Holiday suggestions in "the South" please!

[citygent111]

Hi all

Thinking about a week in a cottage "down South" and towing our 19ft Fletcher with us, but don't know the area at all so asking for some advice please!

Somewhere on the Dart, Brixham Paignton, Torquay etc but open to other suggestions. Ideally we would rent a cottage, Airbnb type thing, and put the boat on a visitor berth in a marina - where they have space to store the trailer as we will only get 1 parking space with the accomodation I imagine.

Has anyone any experience, suggestions (horror stories!) etc?

Thanks in advance for the inspiration!

 

[Dellquay13]

How about a bit further west and the Fal estuary? It gives easy access to open water, a short hop to the Helford river, and if the big open is a bit too open you have shelter in the Fal itself upriver.
I trailed a similar sized Shetland there a few times about 20 years ago and used Mylor as a base.

 

[coveman]

Agree with Dellquay13 - brilliant area, but a bit further west than maybe you are looking. I would suggest St Anthony in Meneage ( a bit further west still! ) as a good base which is reasonably priced and gives access to the Helford river. Cottages also available to rent - all low key here and hasn't changed in years. Very safe for children. The owner has a small chandlery here and visitor moorings as well as a small slipway. We have been returning here for over 40 years!
St. Anthony – Self catering cottages in Cornwall

 

[Stemar]

Chichester Harbour's a lovely place. You could spend your whole week there, plus, with the right weather, a trip to Bembridge, or anywhere in the Solent. Just be aware that Chichester Bar can be an absolute bugger with strong wind over tide. That's the time you go somewhere within the harbour!

 

[Rafiki]

Hi all

Thinking about a week in a cottage "down South" and towing our 19ft Fletcher with us, but don't know the area at all so asking for some advice please!

Somewhere on the Dart, Brixham Paignton, Torquay etc but open to other suggestions. Ideally we would rent a cottage, Airbnb type thing, and put the boat on a visitor berth in a marina - where they have space to store the trailer as we will only get 1 parking space with the accomodation I imagine.

Has anyone any experience, suggestions (horror stories!) etc?

Thanks in advance for the inspiration!

I have done similiar in:

Falmouth estuary, involved keeping the boat on a trailer in a boatyard and then launching and recovering when we used it
Helford Estuary - was able to rent a swinging mooring for a fortnight . THis of course required a rubber dinghy or similiar.

In both cases rented a National Trust Cottage, but they are like hen's teeth, so you are looking at summer 2025 not 2024.

Suggets you look at finding the ideal place to launch, store, have moorings etc, then look for accomodation, plenty of it around and Air B&B seems to be the favoured agency these days.

 

[Jacana139]

Returning to your suggested area I would suggest the marina at Kingswear (Darthaven) on the Dart. You would still be able to enjoy some boating on the Dart and its tributaries if wave conditions were unsuitable out of the Torbay Harbours. Plenty of accommodation in the Brixham and Paignton areas which are easily accessible to Kingswear. They have a boatyard where you could store your trailer

 

[[2574]]

Take the boat to Penmarlam quay on the Fowey. Take a cottage at Polruan. You’ll need the weather though, not much shelter once you leave the river out to sea.

 

[stranded]

Or drive over to southern Brittany - arguably even better boating options including some stunning islands, cheaper marinas, better food, (slightly) better weather. Doubt accommodation would be worse or more expensive.

 

[Dellquay13]

Or drive over to southern Brittany - arguably even better boating options including some stunning islands, cheaper marinas, better food, (slightly) better weather. Doubt accommodation would be worse or more expensive.

Or northern Brittany, I trailed to St Quay Portriuex a few times and cruised from there up through the Rance at St Malo, and west around Lezardrieux, Tregiuer and Pontreux. Excellent cruising, although the B word may possibly have made taking a boat by trailer a bit more difficult than in 2009 and 2011

Importantly there was plenty of waterside fuel for a mobo

 

[Farmer Piles]

How about a bit further west and the Fal estuary? It gives easy access to open water, a short hop to the Helford river, and if the big open is a bit too open you have shelter in the Fal itself upriver.
I trailed a similar sized Shetland there a few times about 20 years ago and used Mylor as a base.

Hi citygent,
Further to Dellquay's comment; checkout the link below. We farm right on the Fal and we have two holiday lets that we do through Classic cottages. Chyvounder below and Chybean. Both have ample parking, you can park the boat in our yard, launch it at the beach 400m down the hill and put the boat on our dinghy mooring. The trailer can then go back in our yard. Just use a paddleboard or a little inflatable to get out to the boat. At low tide you can wade out.
The Fal offers fantastic inshore boating with lots to explore, the Helford just across the bay and Fowey only an hour or so away in a boat like yours.

We also have a small Caravan Club CL site

Chyvounder, Holiday Cottage in Falmouth | Cornwall

TR11 5SP for Google maps

Regards,

Matt

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Now that sounds like a plan! Was going to suggest the Solent with a little speedboat, but of course the mainland shore is expensive, the Island is cheap but the ferry is really expensive…. And Cornwall is lovely.

 

[Jacana139]

Just driving home and something else came to mind. A budget option is Torquay Harbour (not the MDL marina) where a week alongside is £11/m so £66 and £57 to park the trailer for a week.

 

[KeelsonGraham]

The Yealm! Newton Ferrers or Noss Mayo. The latter has the best pub.

 

[Farmer Piles]

Now that sounds like a plan! Was going to suggest the Solent with a little speedboat, but of course the mainland shore is expensive, the Island is cheap but the ferry is really expensive…. And Cornwall is lovely.

And I'm almost house-trained and we stopped eating our young down here at least a decade ago.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

And I'm almost house-trained and we stopped eating our young down here at least a decade ago.

We’ve never eaten our kids on the Island, but a good part of the population seem to have married their cousins, for many generations.

 

[B27]

I think if I was taking a speedboat on holiday, I would look for somewhere where I didn't have to drone for half an hour at some displacement speed limit to get to open water or where I could open it up without annoying anyone.
OTOH, I'd want some places to go within a few miles.
But a sheltered up river option might be good in case of a rough day or two?
I don't know what the speed limits are on the Fal/Carrick Roads?

 

[Farmer Piles]

Speed limits only up the creeks, the main open stretch has no limit. from our beach'mooring you can go at WOT within 200m. Helford very similar.

 

[Farmer Piles]

We’ve never eaten our kids on the Island, but a good part of the population seem to have married their cousins, for many generations.

I married a girl from Kent to widen the gene pool down here. I didn't want my children to be high-sixing their cousins.

 

[citygent111]

Oh wow!! You lot never fail to impress!! Thank you all so much for your suggestions.

I'll pass everything on to the Mrs who enjoys holiday planning FAR more than I do!!!

 

[citygent111]

Hi citygent,
Further to Dellquay's comment; checkout the link below. We farm right on the Fal and we have two holiday lets that we do through Classic cottages. Chyvounder below and Chybean. Both have ample parking, you can park the boat in our yard, launch it at the beach 400m down the hill and put the boat on our dinghy mooring. The trailer can then go back in our yard. Just use a paddleboard or a little inflatable to get out to the boat. At low tide you can wade out.
The Fal offers fantastic inshore boating with lots to explore, the Helford just across the bay and Fowey only an hour or so away in a boat like yours.

We also have a small Caravan Club CL site

Chyvounder, Holiday Cottage in Falmouth | Cornwall

TR11 5SP for Google maps

Regards,

Matt

Mentioned it to the Mrs Matt, fatal mistake but thank you so much. I'll message you once we know what we're doing. Cheers!