Cruising ground recommendations

[MagicalArmchair]

We are planning our next years cruising with our four kids (who will be 3, 7, 10 and 13 next summer) on our Bavaria 40. We do love the East Coast, with a single "passage" of ten hours across the Thames from her home in the Medway to the Orwell, where all the passages within the holiday itself are kid friendly. This year we did SYH, Woodbridge (with a draft of 2 meters ), Ramsholt, Stone Point beach, Titchsmarsh, and then Woolverstone, with still plenty of options of different places we could have visited.

What other crusing grounds, within a reasonable holiday time range, would you recommend?

Delivering the boat with the eldest and then getting a ferry/plane could be an option to go further afield, however, smaller, sheltered passages once we arrive over the two weeks, with interesting places would be the ticket (ideally with beaches!).

I'd be grateful for any of your advice or recommendations based on your experiance.

 

[Jodel]

West coast of Scotland.

 

[Goldie]

As above, W. Scotland is glorious - if you’re lucky with the weather…

S. Brittany fits the bill, especially the Quiberon Bay area, but the to and from would probably have to be in addition to the two weeks of beach time. Maybe deliver to/from Roscoff for easy crew changes by ferry?

Isles of Scilly also fits the bill with crew changes Plymouth, Falmouth or Penzance?

 

[John_Silver]

From the Medway, used to visit the Frisian Islands, whilst still constrained by the fortnight off work. Usually leaving from the Orwell or Lowestoft. Plenty of short hops (and beaches) around the Waddenzee, once you’re there…..

Suspect the ‘delivery’ to and from the Channel Islands, might be a step too far. In the time available. From what you say. Unless you Freedom Berthed beforehand at Northney / Hamble / Cobbs Quay, to give you a closer jumping off point. The Channel Islands would also provide plenty to see and do, in a scenic and compact cruising area.

 

[Poignard]

Brittany

 

[Babylon]

Being realistic with both your relatively short time-slot and the vagaries of the weather, if you want the interest of exploring new cruising grounds, then get the boat fairly promptly to say Chichester. From there you can cruise, without too much haste, the Isle of Wight (+beaches), the Dorset Coast (+beaches) as far as Weymouth (+beaches), then the return passage.

The West Country is beautiful, as are the Channel Islands and the North Brittany coast etc, but to do these I'd consider having your boat delivered as far as say Weymouth in advance.

 

[Stemar]

Being realistic with both your relatively short time-slot and the vagaries of the weather, if you want the interest of exploring new cruising grounds, then get the boat fairly promptly to say Chichester.

I agree. People knock the Solent, but there's a reason it's so popular.

Just allow for the fact that you want the tide with you. In the eastern Solent, it turns a couple of hours before HW & LW, but you can go against it. W of Cowes, punching it is hard work. Also, don't forget about Bramble Bank; people end up parked there a few time every summer.

 

[John_Silver]

Another option, if wanting a new cruising ground, without the need to ‘deliver’ the boat ahead of a two week holiday, starting out from Chatham, would be the Westerschelde. Fails the beach test. But involves no long passages. Once there, Breskens, Vlissingen (gateway to the canal network) and Terneuzen are only a short potter apart. Pleasant enough Dutch towns.
Used to go: Chatham - Ramsgate, Ramsgate - Nieuwpoort, Niewpoort - Breskens. All tide assisted day sails. Made a change from the East Coast rivers, lovely though they are. And fitted the two week window, with time over, in case of weather delays.

 

[johnalison]

It is easy to overestimate the tolerance of relatively small children. From the East Coast there is nothing to beat inland Holland. The delta has a lot of opportunities for pottering and letting the children do their own thing in safety and for them even the canal passages will be an adventure. The north is delightful and there is a reasonable amount of sailing on the Ijselmeer or out to the islands.

This is, after all, the children’s holiday and not just yours, and any time on the open sea adds a degree of physical stress that they may not all enjoy for long periods. If you go to Holland, getting there and back should give you the satisfaction of making real passages, especially of you go via Ijmuiden, which might be a doddle or challenging, according to the weather. There will be plenty of time for you to do your kind of cruising when the children grow up, which will happen sooner than you think. Even during the years we took our boat the the Baltic we would often be forced to spend time in the Netherlands on our return and although my heart would sink at the prospect of yet another inland passage in the end I always enjoyed it.

 

[MontyMariner]

When my children were young, they and my wife used to get bored on the long 14 hour passage from Weymouth to Cherbourg or the CI's so I would do night passages and they would go to bed.
From your end of the country, if you want to 'go foreign' then Holland would be my choice as a starter. Going West an intermediate location that would fit in with a two week window could be Rouen, it's a days trip up up the Seine, so you need the two weeks as you set off from Le Havre / Honfleur when the flood starts at 1st light and leave Rouen when the ebb starts at 1st light. For the West country, CI's and French coast, I think you would have to relocate your boat, probably for the summer season.

 

[Mark-1]

Being realistic with both your relatively short time-slot and the vagaries of the weather, if you want the interest of exploring new cruising grounds, then get the boat fairly promptly to say Chichester. From there you can cruise, without too much haste, the Isle of Wight (+beaches), the Dorset Coast (+beaches) as far as Weymouth (+beaches), then the return passage.

The West Country is beautiful, as are the Channel Islands and the North Brittany coast etc, but to do these I'd consider having your boat delivered as far as say Weymouth in advance.

