Keyhaven Marshes

Keyhaven Marshes is a 3.5-mile loop from the Keyhaven green bus stop beside The Gun Inn. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. Start down Lower Pennington Lane, pass the public car park and toilets, cross the mouth of Avon Water, then join the Solent Way on the sea wall. This is an easy, nearly level walk on compact paths, not a ramble through the marsh itself. Choose it for wide water views and birdlife; pick another route if you want woodland or changing terrain.

The long gravel seawall path is shared with cyclists. Early on, look across saltmarsh toward Hurst Spit, Hurst Castle and its lighthouse. Farther along, the view opens to the Isle of Wight and the Needles. Fishtail Lagoon sits on your left, with a large nesting island in the water. A grassy spur leads down to an information panel and the lagoon edge; return to the upper gravel path. At the lagoon’s far end, ignore the steps beside the cut channel and keep ahead as the path bends right. Turn inland opposite the jetty, taking the upper track when it splits.

The track crosses grassland and scrub on reclaimed land to a small car park at the end of Lower Pennington Lane. Beyond the gate, follow an old highway beside the reclaimed Efford site and its lake. The path runs between two hedgerows, so the scenery closes in after the open wall; listen for stonechats on gorse in early summer. Ignore two right-hand paths before the broad gate and single-track road back to Keyhaven. This is a full circuit, not a return along the coast.

Winter brings wigeon, redshanks and curlews; terns and gulls nest in summer, and spoonbills pass in spring and autumn. Fishtail Lagoon is the best place to stop and watch. Frame the nesting island across the water to give the wide, flat landscape a focal point. Stay on the public path: the intertidal marsh and mudflats are not for walking. Dogs should stay under close control near feeding and nesting birds. The village car park and toilets are by the start, and The Gun Inn is beside the bus stop; don’t count on a food stop once you leave Keyhaven.