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 launch point for crossings to the Isle of Wight however can experience very fast tidal flows as the tide is squeezed through the narrow gap between the Island and Hurst Spit.

Facilities

• Parking – Pay & Display in Keyhaven village, free roadside further down the road.
• Toilets – In Keyhaven village carpark.
• Pub – serves food
• Slipway – part of Keyhaven Yacht Club.

Notes

The very sheltered section of paddling out of the harbour and into the shelter of the spit can be deceptive. At the end of the spit lies ‘The Trap’ – a tide race running over the shallows past Hurst Castle. Within a few paddle strokes it is possible to go from very calm to rough water depending on the wind, weather and tidal conditions.

However, this is also a draw of paddling from keyhaven providing access to a nice ‘playspot’ when conditions are right. Be aware of the fishermen using the end of the spit with lines running out a decent distance.

Possible Routes

1. Keyhaven to IOW Crossing – Various locations
2. Keyhaven to The Needles
3. Keyahven to Highcliffe/Christchurch & various locations East along coast
4. Keyahven to Lymington/Tanners Lane, Lepe or Calshot

Tides and Weather

Tide: Easytide Tidal Predictions For Hurst point
Weather: Hurst Castle Live Weather (Internet Explorer Only)
Wind: Windfinder Wind & Weather Data For Hurst Castle

Location

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Gallery

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 right next to the slipway before moving the car to an empty space – often right by the slipway.

Facilities

• Pay and display parking
• Slipway (Fee payable at Activities Centre Reception)
• Toilets (in Activities Centre)
• Bar – serving food (in activities centre)
• Calshot Castle Visitors Centre (Open April – Sept)

Tides & Weather

Tide Times: Easytide Tide Times For Calshot
Weather: BrambleMet Live Weather for Calshot Area
Wind: Windfinder Wind/Weather Forecast for Calshot

Notes

Calshot sits at the entrance to Southampton Water and therefore experience very high rates of traffic at all times of the day and night, all year round. In particular larger vessels such as ferries, cruise liners, cargo ships and oil tankers making their way in and out of Southampton port. In addition the incredibly swift moving FastCats running between Cowes and Southampton run at very regular intervals. Although the shoreline opposite Calshot looks invitingly close great care should be exercised in crossing due to the volume of traffic.

Possible Routes

1. Calshot up Southampton Water to Redbridge Flyover
2. Calshot to Hamble
3. Calshot to Lee-On-Solent/Gosport/Portsmouth Harbour
4. Calshot to Lepe
5. Calshot To Ashlett Creek – Article here

Location

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Gallery

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 the side of the road (be careful not to block the gate access to the house there) or alternatively it is possible to drive onto the shingle beach where there is space to park several cars. However, be very aware that vehicles of vehicles getting stuck or even partially submerged at higher tides!

At low tide, there is a bit of a carry to the water edge.

Facilities

• Free Parking – Limited

Tides & Weather

Tide Times: Easytide Tide Times For Lymington
Weather: Lymington Starting Platform Weather Station (Internet Explorer Only)
Wind: Windfinder Wind/Weather Forecast

Notes

Security of cars parked here cannot be vouched for due to the secluded nature – leave no valuables.
If parking on the beach be very aware of the tides, particularly at springs.
Be careful not to block local residents driveways.

Possible Routes

1. Solent Crossing
2. Tanners Lane to Lepe or Calshot
3. Tanners Lane to Lymington or Keyhaven

Location

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Gallery

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 and car parking charges are reasonable.

A section of the car park borders the beer garden on a large pub providing a nice finish point where you can enjoy a pint and/or some food whilst you kit is drip drying in full view for security.

Facilities

• Public Toilets
• Snack Kiosk
• Ample parking (machines accept change or debit/credit cards)
• Lifeboat Station with shop
• Pubs (family friendly, food available) within walking distance

Tides & Weather

Tide Times: Easytide Tide Times For Lymington
Weather: Lymington Starting Platform Weather Station (Internet Explorer Only)
Wind: Windfinder Wind/Weather Forecast

Notes

The slipway can be very busy with dinghys. The main channel out of Lymington River into the Solent is also extremely busy with dinghys, yachts, ribs and most importantly Isle of Wight Ferries which are constrained by their draught. Keeping to the side of the channel and being vigilant is recommended.

