Keyhaven is a small village near the coastal town of Lymington. Nearby is the start of a coastal nature reserve that runs from Keyhaven to Lymington – owned and run by Hampshire Country Council. Details of their ownership and a leaflet on the reserve is available on their reserve webpage.

The reserve has several circular walks around the lagoons, mud flats and salt marshes. The Keyhaven end of the reserve has parking in a pay and display car park, along with some limited free parking nearby. This part overlooks a large inland area with a large spit that goes down to Hurst Castle which is an old coastal fortress first constructed in the reign of Henry VIII, and has been used since during the Napoleonic and WWII as a sea defence.

Walking from the car park in the opposite direction to the spit, will take you on a circular walk up to Pennington Marshes, before doubling back round. Here the walk will take you past several lagoons and past the mud flats, after passing the nearby harbour for a range of boats, including a small ferry that runs to the Castle. A large variety of sea birds and wildfowl can be seen and photographed here.

The views and Hurst Castle with its lighthouse also make for good landscape opportunities.

OS Grid Reference : SZ 30559 91499