Nestled amongst Langstone harbour on the South Coast of England between Portsmouth and Brighton is a little 12 square mile plot of land called Hayling Island. The population of 17,400 can be easily divided in to 1/3 old age pensioners, 1/3 bored teenagers, and 1/3 kitesurfers & windsurfers. The island is home to the inventor of windsurfing, as well as a growing number of paddleboarders who took up the sport during periods when they couldn’t be bothered to drive all the way to Cornwall for decent surf.
Boasting two main towns, two infant schools, two junior schools, one secondary school that is now questionably called Hayling College despite offering no college education, a few good pubs, and a hardware store, Islanders rarely need to use the one bridge or small ferry to go off the island. Going off the island is only brought about in times of emergency, such as a need for fashionable clothing, or to go to an actual college. When members of the 1/3 group of teenagers reach college age, it becomes a habit to venture off the island to Portsmouth town to go clubbing and meet non-islanders. After a year or two, most of these teenagers eventually leave the island to explore the British mainland and maybe do a bit of travelling, before returning later in life to raise their own bored teenagers and become part of the ageing population 1/3.
All the above are various Hayling stereotypes all us islanders have either witnessed or heard from our time on the mainland. What makes me chuckle is that mainlanders have no idea…
We have the best beach East of Bournemouth!
With few, if any, tourists those who live on the island are afforded some of the best sunsets over the ocean every evening, plus an an almost empty beach to make the most of with bonfires, parties, windsurfing, paddleboarding, kitesurfing, sailing, fishing, swimming, jet-skiing, wakeboarding…
I couldn’t be luckier.
Click to enlarge…
Lots of love,
A proud islander…
