One of the things that matters to me whilst away is coming back to a good shower. This is particularly the case when the weather is cold and wet and there is a group on board sailing. For a long while I’ve kept a mental top ten of the best showers on the south coast.
Here’s my current view of the top shore-side showers – last updated October 2014.
| Overall score | Marina | Cleanliness | Water pressure | Water warmth | Cubicle size | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Berthon Marina, Lymington | ***** | ***** | ***** | ***** | A home from home experience. Great facilities including good lighting. There are a selection of showers to choose from, rain water or high pressure. Something for everyone. Additional details such as good quality hairdryers. |
| 2. | Mayflower Marina, Plymouth | ***** | ***** | ***** | ***** | These are bathrooms with shower, toilet and sink. They’re worth a stop in Plymouth solely for the experience. There’s even a bathtub in one of the bathrooms. No additional items to delight such as hairdryers and good lighting. |
| 3. | Birdham Marina, Chichester | ***** | ***** | ***** | ***** | Spick and span but a little old fashioned. Only two showers but good sized cubicles and plentiful hot water. There are paper bathmats. Best of all are the heated floors in the shower cubicles. One hairdryer available too. |
| 4. | Port Pendennis, Falmouth | *** | *** | *** | *** | The shower block is tucked behind the RNLI station and a good 5 minute walk from the moorings. When you do arrive the shower is good. The block is clean and modern with a good size shower cubicle with separate sink and mirror. Hair dryer is located in the common area. |
| 5. | Cowes Yacht Haven, Cowes, Isle of White | *** | *** | ** | ** | Recently refurbished these showers are ok. They still have a push button that runs for about 1 minute at a time. The water warmth is ok. Liable to queues around 8:00-9:00 am and 5:00-6:30pm as it’s a busy marina. |
| 6. | Beaulieu | *** | *** | *** | * | Cramped shower cubicles that have seen better days. Some evidence of black mould and the shower heads could do with de-scaling. Water warm and unlimited. |
| 7. | Yarmouth marina, Yarmouth Isle of White | *** | *** | ** | ** | You have to pay separately to use the showers and they’re metered. This is on top of standard marina charges. |
A note on scoring. Cleanliness, Water pressure and Water warmth are all scored out of 5 where 5 is good. Additional information in the review affects the overall rank. A shower experience gets marked down if, for example, the shower is on a timer or pushbutton.
On Land 