Hurst Spit
| Hurst Spit | |
|---|---|
Hurst Spit, looking east towards the lighthouse and castle
|
|
 Hurst Spit
 Hurst Spit shown within Hampshire |
|
| OS grid reference | SZ316897 |
| Coordinates | 50°42′23″N 1°33′04″W / 50.7063°N 1.5511°WCoordinates: 50°42′23″N 1°33′04″W / 50.7063°N 1.5511°W |
Hurst Spit is a one-mile long shingle bank near the village of Keyhaven, at the western end of the Solent, on the south coast of England. The spit shelters an area of saltmarsh and mud flats known as Keyhaven and Pennington marshes. At the end of the spit is Hurst Castle, originally built on the orders of King Henry VIII, and much enlarged in the 19th century. Hurst Point Lighthouse was built on the end of Hurst Spit in the 1860s.
Hurst Spit is a hook-shaped shingle spit which extends for 1.4 miles (2.25 km) from the Hampshire shore into the Solent towards the Isle of Wight. The spit forms a barrier which shelters a Site of Special Scientific Interest known as Hurst Castle And Lymington River Estuary. To reach the end of the spit one can either catch the seasonal ferry from Keyhaven, or follow the footpath (part of the Solent Way) along the top of the spit.
The sea route past Hurst Spit can be hazardous to boats because the constriction to the tidal flow caused by the spit creates strong tidal streams, as well as spiky waves mixed with circular areas of flat sea caused by the upwelling water. In addition a sand bar, known as The Trap, sticks out 60 metres into the Solent just east of the round tower of Hurst Castle.
Storms regularly uncover unexploded ordnance on the spit, some dating back more than a century. Soldiers stationed at the castle used to practice the firing of shells.
...
Wikipedia