Day trip from Lydney

Depends on where you go, you have Cardiff Marina and Penarth Marina with what you'll expect from a marina.

CBYC also have visitors pontoon which I think is £10 a night but might be worth checking (I can't see it on the website). If you're a member of another club CYC are very welcoming and offer a free night with the hope you'll buy a beer or two in the bar, they can give you a key for the main gate and showers etc if the bar is open but if it's not you'll not be able to get out or use the toilet.

You have Mermaid Quay which charge £2 for the first hour and £1 an hour afterwards for upto 24 hours, via a pay machine, you get a gate code on the ticket once you pay. This is the closest to the main area with food and pubs and plenty of pontton space. Graving dock is free (limit 24hours) as they haven't put a pay machine in, it's just a short walk to mermaid quay and a little quieter but is can get busy in there at the weekend. There is a gate to get in and out if you pm me I'll let you know the code (best not to post it on a public forum). No toilets at either of these but the wetherspoons etc are close by.

If I'm wrong about any of the clubs then feel free to correct me.
 
No one has ever bothered me about how long we stay on Mermaid Quay - but you need to buy one ticket to get code unless a fellow boater knows it.. CYC arrangements sadly discouraging as used to be a friendly club. CBYC at least serve food all the year round every day, I think we simply paid small mooring fee at the bar but cant remember as Navigator sorted it last few times and I was concentrating on my pint. Cardiff is about the only all tide port and accessible destination in the Upper Bristol Channel apart from Swansea now you cant get ashore at Barry.

Plenty of anchorages but shore access awkward and lack of shoreside pubs and restaurants
 
oldmanofthehills said:
CYC arrangements sadly discouraging as used to be a friendly club.
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I have only been a couple of times and they've always been very welcoming and very friendly. The first time I went I had fuel issues and one of the members lent me a bulb pump and another found me a cup full of diesel to fill my fuel filter. I'm very happy to buy some beers and have a chat for a free night or two and can totally understand they're not going to open up the club to non members.

It is a shame about Barry, so many of the club members talk very fondly of the place but not many visit very often. I've been a couple of times to wait on the tide. The time it takes to lock in and out Cardiff means the extra bit to Barry helps you on the next tide West, to be able to get ashore would be great.
 
Yellow Ballad said:
I have only been a couple of times and they've always been very welcoming and very friendly. The first time I went I had fuel issues and one of the members lent me a bulb pump and another found me a cup full of diesel to fill my fuel filter. I'm very happy to buy some beers and have a chat for a free night or two and can totally understand they're not going to open up the club to non members.

It is a shame about Barry, so many of the club members talk very fondly of the place but not many visit very often. I've been a couple of times to wait on the tide. The time it takes to lock in and out Cardiff means the extra bit to Barry helps you on the next tide West, to be able to get ashore would be great.
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Is it not possible to get ashore if you dry out?
 
CYClub appear to be having a few issues recruiting volunteers and I suspect many of their own don't regularly use the 'additional' features, just after somewhere to moor up (no frills). So they may not be able to facilitate things all year round.

It also has a distinct lack of customer service if you're not there in person (but hey, no frills) it seems. That said, it's pretty much one of the better value (provided you don't require 'frills').
 
Graham_Wright said:
Is it not possible to get ashore if you dry out?
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I think it's quite soft mud to the HW mark so you can dinghy ashore at HW but when the tide goes out you can't get over the mud back to your boat till the tide comes back. I suppose if you can stay afloat you could always dinghy out of the harbour and and land in Jackson Bay but you'll probably want to pull the dinghy up the steps if it's flooding. Again I may be wrong but that's what I believe.

Lumi, again I can't comment on CYC's issues but members there do get a key for the showers, gate etc it's just non members that may not be able to use them if you pop onto the visitors pontoon and the bar is closed. The issue with a lot of smaller clubs is they're run by volunteers and it's unfair to expect them to run it as a business when they try to keep costs down for members. As for frills, it looks a very good setup, lots of frills for members and quite thriving especially with kids and sailing dinghies/training. I've always sent an email to them (although I think they said not to bother last time) if I plan on visiting. If the bar's open I sign in and ask for a key and a beer and have a chat with whomever is in the bar, if it's locked up I'll putt putt round to Graving's dock if I want to get into town.
 
Yellow Ballad said:
Lumi, again I can't comment on CYC's issues but members there do get a key for the showers, gate etc it's just non members that may not be able to use them if you pop onto the visitors pontoon and the bar is closed. The issue with a lot of smaller clubs is they're run by volunteers and it's unfair to expect them to run it as a business when they try to keep costs down for members. As for frills, it looks a very good setup, lots of frills for members and quite thriving especially with kids and sailing dinghies/training. I've always sent an email to them (although I think they said not to bother last time) if I plan on visiting. If the bar's open I sign in and ask for a key and a beer and have a chat with whomever is in the bar, if it's locked up I'll putt putt round to Graving's dock if I want to get into town.
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When I say frills I mean Penarth Marina style :). Certainly not disputing anything there though, I'm certainly not saying it's a bad club or even attempting to imply that. Just that as you suggest they're set up in a different way that doesn't easily lend themselves to supporting visitors.

Unfortunately, if they don't respond to emails, there's zero ability for me to join them so I value those that respond to emails.
 
I am a CYC member. The club does offer free pontoon mooring to guests. It is not, however, a marina or commercial club and only has restricted opening hours - usually weekend afternoons / early evenings . Outside of those times guests can not access toilets or get in and out of the compound. At a weekends toilets access would not really be a problem, there are always friendly members about. Access back to the boat at night, if you have been into the bay to eat, could well be a problem. Most visitors understand this and are fine. A few who are staying free of charge seem to expect staff on hand to open the bar when they want it and to let them in and out. Not really practical for a small volunteer club.

The general facilities are good and cheap. Lift out, hull washing, boat wash, water ect.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I just want to get my ship sailing and, from Lydney, the tide rules. Unless both high waters are in daylight, returning to Lydney out of harbourmaster hours is not possible. Thus a stop-over is called for.

However, the port seems very welcoming.
 
oldmanofthehills said:
I meant the arrangements being unhelpful for visits rather than CYC itself.
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The club is set up for members who all have keys. Visitors are offered a free pontoon which is pretty generous but it is probably better to pay at another club or marina in the bay if a visitor needs guaranteed access to facilities and town. Some visitors berth at the free pontoon and use a dinghy to go around to Mermaid Quay for the night, much as you might do at anchor or on a mooring buoy.
 
It would be perverse to visit Cardiff and not go ashore - after all just breaking a journey Down Along is better at Barry - so CYC free pontoon only useful except when the CYC Clubhouse is manned. No criticism of CYC here and when visiting on open days etc great fun.
 
Mermaid quay is a good overnight stop.
Last time I was there at the end of last summer the ticket machine was broken and the gate code was written on the gate. Rumour has it that it's still broken. CHA doesn't seem to have the manpower to fix it or to even check tickets.
 
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