As the ice melted, sand and gravel covered the landcape and sediment was deposited in the shallow, sheltered waters and river estuaries which created mud and sand flats, the higher parts of which have been colonised by salt marsh vegetation. The Solent, as we know it today, had probably achieved roughly its present shape by the Iron Age - about 2,500 years ago.

There is lots of life on the beach, but it is constantly changing - what lives here today and what's going to live here in years to come could be very different.

An oyster shell

The natural wealth of the Solent has always been exploited by man - which gradually changed the look of the landscape.

From the Bronze Age hunter-gatherers, through Gaul, Roman and Germanic invasions and medieval times, people began to tame the environment and evidence of fishing, oyster catching and salt making has been found in the area. Salt was produced by evaporating sea water and used to preserve food and also to tan animal hide - it was an important local industry up until the 19th century.

Most of the beach at Netley is made up of shells washed up by the tide and they can tell us about the animal life which lives in the water.

Oyster catching was once big business - 124 million oysters were sold to London from the South Coast in the mid 19th century.

Oysters have been farmed for centuries

Today about 15 million oysters a year are harvested with the help of a close season which allows them to repopulate.

The Hard shell clam was introduced to Southampton Water in 1925 from America to be tried as eel bait. It was was able to survive hard winters better than the native soft shelled clam which is now rare in the Solent.

Continue walking along the beach in the direction of the yacht club.