Calshot Beach

Calshot beach forms part of a mile long shingle spit which reaches out into the mouth of Southampton Water. From here you get a great view of the ships coming and going from one of the UK’s largest ports.

The beach also offers panoramic views of the Solent, Southampton and the Isle of Wight so it is little wonder the beach is the site of a 16th century castle. Built in 1539 by Henry VIII, Calshot Castle is one of number of similar forts built to defend the south coast from the French and Spanish.

Calshot beach is home to one of the UK’s biggest outdoor and watersport centres. The Calshot Activities Centre offers a range of activities including windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing and climbing. The centre is located in a hangar which was built to house the flying boats of the Calshot Naval Air Station.

On the other side of the spit is an extensive salt marsh which is home to a wealth of birds and other wildlife.

Calshot is often cited as being a nudist / naturist beach. Whilst we can find references to this from a few years back it seems the owners of the beach (Manor of Cadland) very much frown upon this and have threatened to take legal action against anyone going the full monty.