Chichester area

The last time I visited there - by road - a few years ago, there were quite a few boats but no sign of any staff let alone security - two vanloads of Eastern European chaps turned up and sullenly trudged to the outer pontoon each carrying about 6 fishing rods !

The nearby chandlery was kaput and offices in the boatyard seemed closed...
 
We live in Emsworth and it is hard to get a house there for a reason...it is blimming AWESOME!!! It is a small town / big village. All the shops are open and useful. We know about 30 of our neighbours and we all keep an eye out for each other, although to be fair most of them have a bit of glaucoma! It is a brilliant place. Hayling Island is also nice, but if you need to get off the island for work it can be a pain in the bum. We can walk everywhere, excellent road and rail systems, good cycle lanes, very short hop into the countryside or an even shorter one to the beach. We live in Nore Farm Avenue, as do my parents, and we can walk to the beach in less than 5 minutes. Can you tell I love where we live?! It has physically pained me living abroad and spending time away from it. Emsworth marina is nice although a bit pricey and tidal. Chichester marina I know is lovely but that's all I know. We had our boat at PHCC for a few years which is a really friendly club but you have to be sub 33ft bilge keel. Honestly. The list goes on and on. I would hate to be anywhere else and everyone is so friendly. Do it!!!
 
A1GSS said:
Hayling's out. My parents used to live there when my mum was very ill, don't fancy it, too emotional...

Marina wise, I'd prefer any-time access so which ones are better?
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Chichester Marina is about half tide access, via a smallish lock which one has to queue for to get in or out at popular times.

Emsworth - and I agree completely with Deviation, lovely town ! - is very restricted with a tidal sill, about half tide or less for most boats.

Northney has about 3' - and a by then narrow channel - at MLWS

Sparkes is out anyway as Hayling.

Northney wins then, as I say it's a very good marina with very good facilities, there's a cafe & hotel there as well but then it's a 5 min drive across Hayling bridge to Langstone SC ( some members do keep boats in Northney ) and the Ship Inn & Royal Oak, both good pubs serving decent food.

Then the A27 dual c/way Chichester Bypass, about 12 miles to Chi itself, when I lived near Midhurst it was 26 miles and 40 minutes.

Northney is not such a nice place to be as Chichester Marina to be honest, as there's a lot more going on at the latter, but for actually operating a boat - and getting to and from the harbour entrance - Northney wins.

Another advantage with Northney is there are good quiet anchorages beside Emsworth Channel on the way, and much less boat traffic - like racing fleets - to fight through, than getting to and from Chichester Marina.
 
Emsworth Yacht Harbour (my current base) is very pretty, sheltered and, as full-service marinas in the area go, seems quite economical while still having excellent facilities, but the tidal access can be a nuisance, especially at neaps, though one gets used to it and can actually work around it pretty well. We’re very happy there—very friendly and helpful chandlers, nice cafe and Emsworth pubs, shops, railway station etc (very charming town) only a short walk away.

Chichester Marina (Premier) is also nice, albeit dramatically pricier, having access on most tides depending on your draft. There’s a decent restaurant there, although if you lived nearby it might not be a consideration. You would also benefit from the various advantages of a large marina chain—I frequently see “Freedom Berthing” advertised, by which you can spend some considerable time in other Premier marinas at no extra cost. I have a feeling they also have a referral system which might be worth looking into! The approach channel has 0.3m at MLWS (according to https://www.premiermarinas.com/uk-ma...chester-marina ), so is probably not all that restrictive unless you’re navigating a very deep-keeled yacht, but not strictly all-tide. There is a lock at the entrance, which is quick and straightforward to navigate.

Haven’t been into Birdham, but understand it’s rather pleasant and similar lock arrangement to Chichester. Others will know more, I’m sure.

Having visited Northney, I admired their security arrangements (locked gates onto pontoons etc) and the all-tide access, but didn’t much care for the impersonal feel of the place, although maybe this is just me. MDL, so once again might give you reciprocal berthing perks. Tom Cunliffe, as I recall, comments in the Shell Channel Pilot that “shops and pub are a 15 minute walk”, but of course if you’re berthed there you’ll probably be driving, so it’s an irrelevance.

Doubtless already considered, but if tide-invariant access to the sea itself is imperative, Chichester Bar could be slightly restrictive if you draw a lot or there are strong southerly winds (it is certainly uncomfortable in S F5+, and gets very choppy if you time it wrong). Chichester Harbour Conservancy advise that one should cross “between three hours before and one hour after” HW Springs, but Cunliffe advises “try hard not to enter the harbour after half-ebb in a strong southerly wind. In an onshore gale, don’t even think of it…” Personally I can’t see it as much of a problem—there’s enough in the harbour that one can hang around in any weather too unpleasant to cross the bar in relative shelter and continued interest.

Trust this is of some help—typed before I saw Seajet’s reply!
 
Seajet said:
Northney wins then, as I say it's a very good marina with very good facilities, there's a cafe & hotel there as well but then it's a 5 min drive across Hayling bridge to Langstone SC ( some members do keep boats in Northney ) and the Ship Inn & Royal Oak, both good pubs serving decent food.

Then the A27 dual c/way Chichester Bypass, about 12 miles to Chi itself, when I lived near Midhurst it was 26 miles and 40 minutes.

Northney is not such a nice place to be as Chichester Marina to be honest, as there's a lot more going on at the latter, but for actually operating a boat - and getting to and from the harbour entrance - Northney wins.

