Lymington Nature Reserve

General information

Welcome to the Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve. Hampshire County Council purchased this beautiful area of coastline between 1973 and 2006 to protect its unique historical and wildlife heritage. The reserve covers nearly 200 Ha (500 acres) bwetween the mouth of the Lymington River and the village of Keyhaven.
The adjacent mudflats and salt marshes outside the seawall are leased by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and form their Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes Reserve. Together these two reserves ensure the protection of an extensive area of coastal habitat. Both reserves lie within the New Forest National Park, recognising their importance for both wildlife and people.
You can obtain good views of the marshes and their wildlife from the Solent Way, which runs the length of the reserve. There are also several attractive circular walks on local footpaths which cross the area.

The Countryside Service Ranger Team that manage the nature reserve also look after several other sites within the New Forest National Park, including Buckland Rings Iron Age Hillfort, Sturt Pond Local Nature Reserve, Hyde Common, Gorley Common, Rockford Common and Ibsley Common.