there are a lot of facilities here – including shops, a children’s play park, barbecue spaces, tennis courts and a paddling pool – the real draws are the vast open skies and coastal views stretching as far as the eye can see. 

Meon Shore Beach

Walk just past the clapperboard beach huts to the eastern end of Meon Shore, and you might find treasure: this area is a well-known spot for fossil-hunters, who scan the beach’s smooth pebbles for finds. If you prefer to get your thrills another way, there’s a kitesurfing school nearby. Be aware that the western end of the beach is occasionally an unofficial naturist spot.

Barton-on-Sea

Sweeping clifftop views across Christchurch Bay, walking paths including the start of the Solent Way, beach huts and a long sand-shingle shore await you at Barton-on-Sea. It’s Hampshire’s most westerly beach – a half-hour coastal walk will take you across to Dorset’s pretty Highcliffe Beach, topped by Highcliffe Castle and its flamboyant Gothic turrets.

Planning a trip with your pup? Check out our guide to Hampshire’s best dog-friendly beaches.