Hurst Castle

With plenty of open spaces for children to run free and explore a visit to Hurst Castle is a great day out for the whole family. Start your adventure with a leisurely ferry ride from Keyhaven (SO41 0RH) where you'll meander up the Keyhaven River to the castle, or walk the 2-mile walk along Hurst Spit. Hurst Castle is located in the New Forest National Park, at the seaward end of a shingle spit that extends 2 miles from Milford on Sea, Hampshire. Built by Henry VIII as a chain of fortresses in 1544, this is the site where Charles I was imprisoned in 1648 before being taken to his trial and execution in London. The castle was modernised during the Napoleonic wars and again in the 1870s when the enormous armored wings were added, making it the largest coastal fort in the world. Two huge 38-ton guns can be viewed in their casemates together with other weapons developed through 412 years of military use. During World War II, Hurst was manned with coastal gun batteries & searchlights.