Overview of Keyhaven
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
- Keyhaven to IOW Crossing – Various locations
- Keyhaven to The Needles
- Keyahven to Highcliffe/Christchurch & various locations East along coast
- 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
Thanks for posting the info.
Might be worth noting that you could be charged for launching here.
My son (13) and I launched here in the summer on one of the high springs and had a great paddle down to the castle and back.
But it nearly didn’t happen.
As we were about to launch we were approached by a guy who was the local council’s ranger (I think). He (very nicely) pointed out there was a launching fee. Bit of a problem because we’d used all we had in the car park machine (left wallet by front door as we were running late …).
Not sure he believed me, but at least he didn’t stop us launching and enjoying the day.
I’d last paddled here a couple of decades ago and hadn’t thought I’d need to pay a launching fee.
please could you help me ? We are staying at hurst campsite for one night on the 18th Aug. We have our own kayaks. Please could you give me details on were you are to launch ‘weather permitting’ and costs