Nature Reserves & Wildlife on Hayling Island

Hayling Island sits between Langstone Harbour and Chichester Harbour, both protected for their wildlife. Some sites are open for you to enjoy from a path, others are closed to protect fragile habitats and nesting birds. Here is the picture from the official sources.

Why it matters

Langstone Harbour Board says Langstone Harbour ranks within the top 10 most important places for birds in the UK, with as many as 40,000 birds present in winter, including up to 6% of the world population of brent geese. It describes the harbour as the most important breeding location on the south coast for gulls and terns, and notes a bass nursery and a small harbour seal colony. The harbour is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area, a Special Area of Conservation and a Ramsar wetland of international importance. The harbour board's wildlife-aware watersports advice adds that the Solent hosts up to 125,000 migratory waders and geese in winter.

RSPB Langstone Harbour (West Hayling)

The RSPB manages the islands out in the harbour and the old Oysterbed lagoons on Hayling's shoreline, which you can see from coastal paths. It describes a rich patchwork of tidal mudflats, saltmarsh, seagrass meadows and shingle. Look for dark-bellied brent geese, terns, whimbrels and black-tailed godwits, and for ospreys, particularly in September. There are two small free car parks off Havant Road (A3023), no toilets on site, no barbecues, and dogs are allowed on public rights of way on a lead. In 2025 Havant Borough Council, the RSPB and the Blue Marine Foundation reported a record breeding season after two lagoon islands were raised and reshaped with 400 tonnes of shingle: 501 pairs of black-headed gulls, more than 30 pairs of common terns, and sandwich terns and little terns breeding for the first time in recent years. Harbour users are not permitted to land on the islands.

The Kench

The Kench is a 6-hectare Local Nature Reserve on the south shore of Langstone Harbour, owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by Hampshire Countryside Service. It is saltmarsh and intertidal mud, where birds feed on the mud at low tide and roost on a shingle ridge at high tide, and it is part of the protected harbour designations. Enjoy it from the edge and keep dogs under control.

Sandy Point Nature Reserve

At the south-eastern corner of the island, Sandy Point has dune, dune-heath and shingle habitats and is described by Natural England as one of the most important beach, dune and dune-heath complexes in Hampshire. Public access is excluded at all times until 30 December 2031 under a Natural England direction, because the habitats are vulnerable to trampling and ground-nesting species such as the Dartford warbler are easily disturbed by people and dogs. Natural England's notice says access is by permit only, with guided walks available to the public every month. You can still walk the shoreline path alongside it on the Sandy Point Stroll.

Gunner Point (Gutner Point)

Gunner Point, officially Gutner Point, is a 69-hectare Local Nature Reserve on the eastern side of Hayling in Chichester Harbour, of mud, grassland and saltmarsh. There is no public access to the site, because it is an important roost where many birds rest at high tide.

Hayling Billy and Chichester Harbour

The Hayling Billy Local Nature Reserve follows the old railway line; see our Hayling Billy Trail guide. The Chichester Harbour Conservancy asks paddlers to keep at least 50 metres from sensitive areas and to avoid disturbing birds and seals, and asks walkers to keep dogs under close control or on a lead.

Protected seasons

Havant Borough Council says ground-nesting birds on the seafront have a protected period from 1 March to 31 July. Langstone Harbour Board's wildlife-aware watersports advice describes spring and summer as when breeding seabirds such as little terns return, and notes seal pupping as an incredibly sensitive time.