Beaulieu River

H

Harpsden

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Boat at Lymington
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Just visited Beaulieu (by car) and it's inspired me to plan a trip up the river in the boat this summer. I've got the charts etc but wondered if there's any special advice needed and how far up is it reasonable to expect to get (draft just 1m).

Thanks



Harpsden
 
It's very easy and a nice place to go, the entrance to the river is a dog leg off of Lepe, at a metre draft you can get right up to the Palace on spring highs but wouldn't advise it at any other state of tide,as at the palace end it drys out, you can pick up visitors buoys at a price,there are piles just off Bucklers Hard, but most times I've been they've always been full, the river is owned by the estate and the moment you drop you hook expect the HM dory along side for payment /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif very peaceful over night stay, my recommendation is to pick up a buoy near the top of the river number 30 or above and tender the rest of the way have dinner in the Mont Arms or back down river to Bucklers Hard to the Master Builders, out of the two I prefer the Masters. hope you enjoy your visit.
 
Fairly simple to get up there. My best advice would be go up with the tide and back out with it. We have only been as far up as Bucklers Hard in the big boat, we then took the rib right up to Beaulieu, there was fairly substantial boats moored a long way up, in fact someone in the village has one alongside his garden so it obviously is navigable to the bridge, but I would assume that is at high tide with a small window of time.

Bucklers Hard is a fab place for a couple of nights, very peaceful.

We were alongside the end of the fuel berth and were planning our exit just an hour or so after HW, it was going to take some careful engines astern and negotiating out of a tightish spot. Whilst we were having a cuppa just before we left, a raggie left the marina a little further up on the bend, they had their sails up and the tide was racing round the bend. The inevitable happened, you know when you can tell someone is out of control, they came hurtling towards a pile in the river, where the woman tried to slow them down with her legs stuck out (ouch!), they bounced off there and then skidded alongside a nearby yacht which managed to stop their forward motion. They then decided to lower the sail and start the engine (doh!) but even that didn't have enough power to push them back against the flow. They eventually straightened themselves out and were off.

Needless to say, we decided to stay put for a few more hours and wait until the tide eased off a bit /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I remember now that that is the only (thankfully) time when I have had five blasts on the horn from another boat at me. We were tootling gently up river and I was steering on the throttles, I pushed the port throttle forward a touch but the boat was still moving slightly port, gave it another little touch, still going to port. Wondered what was going on and by this time a yacht was coming down river towards me in a narrow stretch, I'm still heading across to port, checked I didn't have stbd throttle forward, by this time I'm begining to panic a bit and then the yacht gave me 5 blasts as I am pretty much headed for it and he had nowhere to go. Mr AS then looked at the display and I the rudder right over! What had happened was he had knocked the autopilot button with his knee so it was trying to steer us on that! Lesson learn't there /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

In saying that I did the same thing trying to pick up a buoy at Yarmouth lasy year, couldn't get the damn boat steered right - then realised I had it on auto - nitwit!!

Anyway Beaulieu is fab, give it a whirl
 
I'm moored on the River at Bailey's Hard (about a mile and a half above Beaulieu). We draw about 1 m with the leg down and can get to and from our mooring at virtually all states of tide except very LWS. However, we're on almost the last river mooring and you can't get much further upriver at all states of the tide. At High Water, you can get right up to Beaulieu - with care - and there's a couple of hours' window to moor up, feed the donkeys and get an ice cream from the shops. If you can dry out, it's possible to stop there overnight. When the moorings stop, there is no way of telling where the channel lies, so keep somewhat to the outside of the bends for deeper water. Further down, it's marked with withies - they are fairly clear and some of them are even painted red and green /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Above Buckler's Hard, there is a conical green buoy (the only one on the river) which marks an unexpected spit coming out from the shore. You are advised to heed it!

Getting there is fairly simple. When approaching the river, look out for the Millenium Beacon (white) and the Beaulieu River Dolphin. There is a narrow approach between some very shallow patches, so you need to keep No.2 post and Lepe House in line, although with 1 m draft, this would only be an issue at very low tides. The patch of water at the entrance can be a bit disturbed, because of the various conflicting currents, but nothing to get too bothered about.

What used to be Visitor's pile moorings have now had pontoons installed, which you may or may not consider to be an improvement. If mooring in the Marina, you can get caught out by quite strong currents, particularly on the ebb, so be careful. If you like peace and quiet, see if you can get a mooring upriver from Buckler's Hard; it's hard to beat and you can take the dinghy down to the village or up to Beaulieu, if the tides are right. There's an anchorage in the bottom stretch of the river, for which you will have to pay a tenner a night (uniquely, Lord Montague owns the river bed, rather than the Queen). Prices are generally high, but console youself with the thought that it all seems to get re-invested in maintaining the integrity of the Beaulieu Estate.

I regularly excoriate the Master Builder Pub for being a wasted opportunity, the service and the food have always been mediocre though I haven't been there for a while and I've heard suggestions that it's improved a bit. The setting is amazing but I feel that they've traded on this over the years and become very complacent about everything else. Monty's Brasserie at Beaulieu is better.

The Beaulieu River is a great place to visit - do come: you won't be disappointed.
 
Last time I picked up an empty mooring to have lunch up there (£5 to the harbourmaster's boy in a dory) what must have been millions of baby jellyfish came in with the tide ... is this a regular thing or was it a one-off phenomenon?
 
Thanks everyone for all the great advice (now stored away). Makes me want to do the trip even more now.

Also great pictures from jheynder - that looks like an excellent weekend.

I've definitely decided to leave my boat in the water next winter. There are too many nice days that I've missed out on.



Harpsden
 
Some comments after frequent visits:

1 Harspden: More details of boat pl for better response.
2Oneaway: You omitted Monty's Bistro.
3jhr: Don't use a word like 'excoriate' without equally esoteric navigational info. For example:
"No way of telling where the channel lies" is untrue - it is clearly delineated on the local Admiralty chart AND the New Forest OS map. So it should appear on your chartplotter.
4 There are some very shallow patches near LW Springs, not least on the Bar itself.
5 If anchoring or picking up one of the moorings in the first long reach a riding light is advisable.

Finally, for low tide pics of the limit of navigation at the Palace Wall and Timbrells Quay opposite, please PM me. I regularly take the ground there to stop overnight (draft 0.9m).
 
There is the possibility of one "gotcha"!! As you return, just before reaching the point at the end of the channel where you turn 90 deg to the south to exit into the Solent, there are a row of red poles on your starboard side. There is one that is off to the left of the others (ie to the north), and if the sun is in your eyes, it will be easy to miss. If you don't leave this to starboard and go straight on to the next one,you will go over a very shallow patch of sand. I've seen several yachts stuck on there over the years, though a mobo may well be ok except at LWS.

We've not been to Bucklers Hard for a couple of years, but it is highly recommended.
 
HouseBucklersHardBeaulieuRiverLarge.jpg
 
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