Beaulieu River and Bucklers Hard
At a Glance
Contacts: Harbour Master tel 01590 616200 VHF #68 "Beaulieu River Radio"
For the visiting yachtsman or motorboater, the Beaulieu River can make an interesting change from the wall-to-wall marinas found elsewhere in the Solent area. Entry is possible for most boats, other than at dead low water springs.
The River rises in Lyndhurst and makes it's way to the sea via Beaulieu and Bucklers Hard. It is navigable inland for a few miles and forms a very beautiful and unspoiled natural harbour with deepwater available past Bucklers Hard. The whole River and it's seabed are owned by Lord Montagu (of the Motor Museum fame), and under his stewardship there is no hint of overdevelopment. It is his coffers you will be enriching wherever you moor within this river.
Apart from the numerous moorings and the charges, things probably
aren't much different from when wooden walled warships were
built for Nelson's fleet at Bucklers Hard.
Anchoring is not really possible deeper into the River, but it is
not too difficult to get a mooring, or a berth at Bucklers Hard
Marina. Wherever you berth in this River you will pay...the
Harbourmaster's staff are afloat to give advice and collect
the dues. Having said that this is one little haven where you can
avoid the worst excesses of consumer boating, and enjoy things as
they were perhaps 40 or 50 years ago (apart from the charges).
There are some useful facilities for the boat, but this is not a
place for serious provisioning or crew changes as transport is very
limited.
They have been hard at work over the 2019/2020 winter. The result
is that there is no longer a mid river pontoon beyond the Marina,
(that has been joined to the rest of the marina and is called
Visitors Pontoon North) and there is an extra visitors pontoon
outside the pontoon to the south of the Hoist Dock.
We have included a copy of the new layout in our Navigation gallery
up on the right.
The River has a bar with less than 1 m at LWS, and consultations
will need to be made with the tide tables when planning entry.
Beaulieu River and Bucklers Hard
Approach
The approach to Beaulieu River from seawards involves keeping a good offing, and making your final approach on a northerly heading. There are plenty of shallows and drying areas awaiting the unwary, so a good check of the charts and consultations with the tide tables will be needed.
Beaulieu now keeps a listening watch on VHF #68 and you should call them on entering the river inbound.
From the West, once you have passed the West Lepe red can buoy
(Fl.R.5s), you will come across three seasonal yellow spherical
buoys laid at regular intervals of about 6 to 7 cables on a line
048T and all F.Y.4s In poor visibility the problem will be which
yellow buoy you are looking at and whether or not you've missed
one!!
About the only guide one can offer is that the first two yellow
buoys are to the SSW of the entrance (the old Coast Guard cottages)
and the third one is to the SSE. If you are navigating by GPS this
will not be a major problem but if you are navigating by Mark I
eyeball you will have to keep up a regular plot or you could end up
on the putty. Keeping well to seaward of the yellow buoys will
help you avoid the shallows and if the buoys are missing (Dec to
Mar) the charted position of the last one, just short of the
leading marks is 50°46.6N 001°21.5W and approaching this waypoint
on a generally northerly heading will serve equally well.
In general just be aware that drying patches and shallow water
radiate southwards from Beaulieu Spit, and that approaching the
entrance on a northerly heading from a distance off will clear all
of this.
From the East a fair offing needs to be kept, leaving the
substantial southerly cardinal Lepe Spit buoy off Stansore Point
(Q(6)+LFl.15s) to starboard. Aiming next for the yellow racing buoy
mentioned above will keep you clear of the shallows.
The bar has less than 1 m at LWS, and to play safe boats drawing
around 1.5 m should not make their approach at low water, but leave
it a couple of hours and enter on a rising tide.
The yellow racing buoy is slightly to the West of the transit line
which is Lepe House and the red number two beacon lining up on
324°. The house can be easily identified, a large rambling
structure appearing in a gap between the windswept trees to the
West of the Millenniun Lighthouse and the old coastguard cottages.
Moving in on this transit will bring you towards the Beaulieu River
Dolphin a three legged red wooden structure with the noticeboard
displaying the speed limit (5 Knts) and lit (Fl.R.5s.3M). This
needs to be left well on your port side, and your course tweaked up
10° to around 334°, which will lead you between the red and green
piles that show the way in. These piles are numbered, the red port
hand ones having even numbers and the green starboard hand ones
having odd numbers. Alternate piles are lit with Fl 4s lights The
water now deepens out, and in the region of piles numbers 5 to 8
the channel swings to the West with a touch of south, before
swinging Northwest in the region of number 19 (green) which is
opposite Needs Ore point (Beaulieu River Sailing Club).
