Hayling Island only has one highway on and off making it a distinctive location (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)
Stepping onto this stunning island is like stepping back in time and, with the solar shining, it nearly does not even really feel like it’s in the UK. Hayling Island is one of the lesser-known islands in England and, unlike the typical British seaside vacation spot, it’s never crowded. There’s not much there – but that’s what makes it so charming.
Located in Hampshire, just a 20-minute drive from Portsmouth, its sluggish tempo of life, scenic views, empty seashores and blue skies make it a much-loved home for those who dwell on the island. Councillor Paul Gray says he’s stunned the island doesn’t have more guests. He says: “We’ve got very, very few chains here. If you look at the cafes and businesses on Hayling, you’re looking at small, independent, local businesses – you won’t find a Starbucks or anything like that.
“That less commercialised feel is actually what makes Hayling a bit different from a lot of traditional seaside resorts. Hayling is a very different place from somewhere like Brighton. It does play into that sleepy backwater type of place that’s undiscovered.”
Paul says the island is only a small drive from London, and he says even people on the island query why it isn’t more fashionable and higher recognized.
Hayling Island is the home of windsurfing and it has become very well-known in the windsurfing group. Its seashores have a natural really feel to them and the island is a hit vacation spot for nature-based actions, Paul says.
He provides: “The island has a traditional charm to it. As a tourist destination, we’re always going to be slightly restricted because there’s only one road on and one road off – it’s a unique problem.
The island has a picturesque look with colourful beach huts adorning the seafront (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)
Councillor Paul Gray says the island is less commercialised than other seaside towns (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)
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Along the seafront, a small train chugs along as visitors bask in the sun at outdoor cafes. A number of shops line the street with colourful arrays of beach-related items to sell.
Caroline Clark, 53, owns a seafront fish and chip shop with her husband which has been in her family since 1942. She told Express.co.uk: “We’ve got all our amenities on the island, but at the same time, we are a small island and it’s getting fuller and fuller with people.
“The tourism here lasts for a few weeks each year, but the amount of people that have moved to the island and stay here is also increasing. There are lots of retired people here now.”
Caroline has lived on the island for most of her life and she says the issues she likes most about it are the proximity to the sea and that it has a small group.
Despite some modifications the island has seen over the years, Caroline says she likes dwelling on the island and she enjoys strolling her canine along the seaside.
Along the same stretch of seafront shops, Maxine Campbell serves clients in her seaside store.
Hayling Island is not a main vacationer vacation spot but it’s a place locals are passionate about (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)
Joint proprietor of Island Gifts, Maxine says: “We’re very weather dependent here, out of season, people don’t come out.
“We have a big caravan site here so it’s mainly holidaymakers that we see here.
“We don’t have enough tourists here. I’m surprised there’s not more, because it is a nice place but there’s not much for them to do.
“I think the island is more suited to older tourists who can enjoy the beach, rather than to younger tourists.”
The sluggish tempo of life on the island attracts guests who need to get pleasure from a quieter vacation.
Wayne Foster, a day tripper on Hayling Island, says he has been coming for years for this very purpose. He says the factor he likes most about it here is that there’s nothing there.
“It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. It’s not too commercialised, I personally wouldn’t want to see more tourists here – I like it just how it is.
“I used to bring my boys down here and it was a great day for them – I’d take them down to the beach and it was great. It’s a fantastic place,” he says.
Wayne says he frequently thinks about shifting to the island and he would like to see the space retain its “natural beauty”.
Wayne Foster has been visiting the island for day journeys for years (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)
John Rhodes says he would like to see more tourism on the island (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)
One resident tells Express.co.uk he moved to the island 30 years in the past and has never appeared back. John Rhodes, proprietor of an antiques store called Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe, which is also along the seafront, says: “There’s quite a lot of retired people on the island that have moved here over the years – it’s a great place to retire to.
“It has a nice, slower pace of life and it’s a very friendly island. You move here and it’s almost like stepping back 20 years, or even 30 years from other places. It’s just friendly and it’s nice to be by the sea too.”
He says he has seen the island change a lot over the years, and that, surprisingly, it was much busier 30 years ago.
Residents and business owners told Express.co.uk that many holiday amusements such as arcades have closed down – some want to see them come back.
John, owner of a seafront shop, says: “If the tourism stops, the shops will close. I know a few of them are already talking about how difficult it is for them. I would like to see more tourism.”
Hayling Island from above (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)
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