TAKE A TRIP TO HAMBLE
You could describe Hamble as a sailor’s paradise. You’ll find 4 marina’s where over 1000 boats moor and a handful of decent hostelries. It’s a great place to visit as a visitor on the water and take a walk around, enjoy a bite to eat and people watch.
Where to moor
If you are visiting on your RIB Shack Marine boat, you can moor at any of the 3 MDL Marina’s in the village for free. Upon entering the River Hamble the first you will see is Hamble Point Marina. Hamble Point has a great bar/restaurant The Ketch Rigger. They also host some fun events throughout the year. (we will to include these in our monthly guide) If you want to visit the village, it’s a 20 minute walk from Hamble Point.
The most central marina to the village is Port Hamble. They have a fuel dock and a bar/restaurant Banana Wharf on site. Walk out of the marina and head left and you’ll be in the village in 5 minutes.
Mercury Marina is a little further up the River Hamble. A walk into the village from Mercury would take about 20 minutes.
What to see and do
In the village square there is a cash point outside of the Co-op, a small handful of shops and a gold post box. Other than the supermarket, most of the shops are boutique in style. Lovely to browse.
When it comes to eating ashore you have many choices. Also to the restaurants at the marina’s, there are 4 pubs, 2 coffee shop/lunch stops, 3 yacht clubs and a nightclub!. The owners of the King and Queen suggest that they sailors across the world know them as ‘The Rum Pub’. This is one of the nicest bar’s to sit outside and enjoy their hospitality on a warm day. Other choices are the Victory, The Bugle and Ye Olde White Harte.
As well as boutique shopping and eating what else can you enjoy in Hamble? Depending on the tide, walk down the high street to the village quay and enjoy crabbing. If you haven’t bought your lines, these are available to buy from the Co-op.
A little further afield
If you’d like to stretch your legs. Take a 30 minute walk from Hamble, to the Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley Abbey. This fascinating country park once housed a famous war hospital. Which looked after wounded soldiers from the Crimean War, WW1 and WW2. If you were to walk through the park, following Southampton Water. You could visit English Heritage’s ‘Netley Abbey’. The ruins are the most complete surviving abbey built by the Cistercian monks in southern England. They are rumoured to have been the inspiration behind Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey.
Once you jump back onboard, why not turn port when leaving your marina and head up Hamble River. You are now entering Howard’s Way territory.
