Anyone based in the Wash, Fosdyke , Lowestoft areas?

Ladybirdgaffcutter

Ladybirdgaffcutter

N/A
Joined
22 Nov 2018
Messages
616
Location
Newport IoW
Visit site
Hi, I'm not sure of the areas this section covers, but I was wondering if any YBW forum members have any suggestions or comments please, positive or negative!
We are selling our small house in London, (all parents now passed away, daughter grown up),I want to relocate a bit further North, buy a cheap pied-a-terre near a marina/boatyard, and do lots of sailing with the spare change, while I'm still young enough.
I was thinking of Lowestoft, with 2 or 3 marinas and well placed for sailing to the continent. Or Boston,Lynn? Anywhere South of that area seems to be expensive.

Boat is maintenance-heavy, so local access to hoist/yard/hard standing essential really..

(Luckily I prefer industrial, run-down docks to smart places...)

Many thanks!
 
I haven't kept a boat at any of those places, but from visits by road I'd say Lowestoft matches your preferences well.

North Norfolk has a few ports, limited access and facilities, but outrageous house prices.

Not really anything at King's Lynn to support what you're looking for.

Fosdyke has a boatyard and limited moorings, cheap housing nearby (for a reason!), but restricted access and long way from decent sailing.

Boston I've never been to. I hear there be dragons.
 
Personally I would spend a few nights/visits to Lowestoft. I know it fairly well as I visit for work once in a while. Its had a reputation for being a bit 'rough' in the past when the fishing fleet were booming. Now unfortunately there is little going on there. It depends on what you need from life really. A friend recently stayed on the seafront and took a walk down the coast through Pakefield to Covehithe, he thought it a hidden gem. I have been in the town centre after dark and thought it a total dump.
There are many villages on the outskirts if that's what you want and some interesting old Victorian houses in the town itself.
A lot of unemployment and a fair share of drunks.
Harwich or Dovercourt suffer a similar fate but are further down south and have probably better boating possibilities?
 
Thanks to both. Yes Lowestoft has a reputation for being rough, but it's so well placed for sailing.
I will view one or two flats next week, and stop overnight to get a feel of the ambience..
 
Ladybirdgaffcutter said:
Hi, I'm not sure of the areas this section covers, but I was wondering if any YBW forum members have any suggestions or comments please, positive or negative!
We are selling our small house in London, (all parents now passed away, daughter grown up),I want to relocate a bit further North, buy a cheap pied-a-terre near a marina/boatyard, and do lots of sailing with the spare change, while I'm still young enough.
I was thinking of Lowestoft, with 2 or 3 marinas and well placed for sailing to the continent. Or Boston,Lynn? Anywhere South of that area seems to be expensive.

Boat is maintenance-heavy, so local access to hoist/yard/hard standing essential really..

(Luckily I prefer industrial, run-down docks to smart places...)

Many thanks!
Click to expand...

Boston isn't a bad town, not sure of the boat facilities there.

Lynn is OK in parts, nothing in the way of facilities though.

Wisbech has all of the facilities that you need.

All three are a bit of a trek to the Wash and more trekking to get to sea. Once clear of the Wash, not many places to go unless you want to be away for days. Day sailing would be pretty much restricted to the Wash and weekend sailing would basically be Wells.

Lowestoft has facilities. Again, once at sea there are not many local places to go for day/weekend sailing, but a bit more than being Wash based.

If you can get further South there are a lot more possibilities. The Orwell area is a particularly good area for day/weekend sailing, as well as being a good starting point for the continent. I'd have thought that property prices should be reasonable.
 
Ladybirdgaffcutter have you considered the River Medway? There plenty of good river moorings at clubs with the facilities you are looking for, plus housing in the Medway Towns of Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham is very reasonable. There are also several marinas, if that is your choice. If you want more reasons and suggestions then I am happy to assist.
 
Hi Concerto, yes indeed, thank you..I've sailed out of there a fair bit.. now though, having developed a taste for foreign cruising, I want to avoid the repetetive trek to the sea. (Still a brilliant sailing area though).
 
Concerto said:
Ladybirdgaffcutter have you considered the River Medway? There plenty of good river moorings at clubs with the facilities you are looking for, plus housing in the Medway Towns of Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham is very reasonable. There are also several marinas, if that is your choice. If you want more reasons and suggestions then I am happy to assist.
Click to expand...

Compared to where ?

Compared to the area the OP asked about, there is a massive difference in prices.
 
Simple review of the East Anglian Daily Times gives many reasons why Lowestoft may not be the ideal choice to relocate to. Every day there seem to be more and more low level, read drug related, crimes reported. It is not improving. Ipswich, however, seems to me to be a nicer location for all sorts of reasons. Better choice of boat facilities for a start.
 
