Back to the seaside: Hurst Castle and the Solent Way, 13 miles, moderate

We’re going back to the seaside! This linear walk follows the coastline from New Milton to Lymington, passing sandy cliffs, beaches and marshes, including a chance to visit Hurst Castle and a ferry ride!

Booking is required for this walk, via the form here.

Pace: gentle. Ascent: 80m.

Walk details

We’ll start this walk at New Milton train station at 10:30am, and head straight out to the coast, about a mile and a half away. We’ll then follow the coastline downhill from the pretty and rugged cliffs of New Milton, past the traditional sandy beaches of Milford on Sea, to the wild and untamed Keyhaven and Normandy marshes.

Halfway through the walk, hopefully around 1pm, we’ll reach Hurst Castle: an artillery fortress built by Henry VII, where – provided there is good weather – we will stop for lunch. There is an outdoor castle café which sells tea, coffee, biscuits, cakes and some pasties, but note that due to the remote location, the café has limited stock: the food may sell out before we arrive, so the café has advised us to not to rely on them for lunch. There are no toilets in the café, but there are toilets in the castle, if you pay to enter (see next paragraph).

After lunch, those that wish to can pay £4.50 to look around the castle, and then take the ferry back to Keyhaven, which will cost another £4.50. Alternatively, you may choose to walk back to Keyhaven, which is 2 miles away, or take the ferry back straight away, and go for a drink in The Gun Inn.

We’ll reconvene at around 3pm (times may vary), and walk along the marshes back to Lymington. The last mile of this will overlap with the end of the seaside walk we led last June.

Trains leave Lymington Town every half an hour. If the weather is good, the walk leaders invite anyone who wishes to join them for fish and chips before the train.

Travel details

By public transport

From Reading, take the 08:52 train to Brockhurst (arriving 09:58). Then change onto the 10:16 train from Brockenhurst to New Milton (arriving 10:25).

Return trains leave Lymington Town at :29 and :59 minutes past the hour, taking between 1hr 35 and 1hr 50 minutes back to Reading, with several changes.

If travelling from Reading, the cheapest way to pay for your train tickets is to buy the following three tickets (total £35.70, or less with a railcard):

• Off peak day return Reading ⟷ Basingstoke: £7.50
• Anytime day return Basingstoke ⟷ Lymington Town: £24.80
• Off peak day single Brockenhurst ⟶ New Milton: £3.40

By car

This walk is designed to be accessible for those taking public transport. However, a possible car option would be to drive to Brockenhurst, New Milton or Lymington, and take a train to the start point and/or back to the car at the end. It’s 10 minutes on the train from Brockenhurst to New Milton (take the 10:16 as in the public transport notes), and the same from Lymington back to Brockenhurst.

Notes

• If you or someone else from your household has COVID-19 symptoms, please do not attend.
• Please bring a packed lunch and a drink.
• Please feel free to contact the leader with queries about the walk, or if you are delayed on the day.