High Water

It was high water when I took a walk by the creek at Eling today, and that makes a huge difference to the atmosphere of this normally quiet backwater at the northern end of Southampton Water.
There are plans afoot for widescale redevelopment of much of the waterfront, yet in the heart of the community an 18-month project is already underway which could open up the heritage of the area.
It’s known as the Eling Experience, a tourist attraction which includes an historic tide mill, a heritage centre and open spaces which include the quaintly named Goatee Beach on Southampton Water itself and Bartley Water which flows into the creek.
It  is all part of a partnership between the local New Forest District Council and Totton and Eling Town Council under a £1.3 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to fund the restoration.

The tide mill dates from the late 1700s and although closed while the restoration work is under way, is a rare example of a working mill still producing flour using only tidal power.