Shirley Library

Shirley Library sits in a quiet corner of Hampshire, a proper community space rather than a showpiece building. It's the kind of place locals actually use - browsing the shelves, settling in with a cup of tea, using the computers. Nothing fancy, just a functioning library that serves Ashurst and the surrounding villages.

You'll find a standard collection of fiction and non-fiction, children's books if you're travelling with young ones, and the usual computer access. It's free to browse, though membership might be required for borrowing - worth checking ahead since details aren't readily available online. Staff tend to be helpful if you need directing to anything specific.

Who gets the most from it? Families needing a quiet indoor activity on a drizzly day. If you're camping at Sunnydale Farm or Ashurst Campsite just down the road and want somewhere air-conditioned to kill an hour or two, it fits the bill. Kids might occupy themselves briefly in the children's section, though it's not a destination in itself. Serious readers or researchers looking for specific local history collections should ring ahead first.

Allow 30 minutes to an hour depending on what you're after. It won't make your holiday highlight reel, but as a functional stop between countryside walks around the New Forest area, it serves a purpose. Combine it with a walk into Ashurst village itself rather than treating it as a standalone trip.