| Lymington | |
|---|---|
|
From the air: yachts in the yacht basin can be seen on the left and the two other marinas; the New Forest fills most of the background |
|
| Lymington shown within Hampshire | |
| Population | 9,385 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SZ3295 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LYMINGTON |
| Postcode district | SO41 |
| Dialling code | 01590 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Lymington /ˈlɪmᵻŋtən/ is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It lies east of the South East Dorset conurbation and faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a car ferry service operated by Wightlink. It is within the civil parish of Lymington and Pennington.
The town has a large tourist industry, based on proximity to the New Forest and its harbour. It is a major yachting centre with three marinas. According to the 2011 census, Lymington had a population of 9,385. With Pennington and the nearby parish of Boldre, including Walhampton, the population in 2011 was 17,410.
The earliest settlement in the Lymington area was around the Iron Age hill fort known today as Buckland Rings. The hill and ditches of the fort survive, and archaeological excavation of part of the walls was carried out in 1935. The fort has been dated to around the 6th century BC. There is another supposed Iron Age site at nearby Ampress Hole. However, evidence of later settlement there (as opposed to occupation) is sparse before Domesday book (1086).