Overview Keyhaven lies at one end of the shingle bank which leads to Hurst Castle. It is a small fishing village with a small, sheltered harbour. The Keyhaven Yacht Club is situated at the head of the harbour. To the east of Keyhaven lies the nature reserve of Keyhaven marshes. Keyhaven is a very popular [...]
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Calshot Slipway
Overview Calshot Spit is home to Calshot Activities Centre, Calshot Castle and the Calshot Lifeboat Station. It is also home to a large slipway utilised by the activities centre, lifeboat crew and private water users. Owned by Hampshire County Council, the spit has ample pay and display parking and it is possible to drop boats [...]
Tanners Lane
Overview Tanners Lane is a less well known or used launch point situated about 2/3 of the way along the coast between Lepe and Lymington, and is about as rustic as they come. Driving down the very narrow lane brings you to a dead end directly on the sea front. There is limited parking at [...]
Lymington Slipway
Overview Lymington Slipway provides a good starting point for a number of trips in the Western Solent. Situated next to the Royal Lymington Yacht Club there is ample parking in a large public carpark although in the height of the Summer this can get quite busy. Use of the slipway for sea kayaks is free [...]
Spreading My Wings
So I manage to get out and paddle a lot, particularly given the time commitment a young family brings. However, most of my sea kayaking in recent years has been confined to the Solent. I love it and never get bored of repeating paddling routes, however the time has come to spread my wings. I [...]
Paddle: Circumnavigation Of Hayling Island
An unexpected ‘free’ day saw me scramble for the laptop to check tide times, weather conditions and google maps. Easterly winds F3-4, low tide around 10am. A plan began to formulate. I’ve managed to paddle almost the entire Mainland shore of the Solent with the exception of one section – Hayling Island. Maybe I could [...]
Southampton Water
After last nights aborted paddle and the recce/photo session that followed I was determined to try a new route with a difference. Instead of heading out into the quieter stretches of the Solent I would head up into the docks and take in the sights and sounds of one of the UK’s busiest ports by [...]
Paddle: Calshot To Ashlett Creek
Last night was incredibly still, Bramble Bank weather station indicated max F2. The sky was cloudy and their was a constant drizzle. With it being a very high tide I decided to do a short paddle and explore the networks of channels that make up Ashlett Creek. A quick blast across Calshot Bay enjoying the [...]
Calm After The Storm
The South Coast has been hit by very strong winds over the past 24 hours. The BBC reported gusts of 100mph off The Needles and Southampton (my home town) was hit by 60mph winds. I had pretty much written off paddling this weekend however this evening it looked as if there was to be a [...]
Lymington To The Needles
The Needles are one of the iconic landmarks of the Solent. Projecting out from the western tip of the Isle of White, the three chalk stacks rise majestically out of the sea. They are capped at the Western tip by the distinctive red and white stripes of a light house. For confident paddlers, the Needles [...]
