Dogging in Hampshire: area guide

The lie of the land in Hampshire

Hampshire stretches from the Berkshire border down to the Solent. Winchester is the county town, but the weight sits on the south coast, where Southampton and Portsmouth sit either side of Southampton Water and Portsmouth Harbour. Inland, Basingstoke, Andover, Alton, Petersfield, Fareham and Eastleigh each draw a local crowd, and the Aldershot and Farnborough area presses up against Surrey.

The landscape changes fast. The New Forest National Park covers the south-west, with heath, ancient woodland and open ground where ponies and cattle roam free. The South Downs National Park runs along the eastern side, and the North Wessex Downs reach into the north. The Isle of Wight sits a short ferry ride off the coast and has its own quiet lanes, downs and seaside towns.

The south coast belt is built up and busy, while the middle and north of the county are farms, chalk streams and small villages. Many places that look empty on a map still see steady traffic after dark, for reasons nobody quite explains.

Getting about safely

The M3 links London to Southampton by way of Basingstoke and Winchester. The M27 runs east to west along the coast past Southampton, Fareham and Portsmouth, and the A3(M) and A31 feed in from the north and west. Expect slow traffic on the M27 and M3 at rush hour and on summer weekends, when holiday traffic heads for the ferries and the Forest. Trains run from London Waterloo to Southampton, Winchester, Basingstoke and Portsmouth, and local lines cover the coast. Last trains leave earlier than most people expect, especially outside the big stations. Check your last train home, or book a taxi, before you set off.

In the New Forest, ponies, cattle, pigs and donkeys wander onto unfenced roads, and they are hard to see at night. Speed limits there are low for good reason. Many lanes elsewhere are narrow and unlit, and signal can fade in the valleys and woods.

For the Isle of Wight, Wightlink sails from Portsmouth to Fishbourne and Ryde, and from Lymington to Yarmouth. Red Funnel sails from Southampton to East Cowes and Cowes, and Hovertravel runs the hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde. Last sailings are well before the small hours, and the foot-passenger routes can finish earlier than the car ferries. Wind and fog cancel crossings, so read the operator timetable and status page on the day, and have a plan if you miss the last boat.