Stepping onto this beautiful island is like stepping back in time and, with the sun shining, it almost doesn’t even feel like it’s in the UK. Hayling Island is one of the lesser-known islands in England and, unlike the typical British seaside destination, it’s never crowded. There’s not much there – but that’s what makes it so charming.

Located in Hampshire, just a 20-minute drive from Portsmouth, its slow pace of life, scenic views, empty beaches and blue skies make it a much-loved home for those who live on the island. Councillor Paul Gray says he’s surprised the island doesn’t have more visitors. He says: “We’ve got very, very few chains here. If you look at the cafes and businesses on Hayling, you’re looking at small, independent, local businesses – you won’t find a Starbucks or anything like that. 

“That less commercialised feel is actually what makes Hayling a bit different from a lot of traditional seaside resorts. Hayling is a very different place from somewhere like Brighton. It does play into that sleepy backwater type of place that’s undiscovered.”

Paul says the island is only a small drive from London, and he says even people on the island question why it isn’t more popular and better known.

Hayling Island is the home of windsurfing and it has become very well known in the windsurfing community. Its beaches have a natural feel to them and the island is a hit destination for nature-based activities, Paul says.

He adds: “The island has a traditional charm to it. As a tourist destination, we’re always going to be slightly restricted because there’s only one road on and one road off – it’s a unique problem.

Along the seafront, a small train chugs along as visitors bask in the sun at outdoor cafes. A number of shops line the street with colourful arrays of beach-related items to sell.

Caroline Clark, 53, owns a seafront fish and chip shop with her husband which has been in her family since 1942. She told Express.co.uk: “We’ve got all our amenities on the island, but at the same time, we are a small island and it’s getting fuller and fuller with people.

“The tourism here lasts for a few weeks each year, but the amount of people that have moved to the island and stay here is also increasing. There are lots of retired people here now.”

Caroline has lived on the island for most of her life and she says the things she likes most about it are the proximity to the sea and that it has a small community.

Despite some changes the island has seen over the years, Caroline says she likes living on the island and she enjoys walking her dog along the beach.

Along the same stretch of seafront stores, Maxine Campbell serves customers in her beach shop.

Joint owner of Island Gifts, Maxine says: “We’re very weather dependent here, out of season, people don’t come out.

“We have a big caravan site here so it’s mainly holidaymakers that we see here.

“We don’t have enough tourists here. I’m surprised there’s not more, because it is a nice place but there’s not much for them to do.

“I think the island is more suited to older tourists who can enjoy the beach, rather than to younger tourists.”

The slow pace of life on the island attracts visitors who want to enjoy a quieter holiday.

Wayne Foster, a day tripper on Hayling Island, says he has been coming for years for this very reason. He says the thing he likes most about it here is that there’s nothing there.

“It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. It’s not too commercialised, I personally wouldn’t want to see more tourists here – I like it just how it is.

“I used to bring my boys down here and it was a great day for them – I’d take them down to the beach and it was great. It’s a fantastic place,” he says.

Wayne says he regularly thinks about moving to the island and he would like to see the area retain its “natural beauty”.

One resident tells Express.co.uk he moved to the island 30 years ago and has never looked back. John Rhodes, owner of an antiques store called Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe, which is also along the seafront, says: “There’s quite a lot of retired people on the island that have moved here over the years – it’s a great place to retire to.

“It has a nice, slower pace of life and it’s a very friendly island. You move here and it’s almost like stepping back 20 years, or even 30 years from other places. It’s just friendly and it’s nice to be by the sea too.”

He says he has seen the island change a lot over the years, and that, surprisingly, it was much busier 30 years ago.

Residents and business owners told Express.co.uk that many holiday amusements such as arcades have closed down – some want to see them come back. 

John, owner of a seafront shop, says: “If the tourism stops, the shops will close. I know a few of them are already talking about how difficult it is for them. I would like to see more tourism.”