Education

Flowing through Hampshire for 7.5 miles (12km) southwards from its source near Bishop’s Waltham, the river courses from Bishop’s Waltham through Botley, Bursledon and Swanwick before joining with Southampton Water between Hamble-le-Rice and Warsash. The water itself is non-tidal between Bishop’s Waltham and Botley, then becoming tidal until the Solent.

Places to visit

You can use our riverview interactive map to:

follow the river from source to mouth
look at the settlements
plan walking routes using the rights of way network
look at sites of interest around the river many of which offer guided educational visits
find activity locations for the learning zone activity downloads
explore the archaeology of the river and its many wrecks
look at river depth profiles at 4 points along the river's length
look at the nature conservation designations in the area
find somewhere to park
look at photographs of the riverbanks
view street maps
locations of nature conservation sites
view Mooring Restriction Areas

View the Riverview interactive map

Things to do

We’ve created activities for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils to help them get excited about learning in the great outdoors. The activities can be carried out at many locations around the River Hamble. Some of the park locations have rangers who you can talk to before you visit to help you plan your learning. For older students, the activities can be adapted for Key Stage 3.

For university students, we can offer practical support for those who want to conduct studies of the river. We’ve also commissioned our own studies into the river.

For advice on planning an offsite visit refer to the Outdoor Education Service.

Some field study equipment is available to borrow from Trailblazer or put in a request to the River Hamble Harbour Authority at [email protected].