Milford on Sea Walks
This Hampshire based coastal village is a lovely place for a walk. There's a village green, a lovely beach, a good selection of shops and cafes, and fine views over the Solent to the Isle of Wight and The Needles.
This walk from the village takes you to some of the local highlights including Hurst Castle Spit, Keyhaven Marshes and the neghbouring town of Lymington.
The walk starts on the sea front in the town, where there are a number of public car parks. From here you can pick up the Solent Way and follow the waymarked footpath south east along the coast to Sturt Pond and Hurst Castle. The striking coastal structure is an artillery fort established by Henry VIII between 1541 and 1544.
The route then returns to the coastal path where you continue east to the Keyhaven Marshes. There's a lovely walking and cycling trail here heading along the sea wall. On one side there's views of the Isle of Wight while on the other there's the marshes where you can see a wide variety of birdlife.
The route continues north east through Pennington Marshes, Oxey Marsh, The Salterns, Normandy and Waterford where you will pass through the pretty marina. Soon after you arrive at Lymington where you can catch the ferry over to the Isle of Wight.
Milford on Sea Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Milford on Sea Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Milford on Sea OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Milford on Sea Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
The Beach House is a good choice for some refreshments in the village. It's an inn of some note being a Grade II listed building dating back to 1897. The exquisite house was built for Alexander Siemens (who created the world’s first public electricity supply at Godalming) as a summer house for his family. Outside there's a wonderful large garden area where you can enjoy splendid coastal views with your meal. You can find them on Park Lane at postcode SO41 0PT for your sat navs.
Dog Walking
The walk is a nice one to do with your dog with lots of people taken their pet on the pebble beach and along the sea wall path. Please keep them on a short lead around Hurst Castle though. The Beach House mentioned above is also dog friendly.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
The Bournemouth Coast Path passes through the area. You could pick this up and head west to visit Barton on Sea and the nearby Highcliffe Castle.
Just to the north west is the market town of New Milton where there's a train station and some pleasant waterside trails around the Ballard Water Meadows. You're also very close to the Wilverley Plain area of the New Forest here.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Hampshire Walks and New Forest Walks pages.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Shelter on the sea front, Milford-on-Sea. A classic British design which will shelter you from the elements no matter which way the wind is blowing. Sit on the bench on this side of the shelter and you have a view across to the Needles on the Isle of Wight.
New cliff-top path at Milford on Sea: no cycling please. This fairly new path leads along the cliff-top towards the western car park and facilities at Milford on Sea. The hand-rail at the top of steps down to the beach can be seen on the right, along from the green bin.
Beach huts, Milford on Sea. Beach huts on the cliff at the western end of the beach at Milford on Sea. Wooden steps lead up to the path and car park at the cliff-top.
View west along the shingle beach at Milford-on-Sea. The sea defences on Milford Beach make it very difficult for the shingle to drift, and Hurst Spit (southeast of the beach) has to be artificially replenished. The large boulders in the foreground are part of an artificial rocky groyne, and the beach features wooden groynes at regular intervals from here to Poole. From here you can see Hengistbury Head near Christchurch Harbour.
1865 and 1911 Low Lights, Hurst Castle. These lights formerly warned shipping of the shingles near the Needles. The function is now performed by two high intensity beams from the high lighthouse
Crabbing on the bridge at the head of Mount Lake, Keyhaven. The vehicles in the background are parked on the verges of New Lane (from Milford on Sea), which meets with the end of Saltgrass Lane (from Keyhaven) just off to the right. The pebbles in the foreground are on the landward side of the Hurst Beach bank. Water from Sturt Pond is channelled along the back of the pebble bank (from the right) and out into the marshes behind Hurst Spit (off to the right) where it is called Mount Lake. The many children and parents on the bridge are crabbing. Some bigger scale sea angling takes place on the seawards side of the spit, but it's not particularly safe for children due to the undertow.
Cattle on the sea wall, Pennington Marshes. In the foreground are a few cows and their calves, grazing alongside the gravel path on top of the Keyhaven-Lymington sea wall. Behind them are the Pennington Marshes, and a large herd of cattle gathered alongside the water, where the sea breeze across the water helps them to keep cool in the afternoon sun (and probably reduces the number of annoying flies). A gate further along the sea wall (towards Keyhaven) prevents the cattle from straying off the nature reserve and onto the public roads.
Reflections on Hawker's Lake, Keyhaven. The sky is reflected in the shallow still water that covers the mud flats at high tide. The boat with a red sail is making for the Solent via a channel labelled on the map as "Hawker's Lake". The Isle of Wight is visible in the distance, including Fort Victoria at Sconce Point.