Hampshire is dominated by the two major sea ports - Southampton and Portsmouth.
The coastline is a main feature of the county, with the area home to countless castles, ships and museums with a nautical flavour.
It's also known as Jane Austen Country because the author lived in Hampshire most of her life and was inspired to wrote such classic novels as Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.
Visit the New Forest whilst in Hampshire - established by Wiliam the Conqueror in 1079 as a place to hunt. The Museum and visitor centre in Lyndhurst is the perfect starting point for finding out about the 45,000 acres of open forest.
The Forest is also famous for its ponies which roam wild throughout the forest. Far from being left to fend for themselves, they are watched over by Agisters - five officials who keep an eye on the ponies and cattle.