Champagne Murphy said:
Simple review of the East Anglian Daily Times gives many reasons why Lowestoft may not be the ideal choice to relocate to. Every day there seem to be more and more low level, read drug related, crimes reported. It is not improving. Ipswich, however, seems to me to be a nicer location for all sorts of reasons. Better choice of boat facilities for a start.
Click to expand...

The features you ascribe to Lowestoft are exactly the reasons a friend gave for moving out of Ipswich! Yes, there are some rough parts of Lowestoft, which like many coastal towns has been hit hard in recent decades (the reason for the cheap housing).

Much of Lowestoft, however, is sleepy suburbs, and in the medium term some big investments in infrastructure (e.g. new bridge) and regeneration, together with a growing role in the offshore wind power boom may, give the town a bit of a lift.

I don't actually much like Lowestoft myself, but if you look at the OP preferences:
want to relocate a bit further North, buy a cheap pied-a-terre near a marina/boatyard, TICK
and do lots of sailing with the spare change,while I'm still young enough .
I was thinking of Lowestoft, with 2 or 3 marinas and well placed for sailing to the continent. TICK
Boat is maintenance-heavy, so local access to hoist/yard/hard standing essential really.. TICK
(Luckily I prefer industrial, run-down docks to smart places...) TICK
 
LittleSister said:
The features you ascribe to Lowestoft are exactly the reasons a friend gave for moving out of Ipswich! Yes, there are some rough parts of Lowestoft, which like many coastal towns has been hit hard in recent decades (the reason for the cheap housing).

Much of Lowestoft, however, is sleepy suburbs, and in the medium term some big investments in infrastructure (e.g. new bridge) and regeneration, together with a growing role in the offshore wind power boom may, give the town a bit of a lift.

I don't actually much like Lowestoft myself, but if you look at the OP preferences:
want to relocate a bit further North, buy a cheap pied-a-terre near a marina/boatyard, TICK
and do lots of sailing with the spare change,while I'm still young enough .
I was thinking of Lowestoft, with 2 or 3 marinas and well placed for sailing to the continent. TICK
Boat is maintenance-heavy, so local access to hoist/yard/hard standing essential really.. TICK
(Luckily I prefer industrial, run-down docks to smart places...) TICK
Click to expand...

I wasn’t attempting to denigrate Lowestoft, whenever we’ve been there we’ve enjoyed it, but the town does seem to be in a slump at present.
From a sailing point of view there are more marinas on the Orwell (6, 5 with lifts), there are more swinging moorings, there is the choice of river (2) or sea (North or South) sailing. Continent; straight across to Ostend or Nieuwpoort, further north is Vlissingen/Breskens, south to Calais etc.
All this is to say, the OP has a choice, perhaps more than he realised.
 
IMO the Wash ports are too far from any useful crusing ground and subject to considerable distances (sometimes tens of miles) of shoal water and sandbanks on their approach which can really kick up in adverse weather. Some are inacessible at various states of tide.
Yarmouth, tragically, is a huge missed opportunity because it is has a superb harbour but no yacht facilities whatsoever.
Lowestoft town is simply a dump. A run down, shabby, filthy, gridlocked unemployment/dontwantemployment/gotpregnanttoclaimbenefits craphole set in some of the loveliest countryside the UK can offer. Housing prices are relatively low but a visit will immediately tell you why. The port is largely derelict tho parts arein substantial commercial use but there are extensive yacht facilities ranging from a proper marina (Lowestoft Haven Marina, ABP) to small privately run boatyards with a few berths plus the very smart and traditional Royal Norfolk and Suffolk YC (rather unkindly known locally as the Nobs and Snobs.) All facilities available but apart from the RNSYC's more costly swell-prone marina you are restricted in movements by the Haven Bridge which opens on a fixed schedule which really makes coming and going a bit of a chore to say the least. It is also still a whole tide's sail away from the local cruising grounds of the Suffolk and Essex rivers (fabulous - why anyone sails the Solent I cannot imagine) all of which makes Lowestoft fees about 70% or even less than those on the Orwell where prices are eye-watering and marinas largely filled.
Lowestoft Haven marina is well run I gather, you can keep a "tender" (speedboat or fishing boat if you wish) up to 17ft on it's own berth foc if you take an annual contract, parking is pretty secure. Water is clean enough but grows weed and barneys like you wouldn't believe. It is in an industrial area though and dirt, dust and fumes settle over the water if the wind is anywhere from NW to NE. However it is not an unpleasant spot to keep a boat.
There are many lovely towns and villages around the area (a couple of miles out of Lowestoft and it gets nice again) but property prices are rising and by no means cheap any more but certainly cheaper than further south.
If I were you I'd be looking at a mooring bouy on the one of the Suffolk/Essex rivers or as mentioned above on the Medway.
If you don't mind the bridge restriction then Lowestoft harbour is fine for the boat but probably less so for you.
Trains connect Lowestoft with Norwich and Ipswich and local bus services are very good.
 
