Around The Solent Phase I

In 2005, we succeeded in receiving a project planning grant from Heritage Lottery to help us scope the project and determine what the Around the Solent (ATS) project requires. With these funds we commissioned Parkin Heritage and Tourism to identify what makes the Solent special, consider how accessible the heritage themes and places of interest are, and make recommendations relating to access improvement, site interpretation and visitor amenities.

They considered the wide range of visitor attractions, from castles to nature reserves, from museums to beaches together with who visits them. At various stages of the action plan preparation, the consultants liaised with site managers, community groups and the public at large. This allowed them to understand sites from a manager's perspective and to get a feel for how places of interest are used and what prevents some people from visiting sites.

They found that the local attractions (historic, cultural and countryside sites and their associated facilities) and the extensive rights of way network provide an outstanding concentration of resources which would be hard to match across the UK. However, increasing pressures on financial and staff resources have left their mark in various ways.

Key findings from the study indicate:

• Nowhere tells the Solent in a comprehensive way
• Most sites have some level of interpretation but they are primarily focused on their own sites and do not make links with the rest of the Solent
• There are a limited number of fully accessible trails at sites
• In general there is little or no attempt to develop outreach programmes to reach and engage 'hard to reach' groups, although good practice programmes and facilities exist at some sites
• There is a general lack of innovative interpretation with little use of Information Technology, audio tours/trails, inter-actives, storytelling etc.
• Some visitor attractions, particularly related to defence heritage, have high quality interpretation and educational programmes, although outreach is limited
• The resources (attractions and rights of way) have enormous educational potential which is currently unrealised
• Ferry operators provide general tourist information in the passenger terminals and on board the ferries but do not have any Solent interpretation or orientation