*UPDATED 2nd June 2022*
The 6 links the South coast's biggest city with the main towns of the millennium-old New Forest. It's operated by Go Ahead's Bluestar are runs every hour Mon-Sat daytimes and every 2 hours on Sunday daytimes. See more bus routes in the South East here. See more routes in the South West here.
Places served
Southampton
You can catch the 6 from stops BS, AJ and AL in central Southampton:
Here's stop BS, outside the West Quay shopping centre:
Stop AL is just outside the BBC regional TV & radio studios, opposite the Sea City Museum on Havelock Terrace:
At Southampton Central railway station, the 6 serves stop SB towards Lymington. Inbound buses drop you off at stop SD:
Here is stop SB for buses towards Lymington, with Central Station in the background:
Here are a few ideas of things to see and do in Southampton:
Visit Southampton
Mayflower Theatre
Solent Sky Museum
Hythe Ferry
West Quay Shopping Centre
The Marlands Shopping Centre
Long Distance Footpath: The Solent Way
Here are the main stops served by the 6: D, C and A towards Lymington and B and E towards Southampton:
One stop along from the railway station is the main stop for buses towards Lymington, stop C opposite St Theresa's Church:
This is the main stop for buses towards Southampton, stop B, also on Commercial Road:
Long Distance Footpath: The Test Way
Ashurst
The 6 serves New Road and Southampton Road (the A35) in Ashurst:
These are the main stops at Ashurst Post Office, towards Lymington on the left and towards Southampton on the right on Lyndhurst Road:
On the parade of shops in the background of that picture is the Happy Cheese pub. Why not drop in for a drink and a bite to eat?
Lyndhurst
In the administrative centre of the New Forest, the 6 serves the following roads:
The main stop for buses to Lymington is outside the derelict Lyndhurst Park Hotel on High Street, opposite the fire station and on the right hand side of this picture:
You can use the stop opposite for Southampton-bound buses, or you could use this stop, outside the Crown Hotel on the one-way system:
See the New Forest's official tourist website to discover all there is to see and do in the region.
Here in Lyndhurst, pop into the New Forest Centre to find out all about the National Park.
Brockenhurst
Here's the route taken by the 6 in Brockenhurst:
Buses in both directions serve the forecourt of Brockenhurst Railway Station, stopping adjacent to Platform 1:
If you fancy lunch in Brockenhurst, then why not give The Forester's Arms on Brookley Road a go? If you plan to have an evening meal here, don't forget there is no evening service on the 6, so you'll need to catch the train home.
Or if it's just a snack you're after, try Rosie Lea Tea House & Bakery on Brookley Road:
Lymington
Here is the main stop on High Street outside Peacocks for buses towards Southampton:
Some journeys stop a bit further along outside Coral, so check before you travel.
Here are a couple of places to visit whilst you're in Lymington:
Lymington Sea Water Baths
St Barbe Museum
Long Distance Footpath: The Solent Way
Timetable
See the full timetable on Bluestar's website, on Traveline or at Bus Times.
Here are your links for live scheduled departure times from major stops towards Lymington:
- Southampton, West Quay, stop BS
- Southampton Central Station, stop SB
- Totton, St Theresa's Church stop C
- Ashurst, Post Office
- Lyndhurst, Fire Station
- Brockenhurst Railway Station
...and back towards Southampton:
- Lymington, Station Street
- Lymington, High Street, Post Office or Coral
- Brockenhurst Railway Station
- Lyndhurst, Crown Hotel
- Ashurst, Post Office
- Totton, Shopping Precinct stop B
Fares
Bluestar publish fares for each of their routes or you can see adult single fares at-a-glance here and return fares here. An adult single from Southampton to Lymington is currently £7.00.
The cheapest day ticket that is valid for travel throughout route 6 is the Network Zone Day Ticket at £8.30, which is valid across the full Bluestar network and also on Unilink buses. It also acts as a day return price cap ticket for most journeys on the 6.
If you're planning to travel further afield, using buses operated by More, Salisbury Reds or Damory (all of them also owned by Go Ahead) as well as Bluestar and Unilink, then you need the Network Explorer ticket at £9.50.
There are a few cheaper day tickets that are valid for part of the 6's route, but not all the way to Lymington:
- Bluestar Southampton Plus Dayrider: £6 - valid from Southampton to Rushington Roundabout
- Bluestar Southampton Dayrider: £3.80 - valid from Southampton to Redbridge Roundabout
- Solent Go Regional Day: £8 - multi-operator ticket covering most of South Hampshire, valid from Southampton to Ashurst Station on the 6. Perfect if you need to connect in Southampton with another operator's buses.
Plusbus Southampton is only valid as far as Redbridge Roundabout, making it not much use on the 6.
Connections
See a map of all bus services in the City of Southampton here. Major connecting bus services from Southampton City Centre include:
- First X4 to Fareham and Portsmouth
- First X5 to Fareham and Gosport
- Xelabus X10 to Bishops Waltham
- Bluestar 2 to Eastleigh
- Bluestar 1 to Winchester
- Bluestar 4 to Romsey
You can also catch ferries to Hythe or the Isle of Wight.
Change at Totton for the following major routes:
- Salisbury Reds X7/X7R to Salisbury (where else?!)
- Bluestar 8/9 to Hythe (change at Rushington Roundabout for the 9, as it doesn't serve Totton town centre)
From Lymington, you can connect with More X1/X2 towards Christchurch and Bournemouth or you can catch a ferry to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.
See Hampshire County Council's full public transport map and their New Forest travel guide here.
The 6 passes close to the following railway stations:
Alternatives
Between Southampton and Totton, Bluestar 8, 11, 12 and Salisbury Reds X7/X7R provide a more frequent service. Bluestar 9 provides an express service between Southampton and Rushington Roundabout.
Further out, the only real alternative to the 6 is the train. South Western Railway provide the local rail service. Passengers for Lymington will need to change at Brockenhurst. See the timetable for the Lymington line here and for the main line between Brockenhurst and Southampton Central here. An adult single ticket between Southampton Central and Lymington Town is currently £10.00 (£7.00 after 12noon and all day Sundays), an off-peak day return (travel after 0845 weekdays, anytime weekends) is £10.20 (£8.00 after 12noon and all day Sundays). Check other train fares here.
All of the information in this post is correct at the time of writing, but please check the relevant links before travelling.
For news updates on bus routes of all operators in the Greater Southampton region, including the 6, see our sister blog, Southampton Bus Update.
See more great bus routes in the South East here and the South West here.
It should be pointed out that although marketed as Bluestar all journeys are operated by Wilts and Dorset(More) from their at present bus station in Lymington. It should be pointed out that if you have any query of any sort with the service,Bluestar at Eastleigh will inform you to contact them at Lymington.
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