Peter Bruce discovers the rich heritage of

the Hamble as he winds his way upriver

EXPLORING

THE HIDDEN

HAMBLE

 I

f you travel upstream on the Hamble

at High Water past the mosaic of

moored vessels, then pass under

the frenzied traffi c on the bridges at

Bursledon, the scenery soon changes

to one of perfect beauty and peace.

The wide tree-lined river winds

through lovely countryside and there

is seldom more than the odd small craft

in sight. Few people venture to this enchanting,

divinely quiet location where the scenery is

probably much as it was a thousand years ago.

Before the fi rst bridge was built in 1783,

access upriver was possible for masted vessels,

and there are several traces of ancient wooden

jetties along the bank. The wood on the left

side, a mile up from the motorway bridge, is

called Dock Copse, which suggests its riverside

usage in times past. Nowadays, one of the fi rst

features to be seen going upriver, not far after

leaving the last motor yacht behind on the

Eastlands Boatyard pontoon, is a yellow

can-shaped buoy marked ‘historic wreck’. This

shows the position of the fi nal resting place of

two warships belonging to Henry V. The larger

of these, the 600-year-old Grace Dieu, was

commissioned in 1418 and was one of the

biggest ships of her time. She was the largest

ever clinker-built ship; her length was 66m.

Grace Dieu saw very little active service and

burnt to the waterline after lightning struck in

1439. The other ship that lies here is the 30m
      Holigost. Originally a Castillian vessel named
      Santa Clara, Holigost was captured and joined
      the English fl eet in 1415. She was involved in
      two naval battles which were signifi cant English
      successes in the Hundred Years’ War. But Henry
      V’s victory meant his navy was no longer much
      use to the nation, and Holigost was laid up and
      eventually sank on her moorings.
      A third of a mile above the M27 bridge
      around the fi rst bend, the Manor Farm
      pontoon will be seen: a beach and a landing
      place are the gateway to some nice walks, picnic
      spots and the opportunity to see the farm and
      its animals at what is now called the River
      Hamble Country Park. This was near the site
      of the secret wartime naval shore establishment
      HMS Cricket which was involved in amphibious
      craft and troops for the D-Day landings. There
      are still notches in the
      riverbank left by wartime
      landing craft. Onward
      upriver, half a mile from
      the bridge opposite

Catland Copse, the river narrows a little and

bends to the left and then to the right, by which

time all the bustle of civilisation is out of sight.

Further on, where the river turns sharply

left, a beach will appear on the right which

is a bathing and picnic spot. Not far after that,

the river depth becomes noticeably less and

the river dries out at low water, but still gives at

least 2m in the channel at high water. After the

next lefthand bend, a fi eld will be seen ahead

rather than woodland and it is here, about

two miles up from the bridges, that a decision

has to be made as to which tributary to follow.

The lefthand one, which is the River Hamble,

is navigable by dinghy another mile further up

to Botley Mills, a mill since Saxon times. On the

right, shortly after passing the river junction, is

the YMCA Fairthorne Manor boathouse. When

digging foundations for a previous boathouse

near this point in 1888, a Saxon log boat made

from a single oak tree dated around 700 AD

was found, along with evidence of a Roman

villa. Further on, there is one handsome private

house and the YMCA camp. The river then

becomes narrower with overhanging trees.

When the tide is up, the River Hamble

offers plenty to explore by small craft

A humble inflatable will get

you away from the

yachting crowds

The Hamble is one of the busiest boating

rivers in the country, but above the bridges,

a different, more peaceful world emerges

ANCHORAGE