Whether your passion is yachting, dinghies or motor boating, a country home in the New Forest combines perfectly with sailing on the Solent. This picturesque corner of southern Hampshire has loads to offer including culture, schools and transport links. Berth your boat in Lymington, Beaulieu or Keyhaven and enjoy a home amongst flora, fauna and villages of the Forest.
The New Forest National Park provides a superb land base for yachting enthusiasts. Move to the Lymington and New Forest area and you’ll gain home that’s not just surrounded by nature, but also a stone’s throw from the sea. Around the New Forest National Park you’ll find picturesque villages and hamlets, many boasting roaming ponies and donkeys, traditional country inns and a discreet share of famous residents.
Whilst many choose Lymington as their sailing land base, consider also Beaulieu (voted one of the prettiest villages in the UK in 2021), Brockenhurst (with its mainline rail connections) and the villages and hamlets in between, including Boldre, Pilley, Sandy Down, Norley Wood, East End, East Boldre and St Leonards Grange.
The Solent: historic yachting playground offering something for everyone
Situated on England’s south coast, between the mainland and the Isle of Wight, the Solent is one of the world’s most famous yachting playgrounds. From Hurst Castle in the west to the Palmerston Forts in the east, the Solent is the gateway to a variety of nautical destinations including beautiful estuaries, multifaceted rivers, historic village marinas, beaches, bays and anchorages.
Approximately 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, this popular cruising area provides an amazing range of sailing conditions. The Solent’s huge annual calendar of events, races and regattas is unlike anywhere else in the world. Along with sheltered waters it really does have something to offer everyone.
Key considerations for sailors moving to the Lymington and New Forest area
The New Forest National Park provides a superb land base for yachting enthusiasts. Move to the Lymington and New Forest area and you’ll gain home that’s not just surrounded by nature, but also a stone’s throw from the sea. Around the New Forest National Park you’ll find picturesque villages and hamlets, many boasting roaming ponies and donkeys, traditional country inns and a discreet share of famous residents.
Whilst many choose Lymington as their sailing land base, consider also Beaulieu (voted one of the prettiest villages in the UK in 2021), Brockenhurst (with its mainline rail connections) and the villages and hamlets in between, including Boldre, Pilley, Sandy Down, Norley Wood, East End, East Boldre and St Leonards Grange.
Where to berth your boat?
Lymington’s reputation has grown over the years to become known worldwide for yachting. Berthing for yachts and motor boats is possible at Lymington’s Berthon Marina, Lymington Yacht Haven and in Lymington Harbour, with whom there is also the option of river moorings. All have easy access to the bustling town that is proud of its nautical heritage and once home to Sir Ben Ainslie as well as numerous other Olympians and sailing legends.
Nearby Keyhaven offers moorings with a backdrop of Hurst Castle and the Keyhaven Marshes, a nature reserve and SSSI.
Meanwhile to the east the beautiful Beaulieu River offers a sheltered setting for serviced berths and moorings. Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour was awarded Marina of the Year in the 2022 British Yachting Awards.
How to get involved in keelboat racing?
The Royal Lymington Yacht Club (RLymYC) is well established as the lively centre of yachting and motor boating in the New Forest area. From April to September, skippers and crew flock to the Club every Thursday evening for keelboat racing and there’s regular racing for numerous one-design yachts including XODs and Nordic Folkboats. The Club hosts large scale national and international regattas as well as smaller friendly rallies. For those preferring to sail at a more relaxed pace, the Club has an active cruising section.
Newcomers to yacht racing can hook up with skippers looking for crew as part of RLymYC’s unique ‘Crew Match’ initiative, a brilliant way to sharpen your racing skills whilst meeting likeminded folk.
With Cowes and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight within easy reach, the Lymington sailing calendar includes world-renowned events including the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week, the Taittinger RSYC Regatta and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race.
What about dinghy racing?
Royal Lymington Yacht Club and Lymington Town Sailing Club both offer excellent dinghy racing for members, with the two joining together for an annual regatta each summer. Launching is possible at all tides at the slipway adjacent to the clubs, whereas launching from the slipway at Keyhaven Yacht Club and Hurst Castle Sailing Club is governed by tide times.
Both Lymington clubs offer RYA sailing tuition for children in school holidays, with RLymYC’s annual youth regatta a highlight of the summer. RLymYC provides excellent year-round coaching for children and youth sailors in the British Youth Sailing pathways of optimist, RS Tera, RS Aeros, ILCAs, RS Fevas, 29ers and 420s. Lymington’s Salterns Sailing Club in the Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve is a sailing club for children run by children that is perfect for young families.
Find your dream sailing home in the New Forest
Without a doubt, a countryside residence in the New Forest and Lymington area will be a perfect property near a sailing hotspot!
Luxury Property Projects can advise on the best area to suit your needs, help you with finding property or land in the New Forest area and manage your entire residential property development on your behalf from conception to completion. What’s more, as active sailors and yacht club members, we make important introductions to facilitate your Solent sailing.