Lymington

Lymington is a small port in Hampshire in the South East of England. It is adjacent to the New Forest and faces across the Solent to the western end of the Isle of Wight.

Cobbled streets in Lymington's town centre

Lymington is a major yachting centre, with several yacht clubs and a large marina, as well as a ferry port serving Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.

Historically, Lymington was a centre of the salt-drying industry, where salt water was admitted to shallow lagoons and dried out. These abandonded lagoons (called saltings) have now become major sea bird reserves, and the area attracts ornithologists.

Get in

Lymington is the terminus of a branch rail line from Brockenhurst in the New Forest, where it connects with direct main line service from London and many other parts of the country. There are two stations in Lymington; Lymington Town best serves the central area and marinas, whilst Lymington Pier is part of the ferry terminal complex. Train times can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling 0845-748-4950 from anywhere in the UK.

By road, Lymington can be approached from the west along the coast road (the A337 from Bournemouth. Any other direction requires a crossing of the New Forest with its sometimes congested roads. There are two alternatives; take the M27 to junction 1 and then the A337 through Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst, or leave the M27 at junction 2 and follow the A326 to Dibden Purlieu and then the B3054 through Beaulieu.

Lymington is linked to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight by the Wightlink car and passenger ferry which runs every half-hour.

A few bus services connect to Lymington: the three main services are the X1/X2 (operated by Morebus) which go to Bournemouth and the 6 (operated by Bluestar) which goes to Southampton. All three are quite long journeys end to end, the 6 takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes, while the X1/X2 takes around 1 hour 50 minutes to reach Bournemouth. You can buy an Explorer ticket costing £8.60 for one day, which will be valid for both services, (the companies have the same owner). A few less frequent bus services also start/terminate in Lymington -- the two-day-a-week 112 to Hythe and the Monday to Friday 119 to New Milton.

Get around

Lymington is a small town, and most things of interest are within walking distance. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop you from boarding the train at Lymington Town to get down to the pier station for the ferry service, or using the bus services above to get to local areas.

See

• 🌍 Calshot Castle, Calshot Road, Calshot, SO45 1BR (14 miles east of Lymington), ☎ [phone]. An artillery fort, built by Henry VIII. Adults £3.00, children £2.10, concessions £2.10.  
• 🌍 Hurst Castle, Keyhaven, SO41 0TP (5 miles south-west of Lymington), ☎ [phone]. Adults £4.50, children £2.50, concessions £4.00.  

Do

Buy

Eat

Town centre parking is difficult and on market day (Saturday morning); it is almost impossible. If you shop in Waitrose you are allowed 2 hours parking (please check at the enquiry desk things do change). This will allow you enough time to be have a meal in town.

• 🌍 Angel & Blue Pig, High St, SO41 9AP, ☎ [phone]. 11:30AM-2PM, 6-9:30PM. A comfortable hotel with a very good restaurant nice food, well presented and bar meals, relaxed and comfortable. Service is good and friendly with an option to eat outside in good weather. Popular with the locals and that's always a good sign. 
• 🌍 Lanes of Lymington Restaurant & Bar, Ashley Lane, SO41 3RH, ☎ [phone]. 11:30AM-2PM, 6:30-9:30PM. The restaurant is tucked away down a quiet lane, just off the High Street. Serving a modern British menu. Lunch £12.50, dinner £30.00 average 3-course menu. 

Drink

Sleep

• 🌍 Stanwell House Hotel, 14-15 High St, SO41 9AA, ☎ [phone]. 

Go next

• Isle of Wight — Wightlink offers a 40-minute ferry to Yarmouth.

Routes through Lymington

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→ Yarmouth (Isle of Wight)