Is that yourself Neil? The guy I was out riding with on the IOW a few weeks back?
I lived in Lymington and worked in Southampton for a year before moving to the Isle of Wight. Nice commute through the New Forest. Lymington and that coastal fringe of the New Forest is pricey, and full of splenetic retired colonels and would-be yacht club commodores, nursing their gout or charging up and down the high street on mobility buggies. But it's good for walking and a bit of biking in the coast and the Forest.
Have to say, I never really got the hang of Southampton at all. Even now, living in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, it's my closest major city but I can't think of many good reasons to go there that are worth the ferry fare, other than the train station and the airport.
The Platform Tavern is quite a nice wee pub with occasional live music and a decent selection of real ales. Down at the waterfront opposite Town Quay.
If you're into clubbing at all, look out for High Tide boat parties on bank holidays. Good fun.
Er, it's got a very big IKEA and a couple of decent bike shops - Hargroves, Rock and Road. Beyond that I'm struggling.