Have you considered the Deben? Good facilities, marina at Woodbridge, otherwise swinging moorings at Felixstowe Ferry, Ramsholt, Waldringfield and Woodbridge. Cheaper than the Orwell, I'm at Felixstowe Ferry on a swinging mooring, good boatyard who are fine about DIY maintenance etc. Don't be put off about the Deben entrance - it's not as bad as some people make out! And of course ideal for the Thames Estuary, Holland, Belgium & France(Brexit permitting!!!)
 
Old Bumbulum is fairly accurate in his summary of Lowestoft - if a little harsh on the town.
I live here (well, Oulton - away from the town centre) )& find it no problem.

The Bascule bridge (not the Haven bridge, that's in Gt. Yarmouth) isn't really that much of a pain, with hourly scheduled lift for private boats.
If going in the same direction, the Harbour Master will often allow a yacht to go through with a commercial boat, too.

Not really much more to add to what's previously been said - outlying villages are quiet pleasant, if getting more expensive and should you want to head that way, it might be best to buy a house near the train line, just as an extra transport option - buses in Suffolk/Norfolk are nothing like the regularity of London.

As an extra incentive, should you moor up in Lowestoft, there is also the possibility of heading inland and onto the Norfolk Broads.

I'll just leave this here, too.
Yes, I'm a member...
 
Old Bumbulum said:
Not quite my idea of an hourly service!

Opening times
Book 20 minutes
in advance Monday to Friday
03.00, 05.00, 07.00, 09.45, 11.15, 14.30, 16.00, 19.00, 21.00, 24.00
Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays
03.00, 05.00, 07.00, 09.45, 11.15, 14.30, 16.00, 18.00, 19.00, 21.00, 24.00
Click to expand...
Fine, regular service then
- Still very usable with a waiting pontoon in the trawl dock (no trawlers in there any more)

Old Bumbulum said:
Broads tolls are pretty stiff, £15 each way through Mutford Lock (foc via Gt Yarmouth) but fixed bridges rather limit your progress anywhere on the system.
Click to expand...
£13 per day.
Come and go as many times as you wish for the single payment

Old Bumbulum said:
Please note: Any form of motor - inc. electric fitted to a vessel classes that vessel as a motor craft and you must pay the motor craft toll. This includes an outboard motor fitted to a sailing dinghy.
Click to expand...
Only for the short visit rates
Depends very much on what sort of boat the OP has as well as the size and what type of boating is wanted.
Maybe a trip up the river might appeal from time to time - in which case an annual toll is available and works out much better value if used three or four times in a year.

There are more than just the two categories -
a) Motor Craft
electric motor craft
b) Motorised Sailing Craft
c) Sailing Craft
d) Non-powered Houseboats

Sailboards, rowboats, punts, canoes and kayaks - annual toll £33.84

However, the point I was making is that the Bascule Bridge not such a hardship and the Broads are available.
I know not what sort of boat the OP has, but going by the name, the mast might be short enough to get under the Haddiscoe bridge, in which case, a trip to Norwich is on the cards.

I'm not making assumptions, though. Just giving possibilities.
 
Greenble, I'm not sure why you need to correct me so curtly, you said it was an hourly service. It isn't.

You'll find those bridge times sometimes severley affect your tide planning forcing you to take an hour or two of unfavourable tide or waste part of a fair one. Regular or not it is a nuisance as is having to build in slack to ensure arrival in time and go through the faff of another dockiing on that waiting pontoon. It all adds up to hassle. The waiting pontoon is also not in deep water. At low water deeper keel boats go aground before reaching it.

Forgive me for not providing exhaustive and irrelevant detail on annual Broads tolls, the discussion had only mentioned short visits for which Mutford lock charges each way as you clearly know unless you do as you bizarrely suggest and spend the one day going in and out of it repeatedly. Why would you do that when your Broads toll is for a minimum of 7days? Your point isn't relevant.
imo those short term tolls are pretty fierce. Do they not want visitors, because those rates will put people off?
 
Old Bumbulum said:
imo those short term [Broads] tolls are pretty fierce. Do they not want visitors, because those rates will put people off?
Click to expand...

Boating interests are strongly represented on the Broads Authority, which decides the level of tolls. But those representatives are comprised of local boaters (incl. RYA reps.) and boat hire companies, who themselves pay the more reasonably priced annual tolls. They have no interest in the cost of licences to visitors, except they would rather not share the Broads with any more boats than they already do.

I have raised the issue informally with several senior Broads Authority staff, and received a complete lack of interest in engaging with the issue. (I suspect they struggle in dealing with the established competing interests, which are a bit of a nest of vipers, without worrying about anything else.)

I think it's a shame both for potential visitors and the local boating/tourism industry (not to mention the Broads Authority's statutory purposes, which include encouraging enjoyment of the Broads and protecting navigation interests), but c'est la vie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top