The Solent is a unique stretch of English coastline. Bordered to the north by the Southern English mainland and to the south by the diamond-shaped Isle of Wight, its character is widely varied both from East to West and from North to South. Dotted with historic Napoleonic forts and treacherous shingle spits, it rims the picturesque New Forest, Naval Portsmouth, the busy city of Southampton, it is home to bustling coastal villages like Beaulieu and...