Today, I’m going to say what I love about my home town. (Or I’m just doing it for my pocket money). So, here we go…
1. The library
Easily the best thing about Chandler’s Ford is the library.
I love going there and read, whether it’s the film section or a fictional science fiction novel (99% of the time it’s Doctor Who. There are also a wide range of audio books, and I spent many hours when I was younger listening to Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter (not personally of course, though I don’t think my mum would complain).
If there was one thing that needs to be improved, it’s a wider array of film and television books. Cooking has more shelves than film, and for me, the selection of film isn’t enough. But apart from that it’s a great place to visit.
2. The woods
I’ve already discussed this in a previous post, but Chandler’s Ford is full of woodland places. There are a couple of local woods such as Ramalley Copse and Flexford Wood, as well as the Hiltingbury lakes.
These woods are great for walking and relaxing, and they are varied. Some are more spacious and remote, while others are full of twisty pathways. Whichever one, they’re always great to explore.
My favourite is Hocombe Mead, which is a wood located in Hiltingbury full of sculptures. There are guided tours there and it leads out into some local shops, like newsagents Andersons and a coffee shop called Bay Leaves Larder.
3. Local shops
I often walk to the local area to buy sweets, newspapers or restock on cheese. What’s great about this is that there are a variety of shops, even if I only go to the newsagents.
Further up Chandler’s Ford is a small array of shops with a relatively new sweet shop, and a pizza place, with the Central Precinct only a traffic light away, which has fish and chips, coffee shop and more. There is a huge variety and it means it is sometimes worth just staying in Chandler’s Ford rather than go out.
So those are three things I love about Chandler’s Ford. What do you like doing in it?
Editor’s note: The original version of Three things I love about Chandler’s Ford was published on 29th November 2014 in Ben Williams’s World.
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Wow! Thanks for a lovely post Epicduda! When my children were small I used to walk them up from Eastleigh to their school, St. Swithun Wells. Sometimes I would pop into Chandler’s Ford library before going shopping and then collecting them later. I haven’t been there for quite a few years now, but it looks beautiful!
I love the carved oak at Hocombe Mead. I never knew that was there. Could you add a little map showing where each of these places are that you mentioned, and maybe a good route to follow to see everything?
Would you recommend Kandy Kingdom? What sort of sweets do they sell? Photo? :0) I’ve had chips from your chippy though, and they were yummy!
I didn’t know Chandler’s Ford had so many interesting things. I tend to stay in Eastleigh or go to Winchester and I feel sad now that I’ve missed so much! Any other details you can add would be great. I’ll have to come and explore once the weather gets warmer. Thanks again for a great post! :0)
You can get to Hoccombe Mead by walking down Hiltingbury Road. After that there’s a gate which leads into the woods and after about 5 minutes there’s the carved sculptures. I don’t have a map but I’m sure you can find one somewhere. Sadly the carved owl structure has been set fire to, but it is still pretty nice.
As for Kandy Kingdom, I’ve been there a few times and I think they were great. My favourite sweet is the strawberry lace. I’m sure my mum can find a photo of it somewhere.
Thanks for commenting =D
Hi White Wabbit,
Last time I took some pictures in Hocombe Mead, including the site map. This map shows you 3 entrances to Hocombe Mead.
A larger version of this map is saved on PicMonkey.
A few months ago, some people set fire to the owl: Chandler’s Ford Hocombe Mead Vandalism. When we visited the carved oak tree a few weeks ago, Eastleigh Borough’s notice to find those responsible was still there. Perhaps no one was ever caught over the vandalism.
Regarding the Kandy Kingdom shop, if you visit after school time, you’ll see it is a children’s paradise. It sells traditional sweets – as I didn’t grow up in this country, I don’t know what traditional sweets actually are. Why don’t you tell me more about sweets that British people eat? I have seen their Sweet Bouquets and Sweet Cakes. They do look appealing.
I agree, Epicduda. And it is one of the best places to begin a journey.
M3 and M27 are there.
Railway in Eastleigh
Cruise liners in Southampton
Cross Channel Ferry in Portsmouth
Isle Of Wight Ferry in Southampton or Portsmouth
International airport in Eastleigh or Bournemouth
Intercontinental airport, Heathrow with direct bus access from Winchester.
Sailing
Wild places in the New Forest
Culture with Amdram, Mayflower, Turner Sims, Nuffield Theatre.
Also Winchester Cathedral has more English Kings buried there than Westminster Abbey.
Music is very good in Turner Simms and in Winchester but if you want a full orchestra you have to go to Bournemouth.
Is there anywhere better?