Lymington and Keyhaven Marshes Nature Reserve

A coastal reserve offering fantastic views

Location

Lower Pennington Lane

Lymington

Hampshire

SO41 8AJ

OS Map Reference

SZ318927

Know before you go

Size

738 hectares

Entry fee

Donations welcome

Parking information

Parking available at Keyhaven Village, Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington Quay and marinas.

Bicycle parking

None on the reserve, some on Hampshire County Council site nearby

Grazing animals

Not on our reserve, but the seawall path from which you view the reserve has grazing cattle and could have ponies.

Walking trails

Please keep off the marshes to avoid disturbing the sea birds. The reserve is an intertidal mudflat and saltmarsh, so access is difficult and potentially dangerous. A network of footpaths on the Hampshire County Council reserve including along the seawall afford views across the marshes.

Access

No direct access onto the marsh, the site can be viewed from the sea wall, which runs around the Hampshire County Council's Lymington and Pennington Marshes reserve. Between Keyhaven and Lymington, the seawall path is accessible from both ends and from Lower Pennington lane - look south to see the reserve.

Dogs

Guide dogs only

Guide dogs and Assistance dogs only. Otherwise dogs under control allowed on seawall path beside reserve, but note NO DOGS on the reserve itself

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times.

Best time to visit

Visit in spring to see arriving migrants such as wheatear, swallow, terns. Winter brings large flocks of brent geese, wigeon, pintail, waders.

About the reserve

The seawall offers stunning views across the mudflats, where a wealth of different bird species come to feed. Large numbers of Brent geese seek refuge here in the winter, along with roosting dunlin, black-tailed godwit and grey plover.

The salty mud creates an idyllic habitat for plants such as yellow-horned poppy, sea campion and sea aster, and healthy fish populations make the marshes a fantastic place for sandwich and little terns, black-headed gulls, and cormorants. Keep your eyes peeled for hunting birds of prey, including marsh harriers, peregrine falcons, and merlins.