After the No 19 pile there are a few buoys marking the extremities
of the channel but they are sparse, not in pairs and all flashing
4s (either red or green as appropriate). Night entry is not
impossible but there is a very real danger of collision with moored
craft so is not advisable for strangers, and any attempt at working
your way through the moorings in the dark will require a very
bright moon.
The more observant of you will notice that ALL the navigation marks
, whether port or starboard, have the same light signature (Fl 4s)
This means that you could see all of them at the same time and have
no means of telling which is which!!
The tides have the usual Solent high water stand with the ebb not
starting to run hard until about 3 1/2 hours before low water.
There is a good Tom Cunliffe video of the entrance and river transit on the Beaulieu website made in early 2017 (ie without the new buoys)
We are told that a couple of night visits were made here by a Yachtmaster Course last summer and the new nav marks made it a lot easier than they had expected.
£ GMT
Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
For a visiting small craft mariner, the mooring opportunities available in the Beaulieu River consist of swinging moorings, pile moorings and a 200+ berth marina at Buckler's Hard. You can make arrangements for a berth by ringing them in advance.
Anchoring is not allowed in the River as it is too tight
with moorings. There is a recognised anchorage in the first reach
past the red post number 20, and off Gull Island, just out of the
channel (to the north of the island and south of the channel). This
is not very protected particularly with easterlies, and a long way
from anywhere. Mooring up-river of Needs Ore point will cost £2.25
pmpn
Otherwise make your way up the River and if you find a vacant
suitable looking mooring buoy (with the long-term holder away) you
are permitted to tie up. It will be necessary to get the harbour
master's permission ASAP, and he can be reached on 01590
616200 or #68 Until you have confirmation from the harbour master
it is best to assume that the owner may return and require you to
vacate his mooring.
Other mooring options include a new pontoon just below the Marina,
and another visitors mooring pontoon just above the Marina.
Otherwise enter the Marina and tie up, there is often room.
Whichever option you choose make yourself known to the harbour
authorities within 24 hours of arriving if they haven't
found you first.
Charges for visiting pontoon berths (Summer 2024) are £5.25 pm pn.
Shore power is included in that price.. A short stay (1200 to 1530)
is charged from £1.50 per metre on a mooring or £2.50 on the
pontoon.
The links below cover the River regulations and the prices respectively:
Anchorage before entering the river "proper"
"This is more of a night stopover if you don't need to get off the boat. You can anchor on either edge of the reach leading up to Needs Oar Point. You may get caught by the harbourmaster's dory, if he's feeling bored or there are a lot of anchored yachts, but usually we get away with it. A great place for birdwatching.
We recently anchored quite close to the entrance and took the dinghy ashore just west of the boathouse. This is OK because the beach is mostly shingle with very little of the normal mud. A couple of miles stroll along the road will take you to Exbury Gardens and a fabulous display of Rhododendrons in the spring. It's not bad at other times of the year too. If that walk is too long then just a few hundred yards east is the Lepe country park with a pleasant walk around the shore and a good cafe to return to for sustenance.
Buckler's Hard
"Follow the Beaulieu River up to Buckler's Hard, ignore the very expensive marina, and ask the harbourmaster for a position on the midstream piles, great for improving boat handling skills. (It is true that the piles are now enhanced with pontoons which somewhat diminishes the skills required). But you still need to watch out for the current when manoeuvering, it can run quite hard at times. If you want peace and quiet, the harbourmaster may have a spare mooring further up river if you ask.
The Agamemnon Yard, close behind the Marina, holds the showers, loos and washing machines and there's a fuel and water jetty handy. Behind the fuelling jetty is where you can get ashore in your dinghy after pushing your way through dozens of others. The yard often has interesting boats ashore but the chandlery appears to have closed down.
The village itself is a step back in time, some of the houses are occupied, others are open to the public giving a glimpse of life in times past. The Master Builder's pub gets packed (and overflows onto the green outside), the Maritime museum is well worth a visit (50p off with your mooring fee). There's a cafe near to the museum and a shop that sells basic provisions. 'Unauthorised' barbecues are not allowed on the green but you can borrow an 'authorised' barbie, speak to the harbourmaster.
PS. Have a look at the river water flowing past your boat, at certain times of year there are thousands (millions?) of small translucent jellyfish flowing back and forth with the current. Where they all come from is a mystery to me.
The riverside walk through the woods to Beaulieu village is a great favourite, especially with the promise of a real icecream on arrival. Beaulieu village also has a pub where you can get a meal (eaten outside if you want to fight off the donkies) and the garden centre (which keeps the wife happy) has a cafe that serves delicious, home made cakes. The green is a favourite with the kids for feeding the ducks and petting the donkies.
