Not unlike Chesil Beach at Portland to the west, Hurst Spit is a shingle bank that stretches out into the sea. The spit extends towards the Isle of Wight, creating a narrow channel and marking the entrance to the Solent. As a result of its slender width, the channel is fast moving at any time other than slack tide. This also makes the end of the spit an excellent place for mackerel fishing.

Henry VIII had a fort built at the end of the spit, which still stands today and is called Hurst Castle. On the eastern side of the spit at the Keyhaven Saltmarshes, an important habitat for birds, plants and invertebrates. You can hike along the spit or catch a little ferry to the end from Keyhaven.

Mike The Mooching Minister.

February 18, 2024

Hurst Spit is a one-mile-long (1.6 km) shingle bank near the village of Keyhaven, at the western end of the Solent, on the south coast of England. The spit shelters an area of saltmarsh and mudflats known as Keyhaven and Pennington marshes. At the end of the spit is Hurst Castle, an artillery fortress originally built on the orders of King Henry VIII, and much enlarged in the 19th century. Hurst Point Lighthouse was built on the end of Hurst Spit in the 1860s.

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Take Me There

Location: Milford On Sea, New Forest, Hampshire, South East England, England, United Kingdom

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1. Keyhaven to Hurst Spit via Solent Way — New Forest National Park

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