Lepe Country Park
There are few things that a walk along the beach can’t make better. So after a few days of being bed-ridden with some nasty little virus thing it felt right to have a little stroll in the sea air; clear the lungs, blow the cobwebs away – that sort of thing.
Luckily, being situated on the south coast means that I’m never far from the sea, so its always easy for me to find somewhere to walk. A short drive and I’m with the sea gulls (typically black-headed and herring for those gull pedants out there) and the Solent with the Isle of Wight almost close enough to skim a pebble to.
Lepe Beach and the Country Park it sits on is not a quiet destination. It bustles with families, walkers, dogs, people out for a picnic, kite surfers, wind surfers and the like. With a big car park, play areas, a nature reserve with a hide and a big, glass windowed café with coffee and oceanic views, it’s easy to see why it draws such a crowd. There is something for everyone, and whilst I shuffle my way along the shore, bundled up against the biting wind, it’s not just the salt air that puts a smile on my face. It’s the rippling noise of kites over-head, the defiant salty-sea-dog spaniel that refuses to get out of the water in spite of its owners attempts to tempt it with biscuits, ham and tennis balls, and the shrieks of laughter from people just being outdoors, enjoying each-others company.
It’s a bright and breezy day and it seems that everyone is making the most of the hopeful weather with a leg stretch to shake off the winter slumber. Usually I prefer to seek out quieter spots but today I don’t mind and despite the crowds of people there are still plenty of wild things to distract me. On my short amble along the shingle strand I manage to pick up plenty of shells and pebbles, including one perfectly intact whelk shell and an exemplary hag stone (a stone with a hole all the way through). As well as, a slightly gruesome, fish head - there wasn’t much of it left to identify but its glassy eyes and snout led me to believe it was possibly a dogfish of some description.
Lepe Country Park is made up of a mix of habitats with everything from: shingle beach, cliff top, meadows, woodland and marsh. With all those different environments it’s no surprise that its popular with wildlife watchers; there was no shortage of people with binoculars on my visit. Typically, I had forgotten mine but thankfully nature was on my side and I was blessed with a brent geese fly by. A squadron of them rose from over the sandy cliff face and were held, suspended in front of me by the strong winds in a flying V formation as though they were a painting from a country house.
I watched them for what felt like an age. The sandy waves whipped up by the winds as the geese struggled above; they seemed to rise and fall but not go forward. Being so close I expected to hear the whistle of their wings as they battled unseen forces, but the rush of the wind blocked out all other sounds. The oystercatchers didn’t seem to face such a struggle, as I headed back to the car park, they whipped past me at lightning speed as though they weren’t even there.
As well as its rich associations with wildlife Lepe is famed for having strong historical ties. This strip in the Solent was one of many UK beaches where the crew, boats and supplies headed for Normandy on D Day. The narrow country lanes and various woodland copses leading to the beach, 9 miles south of Southampton, would have been filled with hidden soldiers and supplies awaiting deployment. Further on along the shingle there are remnants of the old pier head where the boats would have been loaded before their journey.
It becomes easy to forget all the things that these wild spaces have seen, all the sights that they have witnessed before they became the popular spot that they are today. That our feet now tread on the hidden footprints of others.
A visit to Lepe Country Park and a walk along the shore, or the cliff, or through the fields to the hide, offers us more than a chance to clear our lungs and stretch us legs. It gives us the opportunity to connect with history and nature all in one place.
Useful Information
Car Park Opening Times - 7AM -7PM
Charges range from £2.20 for upto 1 hour - £6.50 all day (correct of 1/2/20)
The Lookout Cafe serves a range of drinks, meals and snacks. Check website for opening times: https://www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/countryparks/lepe/thelookout
