As you arrive via helicopter, Spitbank Fort initially looks like a military outpost from a classic strategy game like Red Alert or Total Annihilation. Indeed, when it was built in the 1860s its purpose was military: to defend Britain’s Portsmouth Harbour which was then one of the richest ports in the world.

Today it has been revamped as a luxury hotel with 9 suites, 3 bars, 3 restaurants, and spa facilities. Stay there and make the most of your saline environment with a fishing excursion; the waters are brimming with crustaceans, flopping fishes, and crabs so there is plenty to interest experienced and beginner anglers alike. Perhaps a peaceful sea kayak is more your thing. You can hire them from the hotel and strike out into the rich waters of the English Channel. There is also a racing yacht academy where an experienced skipper will take you and your party skimming across the waves for a sea-flecked afternoon of fun.