Description
Whatever time of year; whatever time of day, there’s always something going on in the Solent and Lee-on-Solent Beach is a great place to come to watch the goings on in this wonderful stretch of water between the south coast and the Isle of Wight.
This attractive shingle beach lies between Portsmouth and Southampton, so from the beach you can watch the cargo ships, cruise liners and yachts pass through the waters of the Solent. The town is directly opposite Cowes, and on fine days it is sometimes possible to see Queen Victoria’s beloved Osborne House from the beach.
Behind the beach are grassy areas suitable for games and picnics. A paved walkway runs alongside the entire length of the beach. In the summer months the beach has zoned areas for swimming, fishing and other nautical activities. When the tide is out, rockpools are exposed and crab-hunters can be seen searching amongst the rocks.
The small seaside town of Lee-on-the-Solent is steeped in aviation history. Seaplane trials were started here in 1915 and in 1917 a base for seaplane training was built. HMS Daedalus Royal Naval Station operated here until 1996. There is still an airbase at the site of the former naval station.
Lee-on-the Solent is now home to the Hovercraft Museum, open to the public on Saturdays. The town has lots of places to eat or drink and is not over-commercialised. There are plenty of places to get ice-creams and drinks alongside the beach.