Solent of nationally important protected landscapes including the New Forest National Park, and the Isle of Wight AONB. The word first appears in the Saxon record as "Solentan", but pre-dates the English language and is first recorded as "Soluente" in 731. This original spelling suggests a possible derivation from the Brittonic element "-uente", which has endured throughout the history of Hampshire, being present in the Roman city of Venta Belgarum, the medieval kingdom of Gwent (or Y Went), and the modern town of Winchester. A pre-Celtic and supposedly Semitic root meaning "free-standing rock" has also been suggested as a possible description
Fleet, Hampshire Fleet, Hampshire Fleet is a town and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England, located 36 miles (58 km) southwest of London and 10 miles (16 km) east of Basingstoke. It is part of and is the major town of Hart District, which is one of the richest and least deprived areas in England. The 2011 population (ONS census) for Fleet was 38,726. In 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and again in 2017 Hart, of which Fleet is the main town, was voted the best place to live in the UK by the Halifax Quality of Life study,