Waterside Lifestyle

The River Hamble is a Mecca for the sailing world and has been a yacht and boat building centre for centuries. In the 14th century Hamble was a more important trading centre than Portsmouth with great ships being built here including The Elephant, Nelson’s flagship in the Battle of Copenhagen, captained by Jane Austen’s brother Frank, and described in her novel Mansfield Park.

The double tides, which provide a high tide lasting over two hours and safe harbour has meant that the River Hamble has been linked to the country’s maritime heritage for centuries. Archaeology shows that there have been people living and working on the river for over two thousand years including journalist and author of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ Daniel Defoe, author and aviator Nevil Shute and the fictional characters from the 1980’s television series Howard’s Way.
The river’s location makes it ideal for weekend excursions into the Solent or as a departure point for blue water yachts. Hamble Week, the Winter Series, Spring Series, Bursledon Regatta (now in its 138th year), national and World Series of yacht races attract yachts from many clubs and individuals throughout the sailing world.

Take in the sights and sounds of the river on board the River Bus which runs during the summer months between Hamble and Manor Farm Country Park, or join a scenic river trip on board Blue Star Boats.

IIf you are on foot or bicycle and need to cross the river, the pink Hamble to Warsash Ferry runs all year between Warsash Hard and Hamble Pontoon. There has been a ferry operating across the River Hamble for at least 500 years. The first known mention was back in 1493 during the reign of King Henry VII, although it is likely that it operated before that date. A century ago the charge for crossing was one penny for a man and his horse, which must have swum across behind the boat because the ferry was only a small rowing boat!
The ferry has always carried a maximum 12 passengers and today provides a taxi service covering the whole of the river.

The eccentric Brambles Cricket Match has taken place in the middle of the Solent for the past 50 years. As the tide reveals a 200-metre long sandbank, members of the Royal Southern Yacht Club and Isle of Wight’s Island Sailing Club dash out in cricket whites to play a frantic 40 minute game before the bank sinks back under the sea!

The River Hamble Handbook and Directory (published by Walking Distance in association with local sailing and yacht clubs) is packed with useful information on moorings and berthings, places to visit, tide tables and a directory of local marine services. Available from the Harbour Master, marinas, clubs and businesses around the river.

Attractions

Shoreline Walks

There are many walks through the country parks that lead you along the shoreline of the river Hamble.


Hamble Common and copse is an area of 55 acres of coastal heath. By following the marked trail you can discover heathland, woodland, meadow, salt marsh, mudflats and a shingle beach. Along the shore are the remains of Iron-age settlements, a Tudor castle and a Napoleonic gun battery.
At low tide you may see wading birds such as oystercatchers, turnstones and ringed plovers. Brent geese spend the winter here before returning to the Artic to breed.
Overlooking Southampton water, with it's ever changing panoramic scenes, Royal Victoria Country Park is one of the most delightful areas in South Hampshire. With woodland, parkland, ponds and waterfront, the Country Park supports a wide diversity of wildlife. There are many woodland walks and the Solent way runs along the entire shoreline of the park covering an area of some 400 acres,
Manor Farm Country Park offers a welcome chance to escape the pressures of the modern world and relax in peaceful surroundings. An extensive network of riverside and woodland trails allows easy exploration of this rich and varied area of Hampshire countryside.
As the river Hamble flows serenely through the country park, it displays little evidence of the hustle and bustle of the motorway crossing and boatyards a mile or so downstream. Indeed, this stretch of the river is an ideal place to seek a little peace and quiet.
The mudflats along the tidal river attract wading such as curlew and redshank, together with a variety of wildfowl and gull. Little egrets, recently arrived on these shores from the continent, are occasionally seen, together with cormorants, black-headed gulls and grey herons. There is also the chance of glimpsing the electric-blue flash of a kingfisher.

The Itchen Way is 27 mile walk up the Itchen Valley from the Solent to the source of the river. This walk starting at Southampton, largely follows the towpath of the disused Itchen Navigation. For more details about the Itchen Way, click here.