Rock Pooling on the Solent Coast
The best spots for rock pooling, what to find and when to go
Rock pooling is one of the best free family activities along the Lee-on-the-Solent coast, and the clay platforms and shingle foreshore between Hill Head and Stokes Bay provide productive pools at low tide throughout the year.
The best rock pooling is found at Hill Head, roughly two miles west of Lee-on-the-Solent's main seafront. The beach here overlies Eocene clay platforms that are exposed as the tide drops, forming shallow pools in the dips and hollows of the uneven surface. These pools retain water, warmth and marine life as the tide retreats, creating natural aquariums that can be explored at leisure.
Shore crabs are the most commonly found inhabitants, ranging from tiny juveniles the size of a fingernail to adults the width of a palm. Green and brown are the usual colours, but occasional specimens show vivid red or orange. Hermit crabs, occupying borrowed winkle shells, scuttle through the shallows and are endlessly entertaining for young children. Common prawns are present in many pools and can be spotted by their near-transparent bodies hovering just above the pool floor.
Anemones are the other reliable find. Beadlet anemones, in red, green and occasionally strawberry-patterned varieties, attach to rocks and hard surfaces in the pools. When the tide is out they retract into blob-like shapes; when submerged they extend their tentacles and become recognisable as the elegant creatures they are. Snakelocks anemones, with their bright green tentacles, prefer pools that receive direct sunlight.
Small fish, particularly blennies and gobies, lurk in the deeper pools and beneath overhanging rock edges. They are fast and difficult to catch by hand, but patient watching will reveal them. Starfish occasionally turn up in the lower-shore pools, and sea slugs are possible though uncommon.
Seaweed species in the pools include bladderwrack, serrated wrack, sea lettuce and, in the lower-shore pools, kelp fronds. The seaweed provides shelter and food for the pool inhabitants and should be left in place rather than pulled up.
The key to good rock pooling is timing. The lowest tides, known as spring tides, occur roughly every fortnight around the full and new moons. On these tides the water retreats further than usual, exposing pools and shore platforms that are normally submerged. Check the tide tables for Portsmouth, which cover the Lee-on-the-Solent area accurately, and aim to arrive about an hour before low water. This gives you time to explore as the tide drops and to work back up the shore before it returns.
A few practical points. Wear old shoes or wellies rather than bare feet, as the clay can be sharp-edged and slippery. A small bucket or clear-sided container is useful for examining finds more closely before returning them to their pool. Always replace any rocks you turn over, as the underside provides a specific habitat for creatures that depend on it. Never take live animals or shells home. The Seashore Code, promoted by the Marine Conservation Society, is a good set of guidelines to follow.
Lee-on-the-Solent's main beach has fewer rock pools than Hill Head, as the shingle foreshore does not form pools in the same way. However, at very low tides some clay is exposed at the western end of Marine Parade, and these patches can hold crabs and anemones. Stokes Bay has limited rock pooling, with the shingle beach being the dominant feature.
Rock pooling is genuinely rewarding at any age. The concentration required, the thrill of spotting something alive in a pool, and the closeness to the marine world make it one of the coast's simplest and best pleasures.