Top spots for a picnic with a view
Get outside this summer and dust off the picnic blanket and head out for an adventure to one of the most scenic picnic spots in Milford on Sea.
We’ve rounded up our favourite locations for you to choose from:
Hordle Cliff Beach
Home to the colourful Milford on Sea beach huts, this is the perfect spot for a picnic or beach BBQ. This beach is especially magnificent at low tide, revealing a sand bar where groups gather to splash in the surf or enjoy a game of beach cricket.
This beach is popular with swimmers, paddle boarders, kayakers and kite surfers and is one of the best spots to enjoy a sunset.
At Hordle Cliff beach, there are two main car parks for visitors – Paddy’s Gap and Hordle Cliff (sat nav: SO41 0NS) with toilets and a kiosk offering refreshments at Hordle Cliff car park.
Keyhaven Harbour
You can watch the comings and goings of this quaint sailing harbour by enjoying your picnic at one of the many benches this scenic location offers. You can also enjoy your picnic by accessing the water’s edge of Keyhaven via the Solent Way Coastal Footpath.
A lovely way to also see this area is by paddle board and The New Forest Paddle Sport Company offers a Sunset Picnic Paddle Board Experience that operates from May to the end of August. This includes a 2 hour paddle with a locally sourced picnic provided by Ray’s Italian Kitchen, priced at £75 per person. Book online here.
Hurst Spit
Hurst Spit is a two-mile shingle bank near the village of Keyhaven, at the western end of the Solent. The spit shelters an area of saltmarsh and mudflats known as Keyhaven Marshes. This can be accessed by parking on New Lane in Milford on Sea or at the council car park in Keyhaven.
Stop anywhere on the Spit for your perfect picnic spot, overlooking the Needles one side and the Keyhaven River the other.
If you’re feeling very adventurous, you could walk the two miles to Hurst Castle, an artillery fortress originally built on the orders of King Henry VIII and Hurst Point Lighthouse at the end of the Spit. Here you can find a secluded picnic spot but please note there are no toilet facilities here.
If you don’t fancy walking you can catch the Hurst Castle ferry from Keyhaven, £7 return for adults and £4 for children.
Lymington and Keyhaven Marshes Nature Reserve
Pack up your backpack with your picnic goodies and walk or cycle all the way from Keyhaven Harbour along the coastal footpath to Lymington, with spectacular views across the saltmarshes and mudflats, where there is a wealth of summer birds, including Little, Common and Sandwich Terns who all breed in the area.
There are plenty of benches along the way to stop to enjoy your picnic and soak up the amazing views.
Milford on Sea is home to 14 acres of Woodlands known as The Pleasure Grounds with a network of footpaths along the Danes Stream, which runs parallel to the coast.
The Danes Stream forms part of the Milford on Sea conservation area and runs the length of the parish, through the Pleasure Grounds, Westerly towards Studland Common, Sharvells Copse and Eastwards along the rear of the village shops towards Sturt Pond.
This area, popular with locals is shady in the summer months and is a perfect location to cool off and tuck into a picnic.
The Village Green
Milford on Sea is home to a traditional English village green, which is surrounded by restaurants, bars and independent boutiques. This spot is also popular with locals and visitors as people bring their own chairs and picnic blankets to enjoy the relaxed vibe this village has to offer.
And if you’re looking for the perfect picnic treats then check out the Pickled Weasel in the village that offers freshly baked sausage rolls, pasties and slices to take away and don’t forget to try one of their homemade Scotch eggs!
You could also go full on cheese picnic with a selection of the finest British cheeses from Rockpool Cheese, with freshly baked bread from The Coastal Bakery. Or drop into our friends at Polly’s Pantry, Ray’s Italian Kitchen, Paddle on the Green, Needles Eye cafe or Saltwater to pick up some tasty treats.