Possible Routes

1. Lymington To The Needles- Article Here
2. Lymington To Lepe

Location

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Gallery

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 need to get out into new areas. I need to paddle unfamiliar territory and paddle in conditions that are not prevalent in the Solent. hit

Why? The most important reason is sheer enjoyment and that feeling of adventure that comes from paddling somewhere new. The secondary reason is to start the process of working towards my next long term goal of attaining 5*. The feedback from my 4* assessment was very positive with regards to moving on to 5* but clearly identified my need to build experience in other areas from a navigational planning and paddling experience point of view.

With this in mind, I grabbed the opportunity to assist Rich Pearsall from Liquid Logistics taking a group of 4 clients from Studland Bay to Anvil Point and back. This trip fitted in perfectly with a plan I have to work my away along the entire Dorset Coast as the first step in the process of spreading my wings. Whilst not a massive departure from the Solent, it’s part of a bigger plan which I look forward to sharing over time.

We had a cracking day on the water and enjoyed a mixture of beautiful conditions along with some decent flow and waves in the two tide races on route. Frustratingly, I forgot to charge up the batteries for my camera however Rich carries a waterproof point and shoot so provided the following pictures.

Route

Studland To Anvil Point (And Return)

Gallery:

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 finally tick off this remaining stretch of coastline?

With the tide and wind conditions I decided a clockwise circumnavigation of Hayling Island was the best bet. I would be setting off an hour or so after low tide so chose Northney Marina as my start point. This meant I would be paddling against the tide down through Chichester Harbour but once I headed out into the open sea would have wind behind me as I paddled westwards along the edge of the Island and then have tidal assistance and plenty of depth up through Langstone Harbour back to Northney Marina.

Northney Marina

Northney Marina is situated at the Northern tip of the hayling Island, an almost immeadiate right turn after you cros the bridge onto the Island leads you past the Langstone Hotel and into the Marina.

Car Parking/Launch fees are pretty extortionate being geared towards yachts/powerboats however the slipway is not affected by the tide giving easy access to the water without wading through mud at low tides. You also get pretty secure parking and access to very large, clean toilets and showers in the Marina complex.

If you are looking for alternative options, there is a small free parking area just by the bridge where I have seen kayaks put in, however it is exposed and I would not like to vouch for it’s safety.

Black Point

Once on the water, I headed out of the Marina into the main channel known as ‘Sweare Deep’ which runs down from the Marina and joins Emsworth Channel which runs down past Mill Rythe on your right and Stockers Lake on your left. In the distance I could see Black Point where the Hayling Island Sailing Club buildings stand proud on the spit. With the tide running against me and a beam wind from left trying to push me onto the mud flats this section was a little bit of a slog however the water was pretty calm and I knew my route choice would pay off later. I switched on my iPod and with Peter Gabriel’s ‘Secret World’ live album filling my ears I pushed on.

Passing Black Point and the Sailing Club on your right hand side you reach the Hayling RNLI Lifeboat Station and Eastoke Point. At this point the estuary widens out into the open water of the Solent. Although the beach curves round to right marking the start of the Seafront, the deep channel markers continue straight out into open water marking safe passage for larger boats around West Pole Spit.

West Pole Spit

The open water and rising tide across the spit was resulting in so confused seas with waves breaking is several directions with no obvious pattern.

However, there was a clear and calm ‘inside passage’ sticking close to the beach which would allow you to safely bypass the rougher water if you caught the tides right.

I opted instead to take a 5 minute break on the beach and switch thermal t-shirt, cap and sunnies for a dry cag and helmet and take the opportunity to head out through the rough stuff.

Once past West Pole Spit, the water calmed into gentle, large rolling swell as I worked my way west along the Sea Front. A varied collection of beach huts, houses (many with a penchant for flying flags such as a skull and crossbones) and groynes run the length of the beach. They are punctuated in the centre of the Sea front by the traditional, tacky fun fair which thankfully lacked flashing lights and thumping music.

Fun Fair

Shortly after the fair, the buildings peter out to leave a sloping shingle and sand beach marking the start of Sinah Common. Once again, a large sand/shingle bank, East Winner Sands, has the potential to cause some very rough confused seas.

