Hayling Island

Hayling Island lies off the south coast of England in Hampshire, connected to the mainland by a road bridge at its northern tip. The island is shaped like an inverted T, about six and a half kilometres long and wide, with Langstone Harbour to the west and Chichester Harbour to the east. A small pedestrian ferry once linked it to Portsmouth, though the service has had an interrupted history. The shingle beach was mechanically topped with dredged material to slow erosion and reduce flood risk. At low tide the East Winner sandbank stretches a mile out to sea, evidence of shifting coastlines since Roman times. The island’s past includes an Iron Age shrine later rebuilt as a Roman temple, where the first coin credited to Commius was found. Salt pans recorded in the Domesday Book show medieval industry that lasted until the late 19th century. St Peter’s Church, built on the site of a 12th-century chapel, holds three bells cast around 1350 and the grave of a Russian princess who lived in North Hayling. In 1958 a 12-year-old boy assembled the first windsurfer on Hayling, a design later recognised by the Court of Appeal. A 2013 tornado damaged over a hundred properties but caused no injuries. Today the island is known for water sports, especially windsurfing and sailing, with three clubs operating in Chichester Harbour. Hayling Golf Club, a traditional links course, tests players with fast greens and deep bunkers. Funland amusement park and the Hayling Seaside Railway entertain visitors year-round. The five-mile Hayling Billy Trail follows a former railway route through quiet countryside. The Station Theatre stages plays and musical events, while several churches, including St Mary’s with its shell-mortar walls, mark the island’s long history.