The Waterside
Sports injury rehab and massage for Marchwood, 8 minutes from Hythe
From Marchwood, my Hythe clinic is about 8 minutes’ drive south via the Marchwood Bypass (A326). I’m Alice, a sports therapist. Whether a knee started complaining on the Lloyd Rec 3G, your back stiffened up after a weekend’s sailing or your shoulders ache from the working week, an injury assessment gets to what’s behind it. From there we plan your treatment, which might mean rehabilitation, sports massage or both.
About Marchwood
Powder, ports and the mouth of the Test
Marchwood lies low at the mouth of the River Test, between Totton and Hythe on the New Forest’s eastern fringe. Domesday recorded it in 1086, and its name probably grew from the Old English ‘merecewudu’, or ‘smallage wood’, smallage being wild celery. For centuries it belonged to the ancient parish of Eling, until it became a church parish of its own in 1843, the year St John’s was built, and a civil parish in 1894. Beacon Hill was once an important beacon site, sending and receiving messages to both ends of the Isle of Wight.
The waterfront gave the village much of its character. A gunpowder depot was built here, its first magazine dating from 1814 to 1816, to supply the magazines at Priddy’s Hard and Tipner and the fleet off Spithead. In 1864 The Times called it the largest magazine in the kingdom, with room for 76,000 barrels. German bombs destroyed several magazines in 1940 and the depot closed in 1961, but its listed entrance lodges now house the yacht club. The Military Port followed in 1943, built to ship men and equipment for the Normandy landings, and the village is now twinned with Saint-Contest, near Caen in Normandy.
Places you’ll know
- St John’s Church and the Falklands Memorial
- Horatio Francis Kingsford Holloway built and endowed the church in 1843, in brick and stone with a tower and spire. Outside, the memorial remembers the Royal Fleet Auxiliary crew lost on Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram during the 1982 South Atlantic campaign.
- Marchwood Yacht Club’s entrance lodges
- The powder depot’s twin lodges, with a foundation stone dated 1814. The north lodge was built as a guard house and engine house and the south lodge as a watch house and office. Both are Grade II listed and now belong to the yacht club.
- Former ‘A’ (No. 1) Magazine
- Built between 1814 and 1816 to plans by Sir William Congreve and now Grade II listed. It survived the 1940 bombing that destroyed several of the depot’s other magazines.
- Military Port (Sea Mounting Centre)
- Its Mulberry Jetty is named after the temporary harbours used on the French coast after D-Day. In the Falklands War the port was a launch point for Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, and it has since been used largely by the RFA as a base for its ships.
- Cracknore
- Cracknore, in Marchwood, was once the landing place of the ferry from Southampton across the water.
Staying active
From the Lloyd Rec courts to the yacht club
The parish council’s Lloyd Recreation Ground has a football pitch, a 3G five-a-side pitch and courts for tennis, netball, basketball and pickleball, and the 3G and the courts can be hired by the hour, with lights if you want to play after dark. Netball and basketball ankles are a classic case for sports taping before a game. Down on the shore, Marchwood Yacht Club on Maritime Avenue runs sailing and club rallies, including one across the Solent to Yarmouth. With the Forest just to the west, a walk or run under the trees is never far away either.
Quick turns on the Lloyd Rec 3G can mean rolled ankles and sore knees, and pickleball and tennis can strain elbows and shoulders. Hours of sailing can leave your lower back aching, and calves or Achilles tendons often tighten as your walking and running miles go up. Once I’ve found the source, a rehabilitation plan works towards getting you back on the 3G, the boat or the Forest paths. Sports massage loosens whatever has tightened along the way, and myofascial cupping is worth adding for a back that has spent the weekend aboard.
How I can help
- Rehabilitation From £45
Netball and basketball on the Lloyd Rec courts mean a lot of jumping, landing and sudden stops. If an ankle or knee gives way, a structured rehab plan aims to rebuild strength and confidence before your next game.
- Sports Massage From £30
A weekend rally with the yacht club can leave your back and shoulders stiff from long hours aboard, and an evening of pickleball or tennis under the Lloyd Rec lights can tighten forearms and calves. Regular massage can help loosen both.
- Strength & Conditioning From £50
If you want a stronger, more robust body for a season of sailing or a return to five-a-side, I can write you a programme. The consultation is free and done online, so we can plan before you’ve even left Marchwood.
Also available: Injury Assessment, Myofascial Cupping, Sports Taping, Pitch-side & Event First Aid.
Getting here
Getting to the clinic from Marchwood
My clinic is at 3A Ferryboat House, Pylewell Road, Hythe SO45 6AR. From Marchwood the drive comes to about 3.7 miles, roughly 8 minutes heading south on the A326, and the straight-line distance is only about 2.6 miles.
On public transport, Bluestar’s number 8 is the one to look for. It links Southampton and Hythe via Millbrook, Totton, Hounsdown, Pooksgreen and Applemore, picking up in the village at stops such as Old Magazine Close, St Johns Church and The Pilgrim Inn, and it finishes at Hythe Pier. The clinic is a short walk from the pier and close to Hythe Marina. Please check the current timetable with the operator before you set off.
I see people by appointment only. Book online (opens in a new tab), send an enquiry or email mendandmovest@outlook.com.
Also close by: Totton, Eling, Pooksgreen, Hythe, Dibden, Dibden Purlieu, Applemore, Hounsdown, Ashurst, Fawley, Calshot, Southampton.
Postcodes covered
- SO40 4
- Marchwood village and parish (Marchwood & Eling ward)
- SO40
- District shared with Totton and Eling (post town Southampton)
Services & pricing
Prices
The same prices apply wherever you travel from.
Treatment & assessment
Rehabilitation & extras
Programme costs may vary depending on individual requirements. Please enquire for current availability and appointment location.
Price list with full detailsGood to know
Questions from Marchwood
- Is the number 8 bus from Marchwood affected by the Main Road roadworks?
- For now, yes. Bluestar’s number 8 normally calls at stops including St Johns Church, Twiggs Lane and Veals Lane before it reaches Hythe Pier. Main Road, Marchwood is closed for roadworks for about ten weeks from September 2026, and during the day buses are diverted via Twiggs Lane and the Marchwood Bypass, so some stops may not be served and Bluestar lists temporary stops near Garden City. Please check the current timetable with the operator, including any diversion notices, before you travel.
- Can you be pitch-side for a five-a-side tournament or a match at the Lloyd Rec?
- Yes, pitch-side and event first aid is something I offer, subject to availability, and the Lloyd Rec is a few miles from my clinic. Email the date, the format and roughly how many players to mendandmovest@outlook.com and I’ll quote.
- I walk in the Forest at weekends and sit at a desk all week, but I don’t play sport. Can I still book?
- Yes. Sports injuries are only part of what I treat. Neck and shoulder tension from desk work, or stiff hips and calves after a long Forest walk, are just as good a reason to come in, and strength and conditioning suits walkers as much as footballers. The clinic is by appointment only, and you can book online through Rehab Guru.
Ready to make a start?
Book online in a couple of minutes, or send me a message if you’d like to talk it through first.