This information is reproduced here by kind permission of Alan Holmes, his site below has much information about Solent harbours and anchorages, has some good photos, and is based on plenty of hands on experience...check it out but be aware that some of his prices will have changed markedly
Marinas and Mooring
Bucklers Hard Marina
The Harbourmaster
Harbourmasters Office
Bucklers hard
Beaulieu
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
Facilities
For the boat at Bucklers Hard most facilities will be found,
water, electricity and fuel. The fuel pontoon also provides water
and ice, and stays open till dusk. For the crew showers, toilets
and a launderette are available. Ashore full backup services are
available for the boat, including a yard that can handle liftings,
repairs and other work with various specialists on site including
engineers, riggers, and outboard repair facilities nearby.
A bookable scrubbing grid can handle boats of around 2 m draft at
MHWS, and this is arranged through the harbour office.
Buckler's Hard Boatbuilders operates a very useful
chandlery close to the Marina and sells bottled gas.
Trailer Sailers are well served at Bucklers Hard, with all
facilities close at hand again. The slip is available at all states
of the tide, although there can be a tidal cross set to deal with.
The harbourmaster is in charge, phone number already given.
The licensed village store can provide basic provisioning and a
dinghy mission on the tide, or a 2 mile plus walk will get you to
Beaulieu village where there is a further scattering of small
shops. All in all not a place for serious provisioning....
Public transport is equally dire from Bucklers Hard, although
Beaulieu village does have a limited bus service. For train
services Brockenhurst station about 6 miles away is probably the
best bet.
Boatyards & Boatyard Services
BHG Marine (1)
The Agamemnon Yard, Bucklers Hard
Beaulieu
Brokenhurst
Southampton
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
Bucklers Hard - Boat Builders Ltd
The Agamemnon Boat Yard
Bucklers Hard
Beaulieu
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
What to Do
As already mentioned Bucklers Hard was a major centre for ship
building during Nelson's day, the forests of oak nearby
providing the timbers for wooden walled fighting ships of some
considerable size. Hence for anyone interested in that period the
Maritime Museum will prove fascinating. It deals with the life of
Henry Adams the master shipbuilder on the spot, and the vessels
built here. The Agamemnon was said to be Nelson's favourite
ship, and it was built at Bucklers Hard. Also commemorated at the
Museum is Sir Francis Chichester, the first person to sail around
the globe single-handed in 1967.
The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu is world-famous and well
worth a look too. The ruins of the ancient monastery at Beaulieu
can be taken in as well as a visit to Palace House the Gothic
ancestral home of the Montagus since 1538.
At Bucklers Hard will be found the Master Builder's House
Hotel, which was once the home of the above-mentioned Henry Adams
master shipbuilder. Nowadays it popular with visiting yachtsman and
serves food. An alternative is the Riverview Restaurant and
Terrace, with a good choice of wines including some from the
Beaulieu estate.
A bit further afield at Beaulieu village there are a couple more
choices for eating and drinking. While at Beaulieu it might amuse
you to realise that this unlikely spot was the scene of an historic
pop festival punch-up in 1960. Forget Mods and Rockers... this was
between rival groups of Beatnicks, and the bone of contention was
the virtues of traditional jazz (Acker Bilk) versus modern jazz
(Johnny Dankworth).... go-go-daddy-o ! Rioting youths dressed in
scruffy jeans, sporting CND badges and wearing BOWLER HATS went on
the rampage. One even managed to shin up His Lordship's
gothic pile and waved his bowler agressively from the
battlements.
Lord Montagu was " disgusted and flabbergasted". Youth is youth,
music is music, and some things never change !
History
The Beaulieu River is a small river flowing south through the
New Forest in the county of Hampshire in southern England. The
river is some 12 miles (19 km) long, of which the last 4 miles (6.4
km) are tidal. Unusually, the entire river, including its bed, is
owned by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu.
The Beaulieu River rises near Lyndhurst in the centre of the New
Forest, and flows south-easterly across the forest heaths to the
village of Beaulieu. At Beaulieu the river becomes tidal and once
drove a tide mill in the village. Below Beaulieu the tidal river
continues to flow through the forest, passing the village of
Bucklers Hard and entering the sea through the Solent.
The tidal river below Beaulieu village is navigable to small craft.
Bucklers Hard was once a significant shipbuilding centre, building
many wooden sailing ships, both merchant and naval and including
Nelson's Agamemnon.
History
The picturesque hamlet of Bucklers Hard, with its Georgian cottages
running down to the Beaulieu river is part of the 9000 acre (36
km²) Beaulieu Estate. It was the birthplace of many
British naval vessels, including many of Admiral Nelson's
fleet, using the timber of the New Forest.
