Advice please for visiting Solent marinas

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Cathy*

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We're planning to spend June/July and August using MDL marinas around the Solent and Portsmouth, 3 marinas in 3 months. This will be our first time in that area so I'm looking for some advice please to help me decide which ones to book. My first thoughts are that Ocean village will probably be too noisy, we're not interested in late night entertainment, and since we've never used a lock Hythe might be a bit of a pain. However I might be wrong.
 
Cathy* said:
We're planning to spend June/July and August using MDL marinas around the Solent and Portsmouth, 3 marinas in 3 months. This will be our first time in that area so I'm looking for some advice please to help me decide which ones to book. My first thoughts are that Ocean village will probably be too noisy, we're not interested in late night entertainment, and since we've never used a lock Hythe might be a bit of a pain. However I might be wrong.
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We all have different tastes of course..... but I love visiting both OV & Hythe. OV is a bit ‘glass & chrome’ having had lots of recent development of hotels, bars & restaurants. But it’s not too noisy and I like the buzz. Short walk to city centre. The lock into Hythe is very easy, and never too busy. Once settled direct access to the new forest fleshpots. Enjoy.
 
OV isn't routinely particularly noisy, since the new hotel got stamped on by the council, though there is still the occasional issue (but this may change if planning permission for the new tower block comes through). You are in easy walking distance of the city centre so lots to do if you like that sort of thing, plenty of restaurants and the Sea City and Solent Sky museums. The marina and immediate surroundings are uninspiring however and the ablutions (though clean) are the worst of any I've seen at MDL by a long chalk, patently build to the lowest cost possible.

I'd avoid the other Itchen marinas as a visitor as they don't have much on site and are separated from the city centre by some of the less salubrious areas of Soton.

On the Hamble, Mercury is a very pleasant stay, it's quiet and has a decent restaurant on site. A quite acceptable 15 min walk will get you into Hamble-Le-Rice and its pubs and restaurants. Port Hamble is on the doorstep of Hamble-Le-Rice but seems pretty dominated by the charter fleets. Hamble Point is probably a similar walk (albeit from the other direction and more rural) as Mercury from Hamble-Le-Rice and as a place to stay doesn't have the charm of Mercury, though much more activity about and considerably better sorted for maintenance, chandlery etc.

Hythe always looks quite full and there is the lock, the whole place has a bit of a 'retirement village' feel, but there is the ferry across to Soton.
 
I am a Hamble point resident and I would most defiantly recommend port Hamble and that is in fact where I will be moving to for the next few weeks over Christmas ... Seconds walk from the village where a great little pub called the Bugle that is well worth visiting and a personal favourite of mine (where we have also just booked in for new year ;-) . I like ocean village too and its often a destination for us when the weather is poor and we don't wish to travel too far out in to the Solent, Harbar on the top floor of the hotel is nice with good views over the marina and actually fairly priced.
If you wish for somewhere quiet Mercury may be worth a stop but a little further from anywhere but quite scenic. I stayed there last summer for a bit and the swans got on my nerves as they was very interested in our dog on the swim deck so was stressful as they would not let her be.

Cant comment on Hythe as only ever been there by car same goes for shamrock quay. Personally in the solent I do like some of the non MDL marinas such as Lymington yacht haven as that seams to have it all for me.
 
Thanks all. We're going to be using our freedom berthing so I want to get the summer months booked because of the school holidays and Cowes week. The current plan is Plymouth to Brixham in May, Weymouth, Yarmouth IOW then 3 months around the Solent. Whilst there we'll be mooching around to see what else you have ?
 
Chichester harbour is beautiful and it's a short hop to bembridge. I'd thoroughly recommend northney or sparkes as one of your marinas. You can spend a fortnight's holiday in the harbour and not get bored..
Only snag is that its a cab ride to a supermarket. Northney easier to get to a train if you need to get back home.

Then you really have to do a hamble marina. Central to the solent, and so many places to go. As mentioned Newtown creek then Yarmouth Lymington and the Beuliau river all easy day trips.

Portsmouth a must when travelling between the 2.

With the Hamble river marinas it’s whichever can accommodate you really. Port Hamble is the closest walk to town.

if leaving the boat for a bit then shamrock quay or orcean village are more likely to have availability and are a short cab ride to the station. Shamrock the best if you need to leave the car but it is a base not a destination. They are only a short boat trip from the Hamble. Lots to do in Southampton if you like bands restaurants and shopping. Ocean village the more convenient but it’s still less than 1/2 hr (industrial) walk from the centre of town to shamrock.

if you book your month in , say, shamrock there is nothing stopping you overnighting in the Hamble and that may help with availability. If something is booked you can always flex.
 
Also Island Harbour IOW past cowes is a lovely spot in the countryside, good restaurant onsite and a nice river walk to the folly pub or the other way into town. It does have a lock but you could time the tides for free flow, the staff are helpful and friendly too.
 
Scubadoo said:
Also Island Harbour IOW past cowes is a lovely spot in the countryside, good restaurant onsite and a nice river walk to the folly pub or the other way into town. It does have a lock but you could time the tides for free flow, the staff are helpful and friendly too.
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Great. But she’ll have to pay. MDL freedom berthing is the point of her trip........
 
Boat2016 said:
would be a very boring trip if going all that way just to use MDLs offerings when the area has so much more to offer.
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Yes. Agreed.
But she wants to book ahead in MDL and makes trips from there.
On that basis your suggestion is valid for a weekend.
But I’d argue it’s a base not a destination. And MDL is needed as a base.
 
Elessar said:
Yes. Agreed.
But she wants to book ahead in MDL and makes trips from there.
On that basis your suggestion is valid for a weekend.
But I’d argue it’s a base not a destination. And MDL is needed as a base.
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Maybe but if you take fuel into consideration it would be cheaper to coast hop the destinations rather than seek out Mdl marinas
 
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