Hengistbury Head is a dramatic headland located close to Bournemouth and to the south of Christchurch harbour. It’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a local nature reserve.
There are two large car parks near to the start of the walk situated next to the popular Hiker Cafe. For the less energetic, a land train usually operates from outside the cafe along the access path to the Mudeford Spit but is out of action for the foreseeable future.
At the entrance to the trail there’s a modern visitor centre which explores the area, its history, wildlife and geology. The centre is free to visit but sadly only the gift shop was open on the day we were there.
We chose to take a looped trail which followed a level path along to the spit taking us around 20 minutes. No vehicles are allowed on the nature reserve and we just shared the path with other walkers, cyclists and numerous children on scooters. From the footpath there are some splendid views of Christchurch harbour. It’s shallow waters are ideal for water sports and we found it amusing to notice a dog happily sprawled out on one of those Stand Up Paddle boats.
The trail hugs the coast and passes meadows and goes through shaded woodland before continuing towards Mudeford Spit. In this absolutely beautiful location there are 348 of the most sought after beach huts in the country with a 12ft x 10ft wooden hut selling for a whopping £330,000 three months ago. To put this into perspective, one could buy a five bedroom house in some parts of the country for this!
The Mudeford Spit beach huts really are in an idyllic spot between the sea on one side and the sheltered harbour on the other. Although it’s more like glamping as there is no mains water, WC or electricity supply in the huts.
It was fun to take a glance at the way the owners had imaginatively designed the interiors with no expense spared for internal furnishings and equipment. Several owners have had solar roof panels installed to provide electric lighting whilst in their small kitchens, stoves run on bottled gas and have battery operated fridges.
We could see that extra sleeping areas had been built into the loft space creating a mezzanine floor with ladder attachments and small windows installed on some of the huts. Large decking areas for alfresco dining and to watch the world go by complete the picture. Not quite so luxurious is the fact that water has to be collected from standpipes where communal shower blocks and WC facilities are also to be found.
Facing the harbour is the Beach House cafe which is the hub of life along the Spit. This attractive large cafe has a sheltered terrace overlooking the water and alongside it, an ice cream kiosk which had a long, snaking queue. There’s also a small grocery store from where the beach hut community can buy fresh milk, bread and other daily necessities.
A small ferry runs from near the cafe and operates at regular intervals between the Sand Spit and Mudeford Quay. There are also frequent ferries along to Christchurch Quay slightly further away.
We followed the path along to the end of the spit from where we had views of Mudeford Quay which lies just across the water and is another local beauty spot. Leaving the sheltered harbour we wandered over to the sandy beach on the eastern side facing the sea. Another row of beach huts sit on the sand dunes there with views across to the Isle of Wight.
After walking along the beach front passing the last of the pastel coloured beach huts we followed a steep path up the Warren Hill steps that brought us out at the top of Hengistbury Head.
Do remember to turn around after reaching the top of these steps as the view of the spit with the harbour to one side and the sea to the other is one of the best around and definitely worth the effort of climbing up the hilltop for.
Once up on the headland, the path follows a gently undulating trail through heathland with stunning clifftop views. Five cruise liners could be seen anchored in the bay with a board outside the old coastguard listing their names. I wonder for how much longer they will be marooned off shore.
Continuing slightly further still and we had reached the Rotary Club viewpoint. Another spectacular hilltop view, this time of the coastline stretching west to Bournemouth and beyond and in the other direction across the harbour to Christchurch with its beautiful priory church in the distance.
After taking lots of photos we made our way down the hill by means of a steep path interspersed with flights of stone steps. Back along the shoreline we watched people enjoying an afternoon on the beach before making a right turn through some meadows returning us to our starting point by the Hiker Cafe.
Our 3 mile (4.8km) walk had taken around 90 minutes including several short stops, making a lovely place for a stroll on bright, sunny day. It’s an easy walk but if you don’t fancy the uphill stretches you can just retrace your steps on reaching the spit along the level access track or take the land train if it’s running.
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A very scenic walkway indeed! But my word, those wooden huts are expensive … I understand it’s all about location, but at a very steep prize!
Your pictures of the view from the hilltop is beautiful … I would definitely fancy a walk here (in summer ☺️).
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Hengistbury Head is a very scenic walkway but even if I could afford it I wouldn’t be tempted into buying one of those ultra expensive beach huts! It’s quite humid here today, we went out earlier but are now back home watching a little tennis from Wimbledon! Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment on my posts Corna. It’s much appreciated! Marion
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Looks like a nice walk. Glad I am not in the market for a beach cottage. Yikes, that is pricey. Thanks for sharing Marion. Allan
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They are ridiculously expensive at Mudeford but there’s always some people who are prepared to pay I suppose but I wouldn’t want one either! Still it’s a good place for a walk. Thanks for commenting, Marion
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I want to visit New Zealand and go to Perth.
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There are so many places we all want to go. Let’s hope it won’t be too much longer that everyone can start travelling again.
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What an incredible place to visit! truly amazing!
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Thank you William. Hengistbury Head is a lovely place for a walk. Thanks for taking the time to comment, its much appreciated.
e
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Little Miss Traveller, we love this part of the world! Dorset is just so scenic. When we go there, we park on the Muddeford Quay side, and catch the little ferry across. Having done a loop of the nature reserve (brilliant views from the top), we catch the ferry back over, and walk along the quayside watching all the people crabbing. Then it’s time to visit the “fish hut” to get some spicy crabcakes for tea! Love that place!
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What a lovely day out! We’ve also taken the ferry across from Mudeford Quay but that was a long time ago. I remember buying a dressed crab from the shop there and taking it home for tea! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, it’s lovely to hear from you!
