Lymington, Hampshire travel guide and Lymington information

Visit Lymington

Lymington is a traditional market town and port on the Solent to the south of the New Forest, situated between Southampton and Bournemouth.

The town is a very popular tourist destination, with visitors attracted by the charms of Lymington itself and also by the New Forest; the modern marinas in Lymington; the ferry crossing to the Isle of Wight that leaves from here; and the natural environment of the nature reserve to the west of the town, popula with bird-spotters.

Lymington market is held in the town centre on Saturday mornings. While the market is said to date back as far the 13th century, most of the buildings are much more recent, typically Georgian and later. There is an interesting mix of architecture to be seen in the centre of Lymington, with a variety of styles - brick, stone and whitewashed or painted buildings that add the distinctive character to Lymington.

The town centre, based along and around the High Street, is attractive to visit with a wide selection of shops and cafes (many of the usual 'high-street chain' type shops can be found here, as well as a selection of more local shops). At one end of the High Street stands the Church of Saint Thomas, while from the lower end you can reach the original port via a cobbled street called Quay Hill.

A small number of local fishing boats still operate from the old quay, but most of the boats here are now pleasure boats. Sailing activities and boats play a large part in Lymington, which has two active marinas, a sailing club and also a local fishing industry.

To the south of the old quay, past the public slipway, is a large open air sea-water swimming pool (open late spring to early autumn only).

You can find more local travel ideas in the New Forest guide and the