Hurst Spit

Hurst Spit separates the sea and the Lymington River Estuary.  

 

 

 

 

To one side it has mudflats and salt marshes.  

 

 

 

 

To the other it has the sea and views to the Isle of Wight and the Needles. 

 

 

 

 

Swimming or using inflatables in the sea here is not recommended as the currents are very strong.

 

 

 

 

Walking to Hurst Castle

The walk to the castle is about two miles and is part of the Solent Way.

It is not the easiest of walks.  Sturdy footwear is recommended and it is hard going with a buggy.

 

 

You can pick up the path to Hurst Spit and Hurst Castle from Keyhaven Car Park – just head for the Hurst Castle Ferry and then keep walking.  

 

 

 

Sailing to Hurst Castle

If you would like to visit Hurst Castle but don’t fancy the walk or have little ones with you, then consider the Hurst Castle ferry.  

 

 

 

It is a beautiful 20 minute ferry ride through salt marshes, mud flats and moored boats. 

 

 

 

 

Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle is an artillery fort that was built in the 16th century by Henry VIII to protect the Solent, Southampton and Portsmouth.

 

 

 

It is one of the best preserved of Henry VIII’s castles and had an active military role until the mid-20th century.

 

Nearest Town: Lymington, New Forest
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO41 0TP takes you to Keyhaven Car Park and if you keep driving, Hurst Spit. 

Opens: Daily

Adult Cost Range: Hurst Spit is free but there are various costs for castle entry – please see the websites for details.
Child Cost Range: Hurst Spit is free but there are various costs for castle entry – please see the websites for details.
Free if: Hurst Spit is free. Children under 5 years enter the castle for free.

Where to Eat: Eat at the Hurst Castle cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: There are toilets and accessible toilets inside Hurt Castle. There are no toilets available for people not visiting the castle. There is a cafe outside the castle that is available to all visitors.

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: Not buggy friendly. 

Parking: Pay and display car park at Keyhaven. 
Cost of Parking: From £3 for two hours.

Wildlife You Might See: Fish, crabs, seabirds and sea creatures.

Information Written: January 2023

 

Hurst Castle

The castle is strategically placed at the end of Hurst Spit, halfway between the mainland and the Isle of Wight. It can only be reached by a little ferry or on foot. 

 

 

 

The castle is a coastal fort so it does not look like a traditional castle. It is low to the ground to make the smallest possible target for enemy ships,

 

 

 

and has thick walls to withstand bombardment.

 

 

 

 

Inside the walls is a labyrinth of passageways, stairs

 

 

 

 

and some enormous guns on display.

 

 

 

 

 

There are also some beautiful views from the ramparts.

 

 

 

 

 

The Ferry – Sailing to Hurst Castle

Our favourite part of the trip was the beautiful twenty minute ferry ride on a boat that takes you past salt marshes, mud flats and moored boats.

 

 

 

The ferries were running every 20 to 30 minutes when we visited. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurst Spit – Walking to Hurst Castle

You can walk to the castle along Hurst Spit, which is about a two mile walk along the sea. This walk is part of the Solent Way.

 

 

 

Hurst Spit is a shingle bank that juts into The Solent, linking Keyhaven and Hurst Castle. It separates the sea from the Lymington River Estuary. 

 

 

 

As this walk takes you over shingle, sturdy footwear is recommended. It is hard going with a buggy.

Swimming or using inflatables in the sea here is not recommended as the currents are very strong.

 

 

You can pick up the path to Hurst Spit and Hurst Castle from Keyhaven Car Park – just head for the Hurst Castle Ferry and then keep walking.  

 

Nearest Town: Lymington, New Forest
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO41 0TP

Opens: There are various opening times depending on the time of year. Please see the websites for details.

Adult Cost Range: Various costs for the ferry and for castle entry – please see the websites for details.
Child Cost Range: Various costs for the ferry and for castle entry – please see the websites for details.
Free if: Under 3 years for the ferry. Under 5 years for the castle.

Where to Eat: Eat at the cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: There are toilets and accessible toilets inside Hurt Castle. There are no toilets available for people not visiting the castle. There is a cafe outside the castle that is available to all visitors.

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: Not buggy friendly but you could bring a buggy if you were prepared to leave it somewhere as you explore the castle, which has lots of steps. I wouldn’t take a buggy onto Hurst Spit as it would be too hard to push. 

Parking: Pay and display car park at Keyhaven. 
Cost of Parking: From £3 for two hours.

Wildlife You Might See: Fish, crabs, seabirds and sea creatures.

Information Written: June 2020
Information Checked: July 2022

 

Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

The story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is brought to life by costumed Tudor characters, panelled rooms,

 

 

 

 

banquet halls and even a potential candidate for Henry VIII’s bed chamber.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Grounds

The grounds boast several formal gardens, statues,

 

 

 

 

 

 

waterfalls, a lake 

 

 

 

 

 

and bushes shaped like chess pieces and animals. 

 

 

 

 

The Ducks

There are also plenty of marauding ducks to feed.

 

 

 

 

The Two Mazes

There are two mazes to pit your wits against – a hedge maze and a water maze.

 

The Hedge Maze

The hedge maze is lots of fun and took us about ten minutes of wandering around to solve.

 

 

The Water Maze

The water maze is ingenious.

Your task is to reach the centre whilst dodging the jets of water that suddenly erupt when step on the wrong stone.

 

 

 

The Adventure Play Area

The fantastic Hever Castle Adventure Play Area centres around a castle called Tudor Towers.

It has tube slides, turrets, bridges and poles.

 

 

It also has a secret passage, maze and musical instruments.

 

 

 

 

The castle is surrounded by more play equipment, including slides, swings, tunnels and an obstacle course.

