Two historic vessels are set to go on show in the New Forest

People visiting Buckler's Hard over the Easter weekend will be able to step aboard Gipsy Moth IV, the legendary yacht in which Sir Francis Chichester sailed round the world in 1967.

Sir Francis sailed from the village on August 12 1966 and completed sea trials in the Solent before setting off from Plymouth on August 27.

After 226 days at sea, with a solitary stop in Sydney, the 65-year-old sailor returned to Hampshire in September the following year.

Buckler's Hard is also set to play host to HMS Medusa, which will be moored at the attraction between May 26 and June 3.

Medusa was built during the Second World War and appeared in Dunkirk, last year's Hollywood blockbuster about the evacuation of troops stranded on French beaches.

The harbour defence vessel takes former One Direction star Harry Styles, playing a soldier, to a destroyer waiting offshore.

Medusa was not built until 1943 - three years after the Dunkirk evacuation - but played a vital role in the D-Day landings in 1944 by working with minesweepers to clear a passage ahead of the invasion.

Based at Haslar Marina in Gosport, Medusa was re-launched in 2010 and re-dedicated at a ceremony attended by the Princess Royal.

Gipsy Moth is visiting Buckler's Hard on Sunday and Monday as part of Easter celebrations at the picture postcard village.

A Buckler's Hard spokesman said people would be able to tour the record-breaking yacht.

She added: "More than half a century since Sir Francis Chichester became the first person to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe, visitors can see his remarkable vessel up close and learn about his trials and tribulations.

"Gipsy Moth IV will be moored at the bottom of the High Street, from where Sir Francis began his epic voyage."

Buckler's Hard was a major shipbuilding centre in the 19th century.

More than 40 naval ships were built at Buckler's Hard over a 60-year period, including three that fought at the Battle of Trafalgar.