Keyhaven

This is definitely the dreariest summer I can remember. But today, despite the dire forecast for heavy rain, gale force winds, hail stones, and other random acts of God- I needed to go for a walk. A proper walk, one where you have to wear a big, ugly jacket and sensible walking boots. And it's even better if you can take a dog. So Irene, her Springer Spaniel Pebbles and I headed out to one of our favourite spots, Keyhaven.





If you're looking at a map, Keyhaven is near Lymington, on the South coast. It's right on the coast- in fact much of the walk is along a causeway, with marshes on one side and the Solent lapping away at the other. It's a nature reserve and there are lots of birds there. I don't know the names of all of them- I just like to see them. Today there were Canada geese, swans, ducks, a grey heron and lovely little sandpipers scuttling along the water's edge.

It's quite a long walk- about 5-6miles- so we usually stop about half way and have a packed lunch. It's nice to have a rest and it gives Pebbles the chance to pratice her stealth tactics for separating one of us from a sandwich!


Across the Solent from Keyhaven is the Isle of Wight. It almost looks close enough that you could walk there (or swim) and I suppose if you were very athletic you could. But it's much easier to take the ferry, which runs quite frequently beween Lymington and Yarmouth.


That's the Isle of wight on the horizon, in the photo on the left. It's a great place for finding fossils. I mean the archaelogical sort, not old folk.

And the weather wasn't as dire as was threatened- however, we did get wet. Very wet.

But it was definitely worth it.