Long walk. Worth the trek but we did it on bikes ! Sadly it was closed due to on going works. The lighthouse at the end of the Spit was worth it too. Amazing place surrounded by wildlife. Fab restaurant the Lighthouse is a must before or after the walk

Part of the castle has fallen into the sea, so some of the site is closed at the moment. We still enjoyed our trip there. Add some time for queuing and then taking the 15 min boat ride from Keyhaven. Boats were going every 20 mins or so, but some boats only take 12 passengers and we had to wait at each end.

Nice location overlooking the tide race in the Solent. We walked down the beach and took the boat back across the lagoon. The building is imposing but ugly. The Tudor castle is quite hidden inside. There are numerous unlit rooms (“amo stores”) good only for leaping out on unsuspecting friends (or getting get feet if you don’t notice they are flooded). The information is a bit sparse / antiquated / specialist. For example there is an extensive exhibition on lighthouse keeping and another on castle design (both interesting if that’s your thing) but barely anything about WWII defence or the evolution of this castle. Too many things aren’t well labelled. The huge 1880s guns are impressive. Generally fine for an hour or two but feels a little bit of a wasted opportunity.

The boat crossing was great, but we were disappointed with the lack of information around the site. Without buying a guide book (in addition to the entry fee) there was little to tell us about the history of the site. Views were great, though.

I walked around this English Heritage “castle” with growing disappointment. To get there it’s a 2 mile walk along a shingle beach, or, a £7 return ticket on a ferry. It had a history of Tudor Henry VIII through to WWII. It’s damp decaying and disappointing, with a lot of barriers restricting access to many areas, but thank you to the National Lighthouse Institute for their museum exhibitions at one end of the building. Entering to the stirring Elgar music Nimrod it shows the interesting history of our lighthouses. English Heritage really need to improve signage that explains in an informative way what the various areas and rooms were used for and not rely on laminated sheets. Could you not approach other historical interest institutes such as the Equity union to see if the could supply outfits and exhibits for the WWII theatre left decaying. Or, a Tudor history society that might house exhibits in the Tudor areas of the building. Make it more interesting for people who have made the effort of getting there. In its current state I would say it’s a rusting decaying fort not worth the entry fee

We parked in the car park at Keyhaven (£5 for 4 hours) and walked the short distance to the small ferry over to Hurst Castle (ferry was £7 return). The boat trip took around 15 mins. Entrance to the Castle was £5.50(seniors). We thoroughly enjoyed our visit….there was so much to see and read, with some lovely views from the top. There were some basic toilets there and the only “cafe” was the one at the entrance, before you go in, which just had drinks and cakes. We spent 3 hours there (including the boat journey) but would probably have spent longer if it had been a better day weather wise!

Nice place to visit with the boat trip from New Haven. Fascinating place but sadly the information and signage there needs updating to the 21 st century. Huge boards about English heritage conservation work but little information about other aspects of the place. But worth a visit for sure.

This castle (fort) is inaccessible by road, so you have two choices - a ferry across the estuary or a walk along the beach. We chose the walk. It's further than it looks, and the shingle gets a bit wearing underfoot, but it's quite level and the views are very good. The castle itself is disappointing if you are interested in the history, as there are very few information boards so you probably need to buy the guidebook. We didn't, so I can't tell you if it's any good. However, there's an interesting exhibition about lighthouses and some big guns to look at. The best information is found on the roof, as we discovered by accident, having climbed up for the views (which are excellent). Facilities are basic, with a cafe shed outside the entrance (toilets are inside). If English Heritage can find some money to spend on something other than essential repairs, this place has potential, but it feels very much like a forgotten property at the moment. Apparently many people walk out and get the ferry back, but the queue for the ferry was long, and the ferry is small. We walked back.

Spent an hour or so here but they could make it so much better. There are next to no information signs as you go round and this is basically making you have to buy a guide. Price entry not too bad and lovely views across to the needles.

We visited here in August 2022 with our young children. A large part of it has been closed since early 2021, but there is still lots to see including all of the Tudor castle. There is a fun trail for kids to find all the letters and shields hanging up around the castle. It's quite a maze with lots of spiral and steep stairs. It takes quite a while to get there if you walk from Milford and it's on shingle a lot of the time.