Another advantage with Northney is there are good quiet anchorages beside Emsworth Channel on the way, and much less boat traffic - like racing fleets - to fight through, than getting to and from Chichester Marina.
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As we discovered the other week, Northney is a (longish) walk from my home but the other consideration was a nearby chandlery, I assume it would mean a drive to either one of the Marine Superstore outlets or the Force 4 just before Chi marina?
 
There is a good chandlery at Emsworth Station (Seateach), which is just across the A27 and probably 10-15 min drive, if Google Maps is to be believed.
 
Seateach is a good, pretty large chandlery, especially good for stainless fastenings - as you say near the Emsworth railway station - on the old road into Emsworth heading east, go left at the roundabout with the anchor on it, the station is off to the left just before the rail bridge - BEWARE HUGE POTHOLES !

There is also a small - expensive - chandlery at Emsworth Marina.

The nearest others to the west would be Chris Hornsey on the Eastern Road into Portsmouth, Marine Superstore at Port Solent - to the east, yes Force 4 at Donnington on the Witterings road.
 
A1GSS said:
Hi folks

Thanks for the info, really useful.

I really appreciate the time taken to respond. We are now planning a weekend in the area in the next few weeks.
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I think The Crown in Emsworth is meant to be ok for accommodation, don't stay in the Emsworth Travelodge; it's actually based on the A27 and is a bugger to get to and from although the Havant Premier Inn is brand spankers, really well located, has pub and restaurant on site and is a short walk to Langstone to the pubs there. That's where I'd stay.
 
There is also a hotel at Northney Marina - no idea how good, presumably not the cheapest ! And a new Travel lodge type job just off the A27 roundabout for Hayling / Langstone, immediate right; no idea if any good.

There' a travel lodge at Fontwell on the A27 just east of Chichester, I tried it a few years ago and it was OK for that sort of thing.

I still think if coming all this way it would be rude to miss the delights of the Spread Eagle at Midhurst ! SWMBO has stayed there recently and confirms what we'd aways heard, hard to beat and interesting in its own right.

BTW in the unlikely event you have time there's a small museum at Emsworth, just off the ' anchor roundabout ' towards the station and Seateach.

An excellent historical book is ' Chichester Harbour ' by John Reger, available locally of course.

At Langstone itself the Royal Oak is the nicer pub but bit of a walk to access from a parked car when the tide is in; the Ship - perfectly good - is by the road onto Hayling bridge and has a large public car park - and small tidal public slip.

The old mill by the Royal Oak was once used as a place to stay by Nevil Shute, before he bought Langstone Towers.

In Emsworth - a town well worth seeing - the Bluebell pub by the central car park on road to old harbour is spiffing.

It'll be a busy but enjoyable weekend, good luck !
 
That is sad; I did wonder if it was still going when I mentioned the place, as I haven't been there for years.

Sadly the independent chandleries are going; Seateach really had better repair the potholes in their private road, their manageress told me a supplier in his van bit his tongue badly the other day !
 
+ 1 for Emsworth and the surrounding area (avoiding Havant, of course) and heading East (Westbourne, Southbourne, Nutbourne and Bosham etc). I lived in north Emsworth for a year and it's a fantastic location - easy access to Chichester and Portsmouth (15 minutes drive in clear traffic to both), and everything you could possibly need for boating on your doorstep along with a beautiful location (South Downs to the north and Chichester Harbour).

Also well worth looking at some of the small villages just outside Chichester. I lived in Oving for 2 years and it has a fantastic little pub called the Gribble Inn with a really good selection of home brewed beer from their onsite brewery. More than once I had a fuzzy walk home after one too many pints of Fuzzy Duck!
 
Jane and I looked for a house from Chicester to the A3 and chose Emsworth but it's not cheap and with an acre or two of land even more so. I'd suggest you check out local estate agents there are a lot of them.
 
bdh198 said:
+ 1 for Emsworth and the surrounding area (avoiding Havant, of course) and heading East (Westbourne, Southbourne, Nutbourne and Bosham etc). I lived in north Emsworth for a year and it's a fantastic location - easy access to Chichester and Portsmouth (15 minutes drive in clear traffic to both), and everything you could possibly need for boating on your doorstep along with a beautiful location (South Downs to the north and Chichester Harbour).

Also well worth looking at some of the small villages just outside Chichester. I lived in Oving for 2 years and it has a fantastic little pub called the Gribble Inn with a really good selection of home brewed beer from their onsite brewery. More than once I had a fuzzy walk home after one too many pints of Fuzzy Duck!
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What is to be avoided about Havant?
 
Try a stroll around Havant any time, or if you really fancy your chances on a Friday / Saturday night; not a jewel in Hampshire's crown I'm afraid - the large Leigh Park sink estate, that's what's to be avoided about it.
 
I'm in Northney. The good bits are that it's easy to get to most places (about 6 mins from A27), it's a very picturesque part of the world once you're into the Sweare channel. It's a bit soul-less but very friendly. Staff are great and go the extra mile. As others have said, the entrance at LWS can get a bit shallow but the marina has just been dredged so plenty of depth once inside. Car parking is good and security very good. Showers are outstanding and music is piped to the loo blocks - if you like that kind of thing. Sparkes is part of the same group (MDL), which means you can stay overnight at Sparkes without cost as part of the Freedom Bertihng package. Decent wifi also available.

Only downsides I've found are the onsite boatyard services - they seem to be impossible to get hold of. Also, it's about an hour of sailing/motoring to get to Chi entrance. However, there's plenty of nice sailing in the harbour itself.
 
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