Promoting Freedom for Creative Architecture
Hayling Island Beach, situated between Portsmouth and Chichester in Hampshire, is a popular holiday spot for beachgoers. Here you'll find golden sands and clear waters ideal for swimming and windsurfing.
Visit England describes it as a'seaside sporting paradise', with three main beaches having retained their European Blue Flag status. There are also plenty of activities for kids to keep them engaged.
Sandy Point Nature Reserve, situated on the southern coastline of Hayling Island, offers breathtaking views. This protected area consists of sand dunes, heathland, grassland and scrubland.
The reserve has been preserved as an important bird habitat. The mud flats provide food and shelter to resident and migratory shorebirds such as red-capped plovers and sharp-tailed sandpipers.
Mudflats provide essential feeding habitats for nesting birds like blue-fairy wrens.
The Committee of Management oversees the day-to-day maintenance and upkeep of the nature reserve for the community and visitors to the area. This preserve offers sustainable recreational opportunities in a tranquil, natural setting.
Hayling Island boasts an acclaimed championship course designed by some of the top golf course architects worldwide. Hayling has fast fairways, beautiful greens and breathtaking views of the Solent and Langstone Harbour that make it a memorable golf experience even for experienced players.
Tom Simpson designed Hayling Golf Course in the 1930s and it remains one of the toughest courses along the south coast. With ample facilities for all abilities, it has become a popular destination among both visitors and locals alike.
Though most of the course is relatively short, there are some challenging holes that will test even experienced players. These include a dogleg 3rd hole with a bunker-fronted par 3 with an island green and run off area at the back, along with cross-site par 3s at 8th and 11th holes that overlook the harbour.
Oysters are bivalves that live in salty or brackish coastal waters. They gather on old shells, rocks and piers, creating aquatic reefs which provide shelter to other marine animals and plants.
These reefs improve water quality by filtering out nutrients and particles from the water, leading to greater clarity. Furthermore, they protect seagrass beds while decreasing erosion and flood damage.
Oysters provide vital nutrition to many fish and aquatic creatures. Their larvae and spat provide food for mud crabs, flatworms and other filter feeders.
Oysters provide a habitat for shorebirds such as waders and ducks, which feed on newly spatched oysters as well as older oysters that have been exposed to the ocean.
Experienced bird watchers or those simply wanting to get closer to nature will find plenty of great spots on Hayling Island where you can spot birds. Popular locations include Sandy Point Nature Reserve, Oyster Beds and Northney Farm for birding enthusiasts.
Sandy Point, located at the south-east corner of the island, features a diverse landscape composed of sand dunes, heathland, shingle and grassland. This protected environment provides visitors with an opportunity to observe an array of bird species as well as their behaviour.
Ferry Road accesses the area through Kench Inlet, a small inlet in Langstone Harbour that is part of Hampshire Wildlife Trust reserve.
In March, the beach is alive with courting gulls and large numbers of Common Terns and Little Terns at their breeding sites. These terns are truly one of a kind - they show off incredible displays such as bobbing and weaving, screaming and diving.
