Solent Destinations

Pure Latitude membership provides access to a range of stunning cruising grounds – including the Solent – the mecca of UK boating. The Solent offers beautiful beaches, quaint harbours and historic nautical towns.

Get inspired for the next time you head afloat with our suggestions on where’s best to point your boat in the Solent.

Solent Harbours and Towns

Beaulieu River: Overview

Beaulieu river, set in the heart of the New Forest, is a beautiful natural environment for just messing about on boats.

Set against the backdrop of rolling countryside it’s a great place to pick up a mooring buoy, pour a glass of wine and let the beauty of nature absorb you.

Ideal for: Day skippers who are confident with their pilotage and tidal calcs. It’s an easy day trip for motorboats and sailors alike but we recommend staying overnight.
Beaulieu: Navigation

Location: 50° 46.585′ N, 001° 21.390′ W (Adjcent yellow bouy)

Mooring: Plentiful mooring bouys for visitors or head for the fully serviced marina at Bucklers Hard.

Navigation: Beaulieu is a tidal river with less than 1m off the entrance at low water springs. Make sure you have double checked your tidal heights! The river is narrow in places and you need to navigate with care – follow the withies!
Beaulieu: Food and Drink

The Master Builders: Charming country hotel/restaurant/pub on the waters edge and set at the end of a row of picturesque and historic cottages originally inhabitated by 18th century shipbuilders.

Captains Cabin Tearooms: Treat yourself to a delicious cream tea or tuck into a light lunch. They also serve all-day snacks and hot drinks, the tea rooms open daily from 10am.
Beaulieu: Places to go

Explore the river: Bring a tender or paddleboard and spend some time exploring this beautiful river. Gently winding your way along the river banks is good for the soul!

Maritime Museum and Bucklers Hard Story: Originally founded as a free port for the trading of sugar, Buckler’s Hard actually flourished as a naval shipbuilding centre and has become famous for building warships for Nelson’s Navy, including three vessels that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar.

Chichester: Overview

Chichester’s natural harbor is an area of outstanding natural beauty and a haven for boating, bird watching and walking.

The estuaries and rivers of the harbor make for boating paradise. Pick up a mooring buoy, pour a glass of wine and let the beauty of nature absorb you.

Ideal for: Day skippers who are confident with their pilotage and tidal calcs. It’s a day trip for motorboats from Hamble or a weekend for sailors.
Chichester: Navigation

Location: 50° 45.45′ N, 000° 56.380′ W (West Pole Beacon)

Mooring: Plentiful options from anchorages and mooring buoys to fully serviced marinas.

Navigation: Chichester is a tidal harbor with a bar – normally dredged to 1.5m below chart datum – but the bottom can very markedly – prudent to assume 0.8m below chart datum. Beware the 6knt ebb on Springs!
Chichester: Places to go

Beaches: See details below on East head beach and anchorage. Easy stop on your way into the harbor.

Itchenor: Mooring bouys and alongside pontoon services. Water taxi service available to get ashore to the Ship Inn.

Bosham: The historic village of Bosham lies at the head of Bosham Channel. There is a drying quay accessible at the top of the tide or pick up a deep water swinging mooring in the pretty channel.
Chichester: Food and Drink

The Anchor Bleu (Bosham): Charming pub on the waters edge. Moor on quay (HW) or tender required.

The Ship Inn (Itchenor): Honest local village pub. Use the Itchenor water taxi to get ashore.

Crown & Anchor (Chichester): Award winning 16th century pub on the waters edge. Ideal supper stop if overnighting in Chichester marina.

Bembridge: Overview

Voted 2019 village of the year by Countryfile, Bembridge boasts a beautiful natural tidal harbour and a host of different things to do on and around the water.

With beautiful beaches and great waterside dining, make sure you leave time to relax and look around.

Ideal for: Day skippers who are confident with their pilotage and tidal calcs. It’s a day trip for motorboats from Hamble or a weekend for sailors.
Bembridge: Navigation

Location: 50° 42.51′ N, 001° 05.008′ W (Just North of tide gauge)

Mooring: Duver Marina (online visitor booking available) with a very informative website: www.bembridgeharbour.co.uk/the-harbour

Navigation: Bembridge is a tidal harbor. As a guide, on spring/medium tides, 1.5m draft vessels can enter approximately 3 hours +/- HW. On neaps the channel depth sometimes does not exceed 2.2m.
Bembridge: Things to do

Beaches: Just a 5 minute walk from the marina is Duver/St. Helens beach with the Baywatch café – and just around the corner is Priory Bay.

Harbour: It’s worth bringing a dinghy or SUP to explore the harbor in – great fun for all ages.

Lifeboat Station: Pay homage to the RNLI at their flagship lifeboat station. Check timings on their facebook page and you might get to watch a launch of the offshore boat from this iconic building.
Bembridge: Food and Drink

The Best Dressed Crab: Local, fresh seafood served in a contemporary barge on the harbor.

Old Village Inn: Honest local village pub serving a variety of food and great pizzas!

Forelands Beach: Choose between the Crab and Lobster Pub or the Beach Hut.

Top Tip: If you head into Bembridge, catching the marina water taxi can save 25 mins walking.

