Route: Hurst Castle
Area: Hampshire
Date of walk: 7th August 2014
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 3 miles
Weather: Perfect
I parked in the public car park in Keyhaven and hopped on board the Keyhaven Ferry which leaves the harbour for Hurst Castle every 20 minutes. I disembarked at the jetty near the Castle and wandered around the headland for a while. The Isle of Wight was less than a mile away, and it was a thrill to see some massive yachts sailing by in a round the island race, part of Cowes Week
I’d liked to have visited the inside of the Castle but had spent too long watching the race, so I headed back to Keyhaven along a narrow spit of land, part of the Solent Way
Although it was only a short walk it was packed full of interest
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
It’s a short walk to the ferry from the car park in Keyhaven
‘Ferry’ is perhaps too grand a word for the little boat which takes us to Hurst Castle
Leaving the harbour
The shingle bank in the background is Hurst Spit, which I’ll follow to walk back to Keyhaven
The ferry approaches Hurst Castle
On dry land now, the lighthouse has just been given a fresh coat of paint
Looking back towards Keyhaven
Hurst Castle on the right and the Isle of Wight in the background
The Needles
The first of the big yachts competing in the Artemis Challenge round the Isle of Wight
The eventual winner - a trimaran ‘Prince de Bretagne’
It’s less than a mile across to the Isle of Wight at this point, so this is a great viewing point for the race
Zara Phillips in the black T-shirt
What an unexpected treat it was to see these beautiful yachts go by
At long last it’s time to start the walk and return to Keyhaven
The shingle bank known as Hurst Spit, which separates the sea from the harbour
Looking back to Hurst Castle
There was plenty of birdlife as I walked along the spit……
Oystercatcher
Little Egret
Stilt Sandpipers
Black-tailed Godwits
Looking back to Hurst Castle as I cross the footbridge at the end of the spit
Crabbing
The path back to Keyhaven
Back to the start - what an amazing walk
