Solent: D-Day In a Nutshell

The D-Day In a Nutshell Tours takes you from Hayling Island in the East to Lepe Beach in the West, discovering locations that were key to the planning and delivery of the invasion force via a series of individual tours. Please read each guide fully before starting your journey as there are various options which allow you to mix and match the tour travelling by Public Transport, Car, Cycle or on foot. Clicking on a Audio link will provide an audio guide to the location. Please Note: This is a self-guided tour and therefore you should always be aware of your surroundings. The Tour is based on areas open to the public at the time of publication. This Tour is intended as a guide to the history of the locations and is not a confirmation that a location is safe for everyone, so always take care to check local signage and local instructions .  

Unfortunately, it is not possible to include public transport details as part of this guide.   

Tour 4: A Modern Port and Ancient Forest Goes to War

Start: Chichester Road Car Park Hayling Island PO11 9EZ

Location A C.O.P.P Memorial.

Location B Fabius II Exercise Beach.

Location C Mulberry Harbour Construction Site.

HINT: Consider the distances and your transport options.

A to B then C is a 1Hr 5min walk and a 16 min cycle. (Non-Stop) 

Interactive map provided by www.360tourguide.uk

Location A: COPP Memorial

Parking: Chichester Road Car Park.

Toilets: Chichester Road Car Park.

Refreshments: Semi-Permanent Refreshments Van in Car Park

Walk east from the Chichester Road Car Park on the main path and the COPP Memorial in on your Right.

COPP Memorial Hayling Island © BDDH

The Combined Operations Pilotage P

Location B: Fabius II Exercise Beach

Car parking: Pay & Display Parking at several locations.

Toilets: Adjacent to Beachlands Amusements Building.

Refreshments: Hayling Island Beach Café.

Walk to the Hayling Island Beach Café with Norfolk Crescent behind. Landing beaches are to your left and right. 

Whilst th

Travel west via Sea Front and Ferry Road to Location C at Ferry Rd Car Park.

Note: After passing a WW2 Pill box on the right there is a house boat that appears to be a WW2 Landing Craft.

Location C: Mulberry Phoenix Construction Site 

Car parking: Pay & Display at the location. Avoid the Parking next to the Ferry Boat Inn unless you are visiting the Pub as it is NOT Free.

Toilets: Adjacent to The Ferryboat Inn, In their Car Park.

Refreshments: Beach Café, at the location and Ferryboat Inn close by.

Walk to the Beach Café where you will find a Hayling WW2 Trail Information Board (Arrowed) describing the Construction Site.

Extract of a 3D model created by Wessex Archaeology of a site at Lepe

The Phoenix Caissons were partly completed before being hauled to the launching area. In another example of brilliant design, the Caissons were constructed on a mobile deck on large ball bearings, meaning that several thousand tons would move relatively easily to the launch site.

If you are able to move safely to the beach at the launch area you will see the remains of the concrete blocks and the edges of the construction deck particularly where the winter storms have exposed them.   

When completed the Caissons were towed to a storage area at Selsey where they were sunk for safekeeping and to lessen the risk of being spotted. 

Two Caissons remain at Selsey just off the coast to this day, and it is understood that they didn't release from the sea bottom as the water was being pumped out.

A further Caisson almost certainly from Hayling was left in Langstone Harbour to the north of the Ferryboat Inn after it developed cracks during construction. It is not visible from the Hayling Island side of the Harbour unless you are intending to take the Ferry to Eastney (foot passengers and cycles only). Google Maps included a good aerial photo of the Caisson. Click here to View.   

After D-Day they were towed to two locations in France Mulberry A served the American Beaches whilst Mulberry B served The British Beaches. Here they were assembled with the other parts of the Harbour, brought from other locations. Mulberry A was damaged in a storm and never fully completed whilst Mulberry B was used for several months.

Further Resources:

This is the end of Tour 4 of the Solent: D-Day in a Nutshell.