There was a safe inside passage due to the calmer conditions and being a couple of hours before high tide however in very rough conditions kayaks have been damaged in the rougher water here.

This quiet end of the seafront made a suitable lunch stop and I enjoyed a good 45 minutes to an hour sitting in the sun, taking photographs and chatting to the occasional passer-by. I had stopped right on the corner of the beach where it leads up into Langstone Harbour entrance. Across the water i could see 18th century Fort Cumberland and looking to my right the entrance to the harbour with the small passenger ferry running between Eastney and Hayling Island.

Alpha Buoy

As you head through the harbour entrance you pass through a number of moored boats with tourists looking down on you from the Ferry Boat Inn. However, you are soon past this and into the quiet calm of the Harbour.

Catching this section of the trip in the last two hours of the flooding tide meant there was enough water in the harbour to deviate from the deep water channels although in sections the depth was less than a foot. I crossed one section of shallower water then picked up the Sinah and then Alpha marker buoys and followed the deep water channel back up to the northern tip of Hayling Island.

This section of the paddle passes quickly and you are soon approaching the road bridge. Just before this is a section of blocks which are the remains of the old Havant to Hayling Railway (Hayling Billy).

Hayling Billy

Immeadiately after this you pass under the road bridge which at almost high tide had little current flowing though it.

Now paddling into the Easterly wind I had to work hard for this last section, however a short hop past the Ship Inn and beautiful Windmill remains on the left hand mainland shore then the ‘exclusive’ looking Langstone Hotel on my right and I was back in the entrance to the Marina.

I left Northney Marina at 12:00 and returned at 16:30 so a 4.5 hour trip. Total paddling time was 3:25.

The Inshore Forecast for the day I paddled was:
Wind: East or northeast veering southeast, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 near headlands.
Sea State: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

View Circumnavigation of Hayling Island in a larger map

Southampton Docks

Heading out from Hythe Marina, I kept to the shoreline and worked my way up past Marchwood and Cracknore Hard. This route keeps you well away from the shipping channel along a edge of a nature reserve. Its a strange situation to be on one side of the water surrounded by fields, woodland and nature whilst looking across at the hustle and bustle of a major city.

Ferry Terminal

From here I passed a huge berth with numerous cranes, lit up like christmas trees and then on into relative darkness winding my way up until I was in striking distance of Redbridge Flyover. As time was pushing on I turned about and with the tide now dropping enjoyed an easier paddle back towards Hythe Marina.

At this point something quite unexpected happened. Shortly after rounding the berthed container ship, a reasonable distance out into the channel, I heard a loud splash and noise behind the kayak. Turning I could see nothing in the beam of my head torch. I kept paddling hard towards the shore when another loud splash came from my right side.

Hotel & West Quay

For the next 10 minutes or so, the seal kept alongside me, stopping occasionally to pop its head up and stare at me with a loud snort before surging on to catch me up. I kept my course straight and maintained speed so as not to scare it away whilst it almost bounded along next to me. Then as quickly as it had appeared it vanished.

A little research once back home has revealed that it is likely to be one of a colony of Seals based in Chichester Harbour, as this article from the Southampton Daily Echo explains.

The seals are part of a colony of 16 that inhabit Chichester Harbour, but they have been spotted roaming the north coast of the Isle of Wight, in Southampton Water and as far north as the Itchen River.

Similarly, the National Oceanographic Centre in Southampton reports frequent sightings of a Seal in Southampton Water.

As for me, well once I got over my initial shock and fear I was left speechless. Having paddle around the Solent Area so frequently during the last 3 years I have never encountered a Seal, then suddenly in the space of two weeks I have two experiences. It made the paddle a truly special one.

Southampton Panorama

View Southampton Water in a larger map

Ashlett Creek

A quick blast across Calshot Bay enjoying the clam water led me to the start of the channel to Ashlett Creek. At high tide the channels are wider and it is possible to work around the grassy ‘islands’. I made my way straight up to the Public Slipway at the end of the the Creek, through the plethora of moored yachts and past the Sailing Club. I spent some time on the slipway taking photos before heading back out.

Ashlett Creek At Night

Turning back towards Calshot it was another blast across the bay then time to practice strokes. The beautifully calm water leant itself perfectly to practicing strokes and edging – trying to ‘feel’ the effect of varying angles and positions. I then finished the session with rolling practice which also gave me an opportunity to further test the Aleutian Drysuit.

