Where to go?

[max]

I am planning to move my boat to a south coast marina next summer. I'm new to this area (previous sailing grounds - North and West Wales, Brittany) so would appreciate suggestions. Three key requirements - easily reachable by train from London (no fighting the traffic on summer weekend evenings!), things to do ashore for the family when the weather turns foul, interesting places to sail within a few hours. Brighton seems to be the place - am I missing something ( or somewhere)?

 

[andrewhopkins]

Brighton ? no...

My only critisism of Brighton is that there are not that many places to go on a day sail, you come out and either turn left or right (or go into the channel halfway and turn around!)

Why not Southampton ? Its 45mins by train from London and it gives you access to the Solent with hundreds of places to visit e.g. hamble, IOW, Lymington, Portsmouth, chichester, etc, etc

HOWEVER, it is all relatively expensive down there but you could try Shamrock Quay for example (although Ocean Village and the Town Quay are slightly nearer the station)

Poole can be reached quite easily from London (I think about 1hr 15) and gives a great cruising ground but there might be quite a waiting list.

The Solent is often critisised for its cost and the amount of boats out on a hot sunny saturday but its busy for a reason.....its the best sailing area in the United Kingdom.

Good luck

 

[peterg]

Brighton's OK and the station is not too far from the marina but you'll be quite a way from 'interesting places to sail' once out of the marina, it's just coastline until you get to.....Chichester.

You could have a look at the Chichester area although not travelling by train very often I can't remember where the trains go from here.

Portsmouth is easily accessible by train and there are several marinas/moorings available in that area - and of course, if money is no object you could look at the Solent/Hamble area as well.

Good luck

 

[rogerroger]

Haslar Marina on Gosport is good - direct train from Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour then a short ride across the Harbour on the Gosport ferry and you're there.

The Marina is not exactly blessed with asthetic charm but it has good facilities and as it's right at the harbour mouth you're into the Solent straight away. You've also got the new Gunwharf Quays development on the Portsmouth side if the weather turns bad and you'd rather not go out.

The only time I went to Chichester by train from London it took over two hours and you'll need to get a cab from the station.

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[billmacfarlane]

If you've got young children them Brighton is good but a bit limited when it comes to day sailing and other destinations. Portsmouth is probably a good bet , Haslar and C&N's with a good ( relatively of course ) link to London. I'm a resident of Chichester Marina but my children found it a bit boring when they were young.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Berthon Marina, Lymington...

...is about a 7 minute walk from Lymington Town Station, while Lymington Yacht Haven is about another ten minutes walk. But you may be screwed by the Lymington Flyer which always leaves exactly on time from Brockenhurst, so if your down train is late, you're faced with up to a 30 minute wait at Brockenhurst, or a taxi if you're in a hurry.

 

[Guest]

I can confirm that the two Gosport marinas are very convenient by train from London. - I last did the trip on Friday to Haslar. The only thing to watch out for is that some of the trains (which are very regular) leave from Waterloo, some from Victoria, so make sure you head to the right station for the next train.

At the other end it is very quick, since the ferry crosses the harbour every 10 minutes or so. I'm normally on the boat in Haslar 10-15 minutes after the train arrives at Portsmouth harbour.

Gosport is not superficially attractive but is a place that grows on you and has lots of history, museums, interesting local characters etc. The Castle Tavern is an excellent pub for yotties.

It is also very well located for sailing. Like Lymington on the other side of the Solent, Gosport is closer to the exit into the Channel than eg. Southampton, giving you the choice of heading South into the Channel or towards Chichester, or West into the Solent.

Haslar marina at least is significantly cheaper than places like Lymington and has very good facilities (the best showers in the Solent on the lightship).

Lymington is a very nice place for yachties, but significantly more difficult to get to by train, and more expensive.

 

[Guest]

We're in Chi marina. Its ok and probably one of the cheapest and its nice. well we like it anyway. harbour is very pretty and bembridge not far and all other very pleasant places.

 

[Guest]

I used to be in Haslar, one slight drawback is the large number of resident charter boats intermingled with owner craft but never the less a well run marina. Now in Camper & Nicholson just around the corner and well pleased, the charter boats are all kept in one place. C&N will be running the new marina that will be built in Clarence yard. By train from London Waterloo fast to Portsmouth Harbour then 5 mins walk to the Gosport Ferry and either Haslar or C&N is a 5 min walk. By road take your pick of A3 or M3 then M27 & A32. Parking at both marinas is OK.

Pete

 

[zefender]

Brighton is great for getting to and from London (it's also a great place for land-based stuff). But I agree with others about the options for stopovers. It's also very difficult to access in a blow.

The quickest by car from London (IMHO) is Port Solent. I can reach it from North London in about 90 minutes. Sunday evenings can take up to an hour longer though. But we go to the multiplex on-site and leave later in the evening! It is about 5 minutes from Fareham station but train journeys down are slow and unreliable I've found. Sure, it takes longer to get out to the Solent than Gosport but I favour less time in car, more time on boat.

 

[billmacfarlane]

Cost

I hope you appreciate Max that all the places we've been telling you about will cost an arm and a leg more that I suspect you've been paying in the past.

 

[rogerroger]

There's also a great curry house in Gosport - can't remember what it's called though, but have always had great pre-sailing meals there and never over a tenner a head!

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[max]

Re: Cost

Thanks for all these replies - some food for thought here. Maybe Brighton isn't the best place after all if the short hop options are poor. Having said that, are Shoreham and Newhaven worth visiting on short hops from Brighton.

As for cost, North Wales is surprisingly not that much cheaperthan the South coast, but in South Brittany the prices are unbelievable - new superbly run municipal marina in small and idyllic fishing village in the Benodet bay with Illes de Glenans 12 miles offshore, and an array of wonderful anchorages and ports within a few hours sailing is £950 per annum for a 9.9m boat. If only it was an hour from london!

 

[Twister_Ken]

Shoreham and Newhaven

Far be it from me to be rude about these two ports, but suffice it to say neither are ever likely to attract crowds of admirers.

 

[iangrant]

Chichester from Waterloo via Havant then 20 mins in a taxi to the marina which is tidal and restricted by a lock. Northney Marina is in Chichester Harbour 10 minutes from Havant Station by taxi. No lock, channel dredged to 1.5m

Ian

 

[pugwash]

Solent best..?

Fighting words from Andrew. "Solent is the best sailing water in the United Kingdom." Ha! That'll be the day. Best for those who don't want to drive more than a couple of hours from London, sure. Best for those who don't mind crowded anchorages, crowded pubs and costly marinas, yep. Better than Brighton, oh yes. Better than nothing, true. But best sailing water in the whole UK -- oh come on! I don't know which is worst, the Solent on a Sunday or the M25.

 

[Guest]

Re: Solent best..?

The Solent last Sunday was GLORIOUS! No wind, but glorious. Don't know about the M25, I wasn't there.

But yes, there're lots of places in the UK that're better. eg. I seem to recall that the West of Scotland is still in the UK?

 

[pugwash]

Glorious ?

Ah yes, Simon, but in weather that makes the Solent glorious you can bet your boot-topping the West Country is even GLORIOUSER !

 

[Guest]

Re: Glorious ?

That's one of the great things about the Solent. It's close to the West Country!

Oh, and Normandy too. I still have a slight hangover from imbibing M. Gosselin's Calvados (while watching Whisky Galore).

 

[johndf]

Re: S coast of England

IMHO if you've sailed in S or even N Brittany, then I'm afraid that the Eastern part of the S coast of England is liable to be rather a disappointment. Still at least it is the sea, but I'd get closer to the westcountry or closer to Brittany if I could.