Titchfield Haven
Children will enjoy the birds hides, fairy doors, brass rubbings, renting an explorers back pack and playing on the beach.
On the boardwalk with the adventure backpacks available to hire
The Basics
Time: Various, but a walk along the boardwalks on the east side will take about 25 mins each way.
Distance: 1.5 km return trip on the east side, 2 km return trip on the west side.
Terrain: The east side has board walks and firm stony paths. The west side has more uneven and muddy paths.
Pushchair: East side only.
Dogs: No.
Refreshments: Teas, coffees, cold drinks and ice creams can be purchased from the visitor centre.
Toilets: At the visitor centre.
Public Transport: Route 21 from Fareham Bus Station goes along Hill Head Road. Get off at Cottes Way and walk 7 minutes west along Hill Head Road to the nature reserve.
Parking: Pay and display parking all along Cliff Road on the Hillhead Beach sea front, which can be very busy on hot summer days (Postcode: PO14 3JT - W3W: cavalier/holdings/canned)
Prices: The nature reserve is open daily 9:00 am -4:00 pm excluding the 25th and 26th December. Adults £6.50, Seniors £5.50, Children £3.50, family of four £17.
Visiting one of the many bird hides
The Meon River completes its journey at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, a 369 acre site of river, fen, pools, reedbed and meadows. There are eight bird hides from which to enjoy the wide variety of wildlife, and on the east side they are connected by a series of boardwalks. The place is managed by Hampshire County Council and you will be required to buy tickets from the visitor centre to enjoy this walk. Once you have exited the reserve, children will want to visit Hillhead Beach and Harbour, which are directly opposite the entrance gates.
The Route
Maps of the two pathways can be collected from the visitor centre, where guides can advise you of any updates as well as any interesting birds that are currently in residence. Unfortunately, they aren’t connected, so a circular route is not possible.
There are two sides to the reserve and if you only have time for one, we recommend the east side as it contains the boardwalk, fairy doors, brass rubbing plates and answers to the quiz sheet.
Binoculars can be rented from the visitor centre.
The green backpacks the girls are wearing are also available to hire for £1 each. They absolutely loved these and inside were giant magnifying glasses, kid’s binoculars, pencil and quiz sheets, crayons and paper for brass rubbings and laminated wildlife identifier cards. If children complete the quiz, they can collect stickers from the visitor centre.
There are a series of fairy doors to open along the east side as well as brass rubbing posts with pictures of wild animals.
Did you know?
In 2022, Hampshire County Council took the decision to sell Haven House and Cottage, resulting in the unfortunate closure of the site’s café and a substantial proportion of the visitor centre. A proposal by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to manage the reserve with the café being run by a local community organisation was rejected. The future of the building - and catering at the site - is currently unknown.
If you liked this walk…
…try this one along Titchfield Canal which runs parallel to the west side of the nature reserve.
