Cockleshell scuplture

The Cockleshell sculpture sits on Hayling Island like a monument to the area's maritime past. It's exactly what it sounds like - a sizeable public artwork made from cockle shells, the kind of thing that stops you mid-walk and makes you think about what locals are really made of. The piece commemorates the island's fishing heritage, when cockles were harvested from these waters and sold across southern England.

You won't spend hours here. It's a stop rather than a destination - ten minutes to have a proper look, take some photos, read the plaque if there is one. But that's rather the point. On a caravan holiday at one of the nearby parks like Hayling Island Holiday Park or Mill Rythe Coastal Village, it's the sort of thing you'd drift past on a coastal walk and actually remember. The sculpture gives you a tangible connection to what Hayling Island actually is, beyond holiday accommodation.

It's free, obviously, and accessible year-round. Families with young kids might find it mildly interesting for about five minutes. Older visitors who care about local history get more from it. Anyone who walks the coastal paths regularly will know exactly where it is.

The real appeal is context. Pair it with a stroll around Hayling Island itself - the seafront, the old piers - and it becomes part of understanding the place rather than just a curio. It's unpretentious and genuine, which is all you can ask of a sculpture made from shells.