I'd agree. The Solent has its drawbacks but for a family holiday with a 3yo and 7yo in shelter, within a longish sail from the East Coast it seems purpose built. Beaches and cinemas and museums and kids attractions plus the New Forest.

I assume the 3yo and 7yo are known quantities on the boat, if not that could be a problem.

 

[Minerva]

I'd agree. The Solent has its drawbacks but for a family holiday with a 3yo and 7yo in shelter, within a longish sail from the East Coast it seems purpose built. Beaches and cinemas and museums and kids attractions plus the New Forest.

I assume the 3yo and 7yo are known quantities on the boat, if not that could be a problem.

Absolutely this!

West coast of Scotland is windy, wet, full of midges and few pontoons. You end up cold, wet & wrestling with a muddy stinky anchor chain every day and the constant pumping up and deflating of your tender to go ashore.

Sod that - best stay in the Solent.

 

[NormanS]

Absolutely this!

West coast of Scotland is windy, wet, full of midges and few pontoons. You end up cold, wet & wrestling with a muddy stinky anchor chain every day and the constant pumping up and deflating of your tender to go ashore.

Sod that - best stay in the Solent.

All that, but I do keep the dinghy pumped up.

 

[Daydream believer]

Dieppe fecamp, Le havre Honfleur Cherbourg are all pretty nice but weather dependant, The foreign feel makes it a holiday as opposed to the Solent.
However, the Dutch canals with locks & pleasant villages on the standing mast route from Amsterdam south can be fun for the kids. It can push the time table a bit. Mostly one is not so dependent on weather when you get there. Make the first part the crossing to Ijmuiden from lowestoft, which is the big one for the holiday then nice easy day trips south to Flushing
. Leave the Schengan at Ostend & return via Ramsgate to the Medway. You could just go to Blankenburg Then up the canals & back if short of time. the kids would like the model village in Middleburg. Hire bikes & cycle to Veere, instead of sailing there & climb the tower for great views. There is lots to do in Ostend & the kids would like the Atlantic wall, or the Paulusfeesten in August.
Starting at the south end there is less pressure & you may find that you only get to Willemstad. But if you get to Dordrech then a day on the ferry to the Rotterdam tower will please the kids.
You do not have to travel hundreds of miles to enjoy yourself in the Dutch canals.

 

[Mark-1]

Absolutely this!

West coast of Scotland is windy, wet, full of midges and few pontoons. You end up cold, wet & wrestling with a muddy stinky anchor chain every day and the constant pumping up and deflating of your tender to go ashore.

Sod that - best stay in the Solent.

I bow to nobody in my love of the West Coast of Scotland as a cruising gound but a) It's nowhere near Lowestoft b) I know from experience that 3, 7 and 10yos are more interested in Imax Cinemas, WiFi and Ice-cream than beauty and adventure.

Mostly a).

 

[Daydream believer]

Absolutely this!

West coast of Scotland is windy, wet, full of midges and few pontoons. You end up cold, wet & wrestling with a muddy stinky anchor chain every day and the constant pumping up and deflating of your tender to go ashore.

Sod that - best stay in the Solent.

The west coast of Scotland is for adults. Not kids.
Once they have seen one heather clad rocky crag, they have seen them all & it soon looses its interest.
Do they really want to go mooching up some slippery hill in the p..sing rain, just to look at some sheep & another rocky crag like the one they have just climbed up?

 

[davidej]

I suggest Zeeland ie southern Holland.

Ok it is a longish passage across but you could probably recruit some help to do it. Maybe go to Ostend first to reduce the length of the crossing. Once you are there, it is effectively a series of inland waters with glorious towns to visit ( moor up in the town centers, not remote marinas) and ideal for anchoring and for kids to have fun swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, etc. And the new experience of using locks.

 

[vyv_cox]

I suggest Zeeland ie southern Holland.

Ok it is a longish passage across but you could probably recruit some help to do it. Maybe go to Ostend first to reduce the length of the crossing. Once you are there, it is effectively a series of inland waters with glorious towns to visit ( moor up in the town centers, not remote marinas) and ideal for anchoring and for kids to have fun swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, etc. And the new experience of using locks.

I fully agree, having lived and sailed there for 7 years. Lots to see and do for all ages, the Haringvliet alone could occupy a week..Slightly further away Delta Expo is fascinating, beaches all around, Grevelingenmeer is great with small.islands to berth (was free, not sure now). Excellent safe family cruising.

 

[johnalison]

The OP didn't specify what his time range was but I am assuming something like three weeks. With westerly winds predominating, you really need to be in a position to return by about the Thursday of the last week unless the weather is very settled, if going to Holland. Normandy was always one of our favourite destinations, but as a holiday it is much more rugged and exposed than Holland and much more tiring, especially if the tides are unkind and many early starts are involved. As for Holland, Within this time frame I would suggest choosing either the north or south and not trying to combine the two, since it takes 2-3 days to move from one to the other, and certainly not aim to go both ways in one cruise. We managed to include the Ijselmeer in a 3-week trip on a 26-footer and in the same time visit a couple of the Frisians in a Sadler 29. A 2 metre draught won't be a problem for most of the area but might make passage through the Frisian canals impracticable, but not elsewhere.

 

[Dellquay13]

Brittany

Loads of family friendly marinas in seaside towns (for the ice creams and days on the beach) and really interesting sailing in short hops between St Malo and Roscoff, I loved my two fourteen night trips