The Kench on Hayling Island is a small naturally protected inter-tidal inlet close to the entrance to Langstone Harbour. It is a local nature reserve on Hayling Island, owned by Hampshire County Council.
Did You Know?
During the national housing shortage of the 1950s several surplus military boats were purchased and converted into living accommodations. A handful of these unusual ‘house boats’ still sit on their cradles today in the harbour.
The whole of the Kench inlet can be seen from Ferry Road and there is also a path up the east side taking you to the Langstone Harbour shore. This site on the south shore of Langstone Harbour is a small area of saltmarsh and intertidal mud. The whole of this inlet can be seen from Ferry Road and there is also a path up the east side taking you to the shore of Langstone Harbour.
Much of the Kench is now a 6-hectare (15 acre) local nature reserve. It is managed by Hampshire Countryside Service and run by Hampshire County Council, who purchased it after a series of attempts to develop it as a marina failed.
This shallow tidal inlet alongside Ferry Road on Hayling Island is used by many birds as a feeding area while the tide is out. When the tide is high the shingle ridge between the inlet and the main harbour is used as a roost by waders.
Please note that it is important not to disturb this roost area while birds are using it, and most of the birds can be identified from the road. The path down the eastern edge and the copse alongside are also worth investigating for their many wild flowers.
Did You Know?
Just north of the mouth of the Kench is a large shingle bank running north. This is the only remnant of an early attempt to construct a railway line doomed to failure by the strong wind and waves in the harbour!