Dartmouth marinas

[ashtead]

Simple question -if going to Dartmouth in say early July which marina/berth might you aim for and do they take bookings? What is the fallback plan if no room at the inn as it were ? In summary which marina do people rate in terms of access,facilities etc?

 

[DJE]

I can't claim to have done any exhaustive research but based on my recent experience I would expect to find the following.
1. The marinas will be full.
2. Anything that can be booked will be fully booked.
3. There will probably be space on the harbour authority's pontoons and moorings.

 

[Sandy]

Simple question -if going to Dartmouth in say early July which marina/berth might you aim for and do they take bookings? What is the fallback plan if no room at the inn as it were ? In summary which marina do people rate in terms of access,facilities etc?

Er,,,, you want space in a marina in the West Country at short notice! I'm in Plymouth and everywhere is full! We have had a huge influx of new people this year who have brought their boats down for the summer.

Good luck with your search.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Er,,,, you want space in a marina in the West Country at short notice! I'm in Plymouth and everywhere is full! We have had a huge influx of new people this year who have brought their boats down for the summer.

Good luck with your search.

Definitely a few spaces in Sutton when I came home yesterday.
If you can’t find a marina space in Dartmouth then call DartNav on channel 11 and they will find you somewtto berth.

 

[ashtead]

Thank you for thoughts - I will avoid Plym where I would favour Yacht Haven but just wanted advice as to which to try if I could get in as not all berths are booked after all.

 

[Sandy]

Definitely a few spaces in Sutton when I came home yesterday.
If you can’t find a marina space in Dartmouth then call DartNav on channel 11 and they will find you somewtto berth.

We have a few refugees from Sutton with us.

 

[bdh198]

We’re currently in Brixham and there are berths available here and at Torquay. Brixham you can only book on the morning of your arrival. Torquay, however, will take advanced bookings.

We were on the river Dart yesterday. We didn’t stay in a marina, but there was no problem getting a river mooring up by Dittisham, although you need to be prepared to raft.

I suspect by July the situation will be very different, and you’ll need to be identifying some suitable anchorages and making sure you arrive in plenty of time, and with a suitable weather window, for “Plan B” if everything is full to bursting.

 

[Yealm]

Yes three marinas full in Plymouth a few days ago - finally got a berth at QAB (not my fav).

 

[longjohnsilver]

Yes three marinas full in Plymouth a few days ago - finally got a berth at QAB (not my fav).

Which 3?

 

[Laysula]

A lot depends on how big your boat is.

 

[ashtead]

12.8 m with a keel 1.99m . So if leaving from Portland and not wanting to go to the CI ,lovely though they are seems like costa Torquay is a possibility but where else to visit ,we are not really looking for a Poole town quay type location either. I just trying to clarify what’s worth seeing and having previously stayed at a small hostel in Dartmouth (castle hotel maybe ) I thought might be a suitable end point . Having heard dreadful reports of salcombe doesn’t attract really . I guess we are searching for a town with reasonable restaurants and decent parking in summary with a few sights to see locally ideally. The West Country equivalent of st Cast for example?

 

[longjohnsilver]

12.8 m with a keel 1.99m . So if leaving from Portland and not wanting to go to the CI ,lovely though they are seems like costa Torquay is a possibility but where else to visit ,we are not really looking for a Poole town quay type location either. I just trying to clarify what’s worth seeing and having previously stayed at a small hostel in Dartmouth (castle hotel maybe ) I thought might be a suitable end point . Having heard dreadful reports of salcombe doesn’t attract really . I guess we are searching for a town with reasonable restaurants and decent parking in summary with a few sights to see locally ideally. The West Country equivalent of st Cast for example?

What dreadful reports ab Salcombe? The town can get busy but on the water it’s fantastic.

 

[st599]

We have a booking for Dartmouth week, hopefully the organisers will let the marinas know how many are expected.

 

[Solent Sailor]

Just come back from two weeks West, and no issues at all finding a berth. We spent quite a bit of time at anchor or on a mooring, but visited Weymouth, Brixham, Dartmouth, Fowey and Falmouth with never an issue getting a spot (although it was busy and we were rafted several times).

As for Salcombe - the harbour/estuary is great, but the town is rather lacklustre in our view. We spend as little time ashore as we can there. Poor for provisioning, poor for eating out (but still expensive) although the ice cream factory is worth supporting.

 

[DJE]

Salcombe was great for us moored up River on the pontoon in the Bag. - lovely spot for paddleboarding. Ashore I would say don't miss the walk round Bolt Head and dinner at the Yacht Club.

 

[Gerry]

Marinas : Darthaven on the Kingswear side, biggish visitors pontoon, closest to town, good washrooms, laundry, chandlery. Walking to ferry to get over to Dartmouth.
Dart marina, part of upmarket hotel complex with spa etc and prices to match!
Noss on Dart marina. Further upriver will need dinghy to get to town. Latest addition to Premier stable and still currently under construction. basic wash facilities and laundry. Docks brand new and excellent.

Dart harbour have a variety of docks and buoys..likely the docks full in July but will usually find you a buoy.
Anchoring downstream is problematic, fast flowing,deep and busy river. It is possible, with care at the Anchorstone, just downstream from Dittisham. A few other anchorages but you will need a chart to identify their suitability for your vessel.

Enjoy. It's a lovely spot even when very busy.

 

[ashtead]

Thanks for replies -Gerry’s content was what I was really seeking -dart marina was my inclination . Salcombe might be lovely afloat but if I want crowds I can just go to Cowes or Yarmouth and reports I have had from others not always positive on town facilities and fellow guests afloat .

 

[DJE]

Just bear in mind that UK is one of the biggest countries in the world for taking holidays abroad. And at the moment we're not allowed to. So an awful lot if people are making for the west country.

 

[johnalison]

We have usually stayed on the Town Quay if it's only a day or two, or on the mid-river pontoon. They have an odd charging system in that some of the berths are charged more than others. Cheapskates tie on the outside of the Town Quay after the ferries have stopped, but have to be off first thing in the morning. We have stayed at the other marinas, happily but not excitedly.

 

[Tomaret]

Steam trains on one side and the paddle steamer on the other - what’s not to like about Darthaven?