Air Transport Auxillary Memorial

Just outside Southampton, this memorial honours the Air Transport Auxiliary - a volunteer organisation that ferried military aircraft during World War Two. It's a modest but moving site, marking where these pilots and crew members operated, often in conditions that would make most of us think twice.

The memorial itself is straightforward: a stone monument and interpretive display that tells the story of ordinary people doing extraordinary work. What gets you is the scale of it all - these weren't combat pilots, but they flew dangerous routes across Britain and Europe, delivering planes to where they were needed most. Many didn't make it home.

You won't spend hours here, and that's fine. Twenty minutes to half an hour allows time to read the panels properly and take in what you're looking at. It's the kind of place that works best if you've got even a passing interest in wartime history - families with older kids who can engage with the stories will find it worthwhile, whereas younger children might struggle with the focus.

If you're camping at Mercury Holiday Park or Bell Tent Glamping just down the road, it's absolutely worth the short drive. Pair it with a walk along nearby Lepe Beach or head into Southampton's maritime museums for a fuller picture of the region's wartime role. Free to visit, no facilities on site, best in daylight when you can read the panels without squinting.