The Pink Ferry

A small motor launch shuttles foot passengers between Warsash and Hamble-le-Rice across the mouth of the Hamble — a journey of about 200 metres that would otherwise require a 12-mile road trip via Bursledon. The pink-painted boats run continuously through daylight hours during the season, on demand in winter.

The crossing takes three minutes. The ferry is a working piece of village infrastructure — schoolchildren, dog walkers, sailors heading to their moorings — rather than a tourist attraction, but it is a small pleasure to be a part of.

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A story
A ferry of some sort has run across the mouth of the Hamble for at least 500 years — the earliest documented crossing dates from a 1493 lease. The current operators painted the boats a bright bubblegum pink in the early 2000s to make them easier to spot from the riverbank; the colour stuck and has become an unofficial trademark of the village.

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