The industry declined in the 19th-century and today the hamlet is
given over to tourism, with a small maritime museum, and a modern
yachting marina. Bucklers Hard was where Sir Francis Chichester
began and finished his single-handed voyage around the world in
Gipsy Moth IV.
In the late 1950s Beaulieu was the surprising location for one of
Britain's first experiments in pop festival culture, with
the annual Beaulieu Jazz Festival, which quickly expanded to become
a significant event in the burgeoning jazz and youth pop music
scene of the period.
Camping overnight, a rural invasion, eccentric dress, wild music
and sometimes wilder behaviour — these now familiar
features of pop festival happened at Beaulieu each summer,
culminating in the so-called 'Battle of Beaulieu'
at the 1960 festival, when rival gangs of modern and traditional
jazz fans indluged in a spot of what sociologists went on to call
'subcultural contestation'.
Beaulieu village has remained largely unspoilt by progress, and is
a favourite tourist stop for visitors to the New Forest, and also
for birders seeking local specialities like Dartford Warbler, Honey
Buzzard and Hobby.
Transport
The nearest railway station is Beaulieu Road, about 4 miles (6.4
km) away on the London-Weymouth main line. However, this station
has an infrequent service (3 trains per day being typical), and
there are more frequent services at the next station to the east,
Ashurst, 10 miles (16 km) from Beaulieu, and the next to the west,
Brockenhurst, 6 miles (9.7 km) away.
In summer Beaulieu is served by the New Forest Tour, an hourly
open-topped bus service.
Palace House
Palace House (not to be confused with the Palace of Beaulieu in
Essex), which overlooks the village from across Beaulieu River,
began in 1204 as the gatehouse to Beaulieu Abbey, and has been the
ancestral home of a branch of the Montagu family since 1538, when
it was bought from the crown following the Dissolution of the
Monasteries by Henry VIII.
The house was extended in the 16th century, and again in the 19th
century, and is today a fine example of a Gothic country
house.
Although still home to the current Lord and Lady Montagu, parts of
the house and gardens are open daily to the public. It is a member
of the Treasure Houses of England consortium.
Museum
The village is also home to the British National Motor
Museum.
The museum, opened as the Montagu Motor Museum in 1952, becoming a
charitable trust in 1972, contains an important collection of
historic motor vehicles, including four world land speed record
holders:
Sir Malcolm Campbell's 1924 Blue-Bird and
His son Donald Campbell's 1964 Bluebird CN7,
The 1927 Sunbeam 1000HP (the first motor car to reach 200 miles per
hour)
The 1929 Irving-Napier Special 'Golden
Arrow'.
The last two were both driven by Major Henry Segrave.
Bucklers Hard
Bucklers Hard is a picturesque hamlet situated on the banks of the
Beaulieu river in the English county of Hampshire. With its
Georgian cottages running down to the river, Bucklers Hard is part
of the 9000 acre (36 km²) Beaulieu Estate. The hamlet is
located some 2½ miles (4 km) south of the village of
Beaulieu.
The hamlet was built by the second Duke of Montagu, originally
called Montagu Town, intended to be a free port for trade with the
West Indies. Bucklers Hard was the birthplace of many British naval
vessels, including many of Admiral Nelson's fleet, using
the timber of the New Forest. The industry declined in the
nineteenth-century and today the hamlet is given over to tourism,
with a small maritime museum, and a modern yachting marina. During
World War II the village was used to build motor torpedo boats and
the river was a base for hundreds of landing craft for the Normandy
invasion, Operation Overlord. Bucklers Hard was where Sir Francis
Chichester began and finished his single-handed voyage around the
world in Gipsy Moth IV.
Local Business
Brokers
Kings Easton Yachts Ltd
Beaulieu River Yacht Harbour
Bucklers Hard
Beaulieu
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
Boat-Charters
Rising Star Yacht Charter
No Address Available
Keyhaven
Southampton
Sea-Schools
Uncategorised
BHG Marine (1)
The Agamemnon Yard, Bucklers Hard
Beaulieu
Brokenhurst
Southampton
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
The Maritime Museum
Buckler's Hard
Beaulieu
Brockenhurst
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
Bucklers Hard - Boat Builders Ltd
The Agamemnon Boat Yard
Bucklers Hard
Beaulieu
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
Kings Easton Yachts Ltd
Beaulieu River Yacht Harbour
Bucklers Hard
Beaulieu
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
Rising Star Yacht Charter
No Address Available
Keyhaven
Southampton
Bucklers Hard Marina
The Harbourmaster
Harbourmasters Office
Bucklers hard
Beaulieu
Hampshire
SO42 7XB
Tide Information for beaulieu-river
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