Back on land, I walked out onto the RNLI Jetty to take some shots of the Lifeboat Station and Fawley Power station across the bay before heading home with a huge smile on my face!

Ashlett Creek Public Slipway

Calshot Lifeboat Station

Fawley Power Station

View Calshot To Ashlett Creek in a larger map

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 period of calm before the next front of wind and rain moved in. Was a paddle possible?

P&H Cetus

Rather than head down to Calshot or Lepe I chose the closet put in to my home – Hythe Marina. With High tide at 9pm this mean’t I could put in at the Public Slipway and if needed hug the shoreline keeping well clear of the main channel.

On arriving at the marina, I found the slipway was barricaded due to maintenance work so a slippery clamber down some rocks was called for. I set off under the Hythe Pier as the small train carrying passengers out to an awaiting ferry to Southampton. The water was incredibly calm which was amazing considering earlier in the day I had shot down to Lepe to see waves crashing over the shore road which had been closed by the police.

Southampton Water At Night

Having fired off several shots I was soon back on the water heading up to the moored oil tankers at Esso Refinery.

The journey back was enhanced by the frequent passing of the Fast Jets running their regular service to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. A minute or so after they pass you are rewarded by large, smooth swells as their wash heads to shore. I was able to get a couple of good surf runs every time they passed feeling very lucky to be surfing by starlight.

Hythe Marina At Night

Once the boat was loaded back on the car, I took the opportunity to snap a few more pictures of the yachts moored up in the marina before driving the 2 minute journey back up to my house.

A unexpected but very welcome paddle in the clam after the storm!

Route: View route on Google Maps

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 provides a somewhat committing and exhilarating route.

Needles In The Distance

Although Keyhaven is the usual start point for the a trip to the Needles, I opted to launch from Lymington. Putting in 2 hours before Low water, at the Bath Road Public Slipway, I hugged the edge of the marked channel out into open water. Low lying cloud semi obscured the Isle of Wight however there was enough visibility to make out Fort Albert which lies West of Yarmouth so I headed directly across the Solent.

From Fort Albert, you head through narrowest point of the Western Solent, with Hurst Castle on your Starboard side. Whilst being on the Island side of this gap keeps you out of ‘The Trap’ (the fast tidal flow caused by the narrow gap) you start to feel the effect of the open sea ahead of you.

The Needles

Following the coast line brings you to the tip of Alum Bay and from here I opted to head directly across the bay to the Needles, rather than hug the coast line. Although the conditions were relatively calm, the swell grew and at tmes I would lose sight of yachts on a similar course as they dropped into the troughs leaving only their masts visible.

Nearing the Needles, I could see waves breaking between the stacks which mean’t that ‘threading the Needles’ would need to wait for another day. I spent a good twenty minutes bobbing around taking photos and enjoying the exposed nature of my position before heading back into Alum Bay.

Alum Bay Chairlift

Landing at the bottom of the cliffs in Alum bay gave me an opportunity to admire the multi-coloured sand and clay of the cliffs. A chairlift provides tourists visiting the Alum Bay Park with an easy route down the cliffs so the beach was very busy. The relatively unusual sight of my sea kayak drew a small crowd and I found my coffee break became an impromptu Q&A session on sea kayaking.

By now, the tide had turned so from Alum Bay, I paddled out into the trap and was able to ride the flood tide back to Hurst Castle. After a brief stop for more photographs I headed across the bay past Keyhaven and back into Lymington Marina.

Tidal Information.

Crossing The Trap To Hurst Castle

I planned this paddle to use the last of the ebb tide to aid my passage out to the Needles, with my arrival timed to coincide with low water. This ensured I could use rather than fight the flood tide back. The tidal flow through The Trap (between Hurst Castle & the Island) can reach 4.4knots and in certain wind conditions (South Westerly) can be tricky.

If you would like more detailed information, it is well worth reading Mark Rainsley’s route description in the excellent ‘South West Sea Kayaking‘ guidebook.

Also, check Easytide for up to date tidal information.

View Lymington to The Needles in a larger map

Large Swell Approaching Needles

View From The Kayak

Return To Lymington