Destinations from this launch location
About the Area:
The Solent is one of the great sailing destinations of the world. This huge sheltered stretch of water was originally a river valley which flooded as water levels rose at the end of the Ice Age to form a channel between the Isle of Wight and the mainland which varies in width between 21⁄2 and 5 miles. This has provided excellent, relatively sheltered waters which proved ideal for sailing. As a result, the area became a hub of the relatively new and novel sport of yachting in the mid 19th century when the area was further popularised by the Royal Family who frequently passed the summer at Osborne House near Cowes.
Newtown Creek on the Isle of Wight side of this trail is a large natural harbour made up of several river estuaries. There are two main fingers to the estuary with the small hamlet of Newtown sitting between the two. The area has been designated as a nature reserve and is run by the National Trust. It is one of the most tranquil and undisturbed harbours in the Solent and has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s a twitchers delight and a wonderful place to explore by dinghy.
Lymington has a long history of smuggling and its most famous smuggler was Tom Johnstone who was born in the town in 1772. Johnstone was imprisoned a number of times but always escaped. In later days he became captain of a British naval revenue cutter, HMS Fox, pursuing the very men he had once worked alongside.
Safety Note
Spring tidal currents are about 3.9kn, so get this wrong and you might find yourself going backwards. The tidal pattern here features a stand of around two hours at HW, preceded by seven hours of flood tide. This makes the three or four hour ebb tide particularly strong, especially in the narrow entrances.
The tidal stream direction changes in the Easten Solent are worth studying. When the ebb tide begins, it first changes at the edges of the channel, and can be heralded by a slight bore of water. For up to 30 minutes the tide at the edge of the channel will be travelling West at the edges while the last of the flood is still travelling East in the middle.
There is a lot of ferry activity in Lymington River. Take to the shallows to keep out of the way of the ferry.
Launch and river navigation details:
- Head south after launching. Stick to the western bank of the river close to the edge of the river. Stay between the large yellow bouys and the pontoons to stay out of the main channel and avoid the large ferry
- As you reach the outer limits of the river, aim for the Jack in the Basket beacon. Be aware that this area can often get very hectic if there is a race going on.
8. Thread your way back up river to Bath Road and recover.
Launch Point Lat and Long: 50°45’14.3″N 1°31’42.2″W 50.75405195441532, -1.528383535582208
Lat and Long for integration with the RYA “Find My Nearest” service
Launch Point What3Words: https://w3w.co/reassured.roses.sums
Launch Information:
Launch from the public slipway at Bath Road Postcode: SO41 3SE
Trolleys can be left inside the marked area on either side of the top of the slipway.
A slipway fee is payable at the Harbour Master’s office or online, see the information board at the slipway.
Also note the the slipway is closed to the public for race fleet launching for up to 45 minutes when Lymington Town Sailing Club are holding racing. These closures are posted online and can be proactively avoided.
Tidal Information:
The slipway at Bath Road is accessible at all states of the tide for launching and recovery of dinghies.
Towing Vehicle Parking:
Parking for a fee is available but gets very busy during the summer. Arrival before 8am is generally OK
Towing vehicle Parking: What3Words: https://w3w.co/employer.furnish.adjusting and https://w3w.co/stacks.dancer.audible
Towing vehicle Parking Information:
The parking is via Ringgo or credit card at the machine.
Trailer Parking Information:
There is an additional full price fee for parking a road trailer. To stop a frustrated visitor unhooking your road base and parking where it was, lock it to your car with a chain. The parking attendants frown upon road bases being piled on top of each other to save money as they assert that when you return to the car park to pack up you will take up the space of another car (which is hard to argue with).
Trailer Parking What3Words: As above
Toilets:
There is a good public toilet at the Bath Road carpark, and also at the pub at Shalford.
Toilets What3Words:
Lymington https://w3w.co/timidly.shell.mastering
Pub at Shalford https://w3w.co/loose.buzz.topics
Page Month Published: December 2026
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