Beaulieu River

On your RIB Charter, if you fancy a slow and meandering trip then a visit to the Beaulieu River should be on your list. It’ll take about 30 minutes from our base at Hamble Point Marina to reach the mouth of Beaulieu River and then it’s a steady 5 knots as you cruise along.

Beaulieu River is privately owned so please pay extra attention to any notices you may see.

Keep your eyes peeled for Sammy the Seal. A friendly chap who seems to like to pop his head up for a photo and lounge around on the platform of tenders and kayaks. He may be friendly, but please remember that he is a wild animal and should be treated with caution and never fed.

If you wish to explore on foot, radio Bucklers Hard Yacht Harbour for a short stay berth.

Once ashore, turn left from the marina and you will come across The Master Builders. A great place to stop off and enjoy great food and drinks. It does get busy so booking ahead is advisable.

The Master Builders sits on the site of the Bucklers Hard Maritime Museum. Click through to read more about this fascinating site where during the Second World War, it became a base for motor torpedos and, further downstream, sections of the Mulberry harbours were constructed in the old oyster beds in preparation for the D-Day landings. If visiting on foot from the RIB then some of the exhibits are free to see and a fee is charged to visit the Maritime Museum.

If you turn right from the marina you can walk into Beaulieu Village. The walk is just over a mile and should take about 25 minutes. At the heart of the village is The Montagu Arms. A hotel with a bar and restaurant. Again another lovely place to stop and enjoy.

The rest of the village has chocolate box houses and lovely gift and sweet shops. Watch out for the donkeys that roam freely in the area.

You can of course carry on motoring up the Beaulieu River. Keep your eyes peeled for wonderful wildlife and fabulous waterside homes. Whilst you pass alongside the North Solent Nature Reserve some of the areas aren’t accessible via land.

Please be aware that to protect important colonies of nesting seabirds, Gull Island and Warren Shore are closed to the public, so don’t try to moor on a bank. If you need more details contact Beaulieu Estate Office (01590 614621 / estate@beaulieu.co.uk.

There is a great map of other places to visit on the Beaulieu River website – click here to download.

Click here to return to the Solent Destination Guide. 

How long to get there

From Hamble Point it will take about 30 minutes to the mouth of Beaulieu River and then at 5 knots a further 30 minutes to reach the marina.

Restaurants and Bars

The nearest pub/restaurant to Bucklers Hard Yacht Harbour is the Master Builders.

A walk in the opposite direction will bring you into Beaulieu Village where you’ll find the Montagu Arms.

Both offer a tasty menu and can get booked up in advance.

Where to moor

Contact “Beaulieu River Radio” on VHF Channel 68 to ask for a short stay berth.

Click here for more details.

Bucklers-Hard-The-Master-Builder-and-Beaulieu-River.-Bluetooth-RIB
Beaulieu River RIB Charter
Beaulieu River RIB rental

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