Lymington is a popular and pretty Georgian town situated on the coast and on the southern edge of the New Forest. An ancient seaport throughout the centuries, Lymington has a colourful maritime history that involves sailing, trade and smuggling.
Lymington is a bustling, vibrant town with plenty of things to see and do. Every Saturday morning the attractive Georgian High Street hosts a well known street market that is always well attended by both locals and visitors alike. This is the busiest time of the week for the town and the market offers a selection of home grown fine foods, craftwork and antiques from a range of stalls that line the pavements. Visitors always enjoy the experience of the hustle and bustle of this unique event that takes place every weekend. There is also a wide array of shops to choose from whilst walking along the High street. There are the familiar names as you might expect and others that are as individual and unique as the town itself. If you need a break, there are a number of nice parks, pubs and restaurants to relax in. Local cafes are also in good supply, where the temptation of indulging in a cream tea is never far away.
There are plenty of features that make Lymington a great place to visit. A unique series of cobbled streets at the bottom end of the High Street leads down to the quaint main quay area. This proves very popular with visitors who wish to sit and and watch the world go by. Plenty happens in the Quay area and is a hub of activity. Trips around the Solent by boat can be taken from the quayside and private sailing, motor-boating and fishing trips can also be arranged. Those who wish venture further afield, Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight is reached by ferry in just 35 minutes. It is able to transport both foot passengers and cars.
The town has a well-equipped leisure centre with heated pool for the sporty types and the outdoor “historic Roman Seawater Baths”, which were actually built in 1833, is very popular attraction on a hot summer’s day. This unique Lido style venue is fairly large in size so it can accommodate many swimmers. It is just a short walk from the main quay area.
Things To See And Do In Lymington
- Visit the Saturday morning market. A vibrant and busy street market visits the town every Saturday morning. It stretches all along the main High Street to the Church of St Thomas at the top. There is much on offer and sells everything you might think of, from olives and oranges, to tablecloths and teapots.
- Wander into the antique shops on the High Street. The Georgian High Street has a number of antiques shops waiting to be discovered.
- Take a boat ride from the Quay. From Lymington’s pretty quay there are multiple boat ride options to choose from. Short excursions up the Lymington River, sea fishing trips and longer cruises past Hurst Castle to the Needles are all there waiting to be enjoyed.
- Learn to sail! There is no better place to learn to sail than Lymington? It is a famous yachting town after all, with an international reputation for sailing. Olympic champion Ben Ainslie is a resident, so if you are looking for top class tuition then the sailing fraternity can certainly provide it?
- Take the ferry over to the Isle of Wight. Lymington’s ferry can get you to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight in about half an hour. Once there, and on foot, you can wander Yarmouth with its picturesque cobbled-streets. Another option is to take your car on the ferry and explore the island more extensively.
- Go fishing! Lymington is an ideal base from which to go fishing in the area. Good locations for fishing include the Lymington and Beaulieu rivers where tope and sting-ray can be caught. Cod and large bass are likely to be reeled in around the Hurst Castle area and mackerel and bass can be caught from small boats in The Solent.
- Go for a swim! If some exercise takes your fancy, or maybe just having a dip in the pool, then visiting Lymington’s open air Sea Water Baths or the indoor leisure centre pool could be a good idea. Alternatively, you could head west along the coast towards Milford on Sea where you will come to quiet, safe shingle beaches. Keep heading further towards Bournemouth and the beaches become sandier but obviously there will be more crowds at this popular beach resort.
- Walk along the beautiful Solent Way coastline. The Solent Way leaves Lymington by following the sea wall west around stunning salt marshes and nature reserves until it reaches the pretty waterside hamlet of Keyhaven. this is a 2.5 mile walk as the crow flies. There are a couple of pubs in Keyhaven where you can take a well earned rest and have a spot of lunch before taking the return journey later in the afternoon perhaps.
- Go for a walk in the New Forest. A visit to Lymington would not be complete without a walk in the beautiful nearby New Forest. There is an endless choice of walks to choose from and can be reached quite easily in just a short time. Most New Forest car parks have visitor maps showing paths. Just north of Lymington for example is Royden Woods, which is a beautiful place to go walking, particularly in the spring when the flowering bluebells look stunning.
- Cycle in the surrounding New Forest. For the cycling enthusiast, the New Forest is a great place to go. With its vast network of cycling tracks and gorgeous scenery, exploring this outstanding area of natural beauty on bicycle should be a destination any keen cyclist should visit. Here you can find bicycle hire companies in the New Forest.
History Of Lymington
Back in times of old, Lymington was formally known as “Lentune”. How the name Lentune came to be are a little vague, however, at Buckland Rings which is situated on the edge of Lymington, there have been Neolithic and Bronze Age discoveries. Buckland Rings is one of the more important earthworks that remain in the New Forest.
Lymington thrived as a town due to the export of salt from its salt pans, which were developed by the Normans. During the 1800s, about 4000 tons of salt were produced from the nearby salt marshes at Keyhaven. The town also had a slightly sinister reputation for smuggling. The busy port often attracted would be smugglers who wanted to bring their illegal cargoes ashore. It was during the Middle Ages that Lymington started to become recognised as a shipbuilding and trading port. However, the innovative and well-known shipbuilding industry that brought much success and reward to the town has now given way to yacht and boat building.
The wealth of Lymington during the Georgian period can be acknowledged in the architecture of its beautiful buildings. The High Street is dominated by Georgian buildings and its attractiveness is one of the main highlights of the town. The Parish Church of St. Thomas the Apostle lies at the top end of the High Street and it has 18th century galleries, along with some architectural features that are over 600 years old. An avenue of lime trees adorn the Churchyard which were known to be planted in the seventeenth century.
The unique flavour of life in the district can be captured at St Barbe Museum in New Street and it also brings first class art exhibitions into the bustling and very appealing town of Lymington.