Crossing the Solent

From Sandown to Ryde by bus; from Ryde to Portsmouth by ferry; from Portsmouth to Southampton by coach (intercity bus):  that's today's story.

New Place Names:  I like place names and always enjoy learning new ones.  'The Solent' was a new one to me.  It is what I would call a marinym:  a marine name.  The Solent is a strait: the band of water between the Isle of Wight and the English mainland.  The tides and currents in the Solent interact in complex ways typical of the English Channel.  Numerous ferries, hovercraft, and catamarans cross the Solent to the Isle of Wight; some proceed on to France.  On the north shore of the Solent is the county of Hampshire.  The major cities of Hampshire are Portsmouth and Southampton (home of Southampton Solent University), the anchor of the metropolitan region.  Opposite Portsmouth is Gosport. 

Commonwealth Connections:  Virginians recognized many of these names.  We have them in southeastern Virginia: Portsmouth, Gosport, Southampton County, and Isle of Wight County.  Some of the Jamestown setters came from this area of England.  They made the new continent feel like home by bringing their place names with them.  In fact, Southampton-Portsmouth feels a lot like Hamtpon Roads and is even comparable in population size.  Both are interdigitations of land and water, both are capitals of the country's naval forces, and both are major ports.  After the Norman Conquest in 1066 AD, Southampton was perhaps the most important port in England because it had a sheltered position on a tidal river with convenient passage to Normandy.  Inland from Southampton was England's Norman capital, Winchester.  Southampton served as Winchester's port.  Proximity to Normandy made the Hampshire coast essential to the D-Day invasion as well.  In fact, here in Southampton I stayed in a B&B that was on the site where US D-Day forces bivouacked before the invasion.  The end of World War II in Europe began in Portsmouth and Southampton. 

Geographically,
D.J.Z.