Solent Bays and Anchorages

Newtown Creek: Overview

A National Trust Nature Reserve, and one of the Solent’s most unspoilt locations.

In 1344 it was a busy harbour with a prosperous saltworks and oyster beds.

There is public landing on the East side of the river at Newtown Quay. From Newtown Quay you can walk across the boardwalk to the historic Newtown village, make use of the reserve’s two hides, or follow one of the two nature trails.

Ideal for: A peaceful lunch or overnight stop midweek or out of season in beautiful surroundings.
Newtown Creek: Detail

Location: 50 43.756 N 001 24.914 (W Cardinal Buoy)

Food: No shops but head up the estuary to Shalfleet (dinghy needed) for food at The New Inn.

Mooring: Anchor carefully with enough depth or picking up a national trust mooring buoy.

Navigation: Leave the cardinal buoy marking the entrance channel to port and head 130° to pick up the leading marks. Beware the red and black danger mark just inside the entrance – it marks a mud bank.

Hurst Castle: Overview

The heart of Hurst Castle is the Tudor fort built by Henry VIII. The building today includes additions from the 1800’s through to WW2 when it protected the entrance to the Solent.

The hooked shape shingle bank shelters an important area of for wildlife.

Ideal for: A lunch stop out of the strong currents that go through the needles channel and a great spot to watch the world sail past.
Hurst Castle: Detail

Location: 50 42.584’N, 001 32.963’W (Centre of pool)

Food & Drink: None Bring your BBQ

Mooring: Anchor (holding good) in the pool north west of the light house.

Navigation: Check your tide heights. Head in toward the shore watching your depth until you are about 200m NW of the lighthouse.

East Head: Overview

Tucked just inside the entrance to Chichester harbor, the anchorage at East Head offers easy access to a beautiful sandy beach – bring your BBQ and bucket and spade.

The Northerly facing anchorage is fairly well sheltered – although it’s worth tucking in as far as the tide allows for the flattest water and easy access to the beach.

Ideal for: Experienced day skippers who are confident anchoring. It can be a day trip for motorboats from Hamble or a weekend (overnight in Chichester harbour) for sailors.
East Head: Details

Location: 50° 47.444′ N, 000° 54.745′ W (South of line between East Head spit and Snowhill starboard buoys)

Food and drink: None – bring your BBQ.

Mooring: Anchor off the beach in line with draught. Dinghy, swim gear or SUP required to get ashore.

Navigation: Ensure you have done your tidal calcs for Chichester bar. Always navigate with extreme care.

Priory Bay: Overview

Probably the Solent’s finest beach, yet relatively uncrowded most of the year. The picture perfect sandy beach backed by greenery is perfect for lounging and swimming – bring your BBQ and bucket and spade.

The Easterly facing anchorage is well sheltered – although the shallow shelving means any boat with draught needs to anchor a little way off.

Ideal for: Experienced day skippers who are confident anchoring. It can be a day trip for motorboats from Hamble or a weekend (overnight in Bembridge) for sailors.
Priory Bay: Details

Location: 50° 42.885′ N, 001° 4.780′ W (Yellow spherical bouy)

Food and drink: None – bring your BBQ.

Mooring: Anchor (holding good/reasonable) off the beach in accordance with your draught. Dinghy, swimming trucks or SUP required to get ashore.

Navigation: Coming from Hamble, take care navigating past No Mans Land Fort and the shallows off Seaview. Always navigate with extreme care.

Thorness Bay: Overview

On a Summers day in the Solent, the anchorage at Thorness Bay makes for an easy lunch stop in a tranquil and uncrowded setting. A mile or so to the West of Gurnard and Cowes, Thorness Bay offers a quiet pebbled beach backed by agricultural land.

There is a shallow ledge of less than 1metre extending some way from the beach, making high water at the Western edge of the Bay the best for anchoring (pictured).

Ideal for: Day skippers who are confident anchoring. It’s an easy day trip for all boats types from Hamble.
Thorness Bay: Details

Location: 50° 44.633′ N, 001° 21.885′ W (Yellow spherical bouy)

Food and drink: None – bring your own.

Mooring: Anchor (holding good/reasonable) well off the beach to avoid the ledge. Dinghy with outboard required to get ashore and enjoy having a beach pretty much to yourself.

Navigation: Study your chart carefully to understand your position in relation to the ledge and make sure you have doubled checked your tidal times/heights. Always navigate with extreme care.

Totland Bay: Overview

With beautiful clear water and a sandy beach backed by a forest of green, if you visit Totland Bay on a summers day it has a touch of the Carribbean about it.

This largely sheltered anchorage offers respite from the Solent crowds, whilst still close enough to nip back in if conditions change.

Ideal for: Experienced day skippers who are confident anchoring. It can be a day trip for motorboats from Hamble or a weekend (overnight in Yarmouth or Lymington) for sailors.
Totland Bay: Details

Location: 50:41’N 001:33′.05W (Off Totland Pier)

Food and drink: Waterfront Bar & Restaurant overlooking the beach.

Mooring: Anchor (holding good/reasonable). Dinghy, swimming trunks or SUP required to get ashore.

Navigation: Beware the rocky ledges of Colwell and Warden point. Stay in the Needles channel until you are safe to turn in. Always navigate with extreme care.