 

Nearest Town: Hever
County: Kent
Nearest Postcode: TN8 7NG

Adult Cost Range: Various 
Child Cost Range: Various
Free if: Under 5 years or entry to the gardens can be free with RHS membership at set times.

Opens: Daily from March to December.

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at the cafe.
Facilities: Picnic area, cafe, snacks, barbecues, toilets and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: The castle is a short walk from the car park, which has lots of spaces.
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks and swans.

Information Written: May 2016
Information Checked: September 2021

 

You can roughly divide the play area into three sections.

 

Tudor Towers

This is a large wooden castle built like a castle

 

 

 

 

with tube slides, poles, tunnels,

 

 

 

 

 

rope bridges, net tunnels, ladders and climbing walls.

 

 

 

 

Outside there is a well hiding a secret passage, which eventually emerges through a fireplace. 

 

 

 

 

The castle also has musical instruments, a maze, hidden passages and games. 

Tudor Towers is for those aged 5 to 14 years.

 

 

 

Acorn Dell – Natural Play Area

This sandy play area has:

• a wooden climbing frame
• tree trunks and climbing logs
• a tunnel
• stones to climb on
• a tree house with a tube slide and a wobbly bridge
• a willow tunnel
• and a musical instrument. 

 

 

The Wooden Play Area

This play area has:

• toddler swings (for under 5s)
• swings
• a castle slide with easy to climb steps
• knights’ horse springers
• a swinging basket
• wooden climbing frames with nets and ropes
• an obstacle course
• a zipwire.

Nearest Town: Hever
County: Kent
Nearest Postcode: TN8 7NG

Adult Cost Range: Various 
Child Cost Range: Various
Free if: Under 5 years or entry to the gardens can be free with RHS membership at set times.

Opens: Daily from March to December.

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at the cafe.
Facilities: Picnic area, cafe, snacks, barbecues, toilets and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 1.5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: The castle is a short walk from the car park, which has lots of spaces.
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks and swans.

Information Written: May 2016
Information Checked: September 2021

 

The Old Palace

The Old Palace was originally called the Royal Palace of Hatfield and was used by Henry VIII as a nursery for his children.

 

 

 

 

The Royal Palace was originally a quadrangle built around a central courtyard.

The building you see today is one wing of the quadrangle. The courtyard is now a manicured garden.  

The rest of the Royal Palace was demolished after Elizabeth I died and the bricks used to build Hatfield House.

 

 

Hatfield House 

This was closed when I visited because of Covid restrictions but I was reliably informed that it has secret doors used by the servants to disappear when necessary! 

 

 

 

As well as the Tudor connection, Hatfield House has rolling parkland, ancient trees,

 

 

 

 

and little robots that mow the lawns! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth Oak

This is said to be the spot where Princess Elizabeth was told she had become Queen in 1558.

The original oak tree she was sitting under died about 100 years ago. Elizabeth II planted this replacement tree in 1985.

 

 

The Grounds

The grounds of Hatfield House roll down to the River Lea and include parkland and woodland to explore. Everywhere you look there are twisted trees that look like they are about to stand up and walk away.

Some areas are busy and others feel isolated. I had a picnic in a spot that was so peaceful a deer walked right past me.

 

 

The Trails

There are a few marked trails to choose from. I tried the Red Walk, which is a little over 3 miles and takes you into the woodland, along the River Lea, past Elizabeth Oak and then back through the parkland.

The paths were easy to walk on, with some hills. Lots of families were using buggies without any trouble.

 

 

The Guides

I visited in connection with another project and would like to say a huge thank you to Dermot and Alan, two of the guides who made my visit extra special.

They were both very knowledgeable and helpful and went out of their way to explain the history of the Old Palace.

Nearest Town: Hatfield
County: Hertfordshire
Nearest Postcode: AL9 5NQ

Adult Cost Range: Various depending on where you want to go.
Child Cost Range: Various depending on where you want to go.
Free if: Under 3 years old. 

Opens: Various depending on which parts you want to visit.

Where to Eat: A shop, a cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: Snacks, cafe, ice cream, picnic area, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: There is a large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Insects, ducks and other birds and deer.

Information Written: July 2020

 

The Walled Gardens

We investigated the walled gardens first. The path leads you along winding paths edged with gorgeous flowers and bushes.

 

 

 

 

 

These paths are the perfect size for little ones to run up and down but there are water features and fountains hidden around a few of the corners so you have to be careful.

 

 

 

 

 

The Moat

On the edge of the gardens, there is a small lawn with a slope hiding a sheer drop into the moat. 

 

 

 

 

The Lake

The lake is a ten minute walk from the house and walled gardens. We enjoyed a walk surrounded by waterbirds, flowers and parkland. Then, to our surprise, a beautiful deer ran across our path.

 

 

 

The House

You can also visit the house but we did not do this. 

It is used as a filming location, including for The Crown. 

 

 

 

RHS Membership

At the time of writing, the Loseley Park gardens are free to visit with RHS membership. We would visit again but only when entry was free.  

Nearest Town: Guildford
County: Surrey
Nearest Postcode: GU3 1HS

Opens: Various times throughout the year and during the week. Please check their website before planning your visit.

Adult Cost Range: £10 to £14.99
Child Cost Range: £0 to £4.99
Free if: Under 5 or with RHS membership at set times.

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or buy food from the cafe.
Facilities: Cafe, toilets, accessible toilets, picnic area, snacks, ice creams.

How Long We Spent There: 1.5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: Car park by the play area.
Cost of Parking: Free

Animals You Might See: Geese, Canada geese, ducks and butterflies.

Information Written: May 2016