Route: Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve
Area: Hampshire
Date of walk: 8th August 2014
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 5.6 miles
Weather: Overcast and warm
Inspired by my enjoyable walk from Keyhaven the day before, I returned to this small fishing village for another walk, this time heading along the edge of the marshes and through part of the Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve
The reserve is an area of coastal grazing marsh and lies between the town of Lymington and the coastal village of Keyhaven. It covers over 1200 hectares and incorporates mudflats, salt marshes, shingle banks, coastal grazing marshes, and saline lagoons. The reserve supports important populations of birds and rare and specialist plants and invertebrates.
I walked in an anti-clockwise direction following the Solent Way before heading inland in the direction of Pennington and then back to Keyhaven through the marshes. It was easy going all the way, with great views across to the Isle of Wight
There was plenty of wildlife to see and towards the end of the walk it was a thrill to have a close encounter with a young roe deer
That made it four great walks in three days – what a beautiful part of the country this is
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
At Keyhaven, the entrance to the Nature Reserve
Keyhaven Harbour
The Isle of Wight and The Needles
Approaching Keyhaven Marshes on the left
Heron
Egret
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Egret and more Godwits
Black-tailed Godwits in flight
Lapwing
Bar-tailed Godwit
At this point I head inland towards Lower Pennington
I re-enter the Nature Reserve……
……and spot a Roe Deer close to the path
Almost back to Keyhaven
Keyhaven Harbour - this completed four walks in this beautiful part of the world
Well camouflaged Turnstone back at the harbour