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Heavens, this takes me back, Marion! I spent a caravan holiday in the neighbourhood when my, soon to be 50, daughter was a tot. We remember Mudeford for a host of black flies and there was no nature reserve and definitely no upmarket beach huts. Times have undoubtedly improved the place. Was this in August- I think I spy heather? 🙂 🙂
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Things must have changed a lot in Mudeford over the years Jo – it’s definitely a desirable area now! We were there at the end of August, so well spotted with the heather on the cliff tops.
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I think you know how much I like Hengistbury Head, Marion! The cost of those Mudeford beach huts is unbelievable but what a location! I didn’t know or I’d forgotten about the ferries – thanks for the reminder and for the fab photos.
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Weren’t we lucky with the weather! It’s such a lovely place for a stroll and I can just visualise you wandering along the Hengistbury Head paths with Zeph in tow. Do you let him off the lead much yet? Hope the puppy training is progressing well.
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You were very lucky with the weather! I think Zeph would love Hengistbury Head. We are working hard on Zeph’s recall and have certain places where we know we can safely let him off the lead. He ‘graduated’ from puppy school last week and we are now hoping to find a class for adolescent dogs!!
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lovely beach huts, there seem to be a lot of ppl around
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The beach huts are lovely there. It’s a popular place and I think everyone was making the best of the sunshine whilst trying to social distance as best they could.
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This place looks adorable! I’ve been wanting to travel back to England so much recently. And I especially want to see some of the seaside locations! I’ve nominated you for the Liebster Award! I apologize if you’ve already been nominated.
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Thank you for your kind words Kelly. I hope it won’t be too much longer for you to wait to travel back to England. I’m sure our lovely seaside resorts will still be just as nice then and waiting for you to return. Thanks for the nomination, it’s much appreciated.
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Hello, I really enjoyed this post. What a wonderful breath of fresh air to travel with you to this soothing nature reserve! Some of the photos remind me of a trip I did to Wijk an Zee in Holland, about an hour from Amsterdam. The charming beach houses looked very similar and just delightful! All the best, Maria Elena
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Thank you so much for your kind words. It’s so nice to read that you enjoyed travelling with me along the coastal walk. Stay safe and take care. Marion
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Thank you, Marion! Take care:)
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what a perfect place for a walk! so beautiful, lovely sand too…
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It really is a gorgeous place Andy. We might not always have your hot, sunny weather but on a nice day the British seaside can be lovely! Thanks for your welcome thoughts, they are always appreciated.
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Thank you for your virtual journey in this times.
It is not allowed to travel in moment, but we can enjoy us with pitures around the world like you do!
Berst regards
Bernhard
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Thank you for your kind words. Let’s hope it won’t be too long before life can return to a near normal Bernhard.
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I wish we had beach huts here in Australia. I think they are a great idea. We were bought up living in town, having farms and a glorious home by the ocean which we used on weekends and holidays and now I live in retirement in proximity to the ocean. This particular blog with its uncluttered Christchurch reminds me of my growing up days. These days beach villages are becoming commercialized city tourist traps with large populations and the quiet restfulness of those bygone years is passing too rapidly.
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It’s such a shame when seaside resorts become too tourists as they lose their charm. I realise that tourism is vital to the local economies but we don’t want attractive beach fronts surrounded by high rise monstrosities. Thank you for your welcome thoughts Ian and I hope you have enjoyed a good weekend.
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Lovely. I particularly like the huts. Aren’t they cute. Christchurch is specifically interesting for me as we have old friends who live there now, but we still haven’t managed to visit them yet.
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Thank you for taking the time to comment. The beach huts at Hengistbury Head are really nice but you need to be super rich to buy one. Christchurch is a lovely small town so I hope you get an opportunity to visit there sometime.
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I love those colourful beach huts.They are so typical.
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Thank you so much for commenting. The beach huts along there are gorgeous.
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Love the beach huts, super cool. Thank you for sharing it seems like a really nice part of the country.
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Thank you for taking the time to comment it’s much appreciated. Those ‘posh’ beach huts are really cute and the views sublime!
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Does the Noddy train still run? Ha. maybe not as that was a long time ago. Photos brought back great memories of years spent holidaying on the sandbank!
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Yes, that train normally runs but alas not in these social distancing times. They could easily run it for those unable to walk far and just limit numbers! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I’m glad this post brought back some fond memories.
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As much as I liked the train, the row boat across the Run was so much more convenient 😉
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I’d like to do that sometime!
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Yes, far more congenial than the ferry to the jetty 😉
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I’ve always secretly wanted to live in a tiny home, and these certainly look ideal!
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They are absolutely gorgeous Katie but oh so terribly expensive! Thanks for commenting!
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Thanks for posting, those beach huts are so cute. Interesting that so few folk have hats on in the outdoors.
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Thank you for taking the time to comment, it’s much appreciated! The views along this walk are gorgeous and the beach huts are really cute. Autumn has arrived so it’s much cooler now so I think that’s why not many people are wearing hats or caps.
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Thanks a lot for sharing all those images and descriptions..Really nice🙂
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It’s my pleasure, I’m glad you enjoyed coming along on the walk with me! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, it’s much appreciated.
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Looks like a pleasant hike with pleasant views all the way! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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It’s a lovely easy walk with gorgeous views and those vastly expensive beach huts are so cute too! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, it’s much appreciated.
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The tiny houses look so cozy!
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They are so cute aren’t they! It’s a lovely place for a walk and a spot of people watching. Thanks so much for commenting. It’s much appreciated.
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