Cornishman
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Most summer visitors have cars
[/ QUOTE ]
Not if they cross The Bar in a yacht or mobo, surely?
Most summer visitors have cars
[/ QUOTE ]
Not if they cross The Bar in a yacht or mobo, surely?
Is Salcombe any better this year?
- Thread starter Cornishman
- Start date
Re: Better than expected.
I crossed the Salcombe bar last week mentally prepared for price shock following all the warnings on this forum. Rafting a 35 footer on a buoy cost me a few pennies short of £20 per night including shower tokens. I won’t be using the HM’s free shower tokens again after visiting the decaying infrastructure of Salcombe’s yacht club, half of the showers were out of action and the place stank.
The HM staff were extremely pleasant to deal with to the point that their friendliness was almost intrusive. The town jetty and offshore garbage collection seemed well managed. The swmbo loved the shops ashore and claimed her space on the beach nearby when the sun appeared, leaving me to deal with yet another holding tank blockage.
There are more positives. Our best value meal ashore of the cruise so far was in Salcombe, there are plenty of walking options in the area and most important of all the people, both locals and visitors, are a positive friendly lot.
Negatives: Number 1 has to be the frequency of craft generating an excessive wash, the HM needs to be active in policing this problem and the worst offenders are locals particularly the South Beach ferry. After 2 days, excessive wash and noise was the main reason for moving on. Shopping for essentials in Salcombe is a problem, best take your crampons and oxygen mask before setting out to scale the heights of the Spar shop and once you get there you will find less culinary diversity than Captain Jasper’s burger joint in Plymouth’s Barbican.
All said I will return another year because Salcombe offers something different to Dartmouth and Fowey.
I crossed the Salcombe bar last week mentally prepared for price shock following all the warnings on this forum. Rafting a 35 footer on a buoy cost me a few pennies short of £20 per night including shower tokens. I won’t be using the HM’s free shower tokens again after visiting the decaying infrastructure of Salcombe’s yacht club, half of the showers were out of action and the place stank.
The HM staff were extremely pleasant to deal with to the point that their friendliness was almost intrusive. The town jetty and offshore garbage collection seemed well managed. The swmbo loved the shops ashore and claimed her space on the beach nearby when the sun appeared, leaving me to deal with yet another holding tank blockage.
There are more positives. Our best value meal ashore of the cruise so far was in Salcombe, there are plenty of walking options in the area and most important of all the people, both locals and visitors, are a positive friendly lot.
Negatives: Number 1 has to be the frequency of craft generating an excessive wash, the HM needs to be active in policing this problem and the worst offenders are locals particularly the South Beach ferry. After 2 days, excessive wash and noise was the main reason for moving on. Shopping for essentials in Salcombe is a problem, best take your crampons and oxygen mask before setting out to scale the heights of the Spar shop and once you get there you will find less culinary diversity than Captain Jasper’s burger joint in Plymouth’s Barbican.
All said I will return another year because Salcombe offers something different to Dartmouth and Fowey.
BlueSkyNick
Well-Known Member
Re: Better than expected.
We had a similar experience - only stopped from 2000 one evening to 0800 the next morning, but the HM found us a buoy and then helped us get a line onto it. He waited 10 minutes, and took us ashore so we could get into the pubs before last orders for food.
Young chap in the taxi who took us back was very pleasant and ameniable.
That was mid June so they shouldnt have been particularly worn out by the season.
Must admit I cant remember the prices, which means I was either too busy thinking about food and beer, or they were in line with other places, so not an exceptional issue - or both.
We had a similar experience - only stopped from 2000 one evening to 0800 the next morning, but the HM found us a buoy and then helped us get a line onto it. He waited 10 minutes, and took us ashore so we could get into the pubs before last orders for food.
Young chap in the taxi who took us back was very pleasant and ameniable.
That was mid June so they shouldnt have been particularly worn out by the season.
Must admit I cant remember the prices, which means I was either too busy thinking about food and beer, or they were in line with other places, so not an exceptional issue - or both.
jimbaerselman
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Not if they cross The Bar in a yacht or mobo, surely?
[/ QUOTE ] Ah, Mike, you missed the 'most'. Those darned yotties are a minority; wouldn't keep a mouse alive with their meagre spending habits.
Not if they cross The Bar in a yacht or mobo, surely?
[/ QUOTE ] Ah, Mike, you missed the 'most'. Those darned yotties are a minority; wouldn't keep a mouse alive with their meagre spending habits.
whisper
Well-Known Member
Re: Better than expected.
Ah, Captain Jasper's, where the only teaspoon is chained to the counter /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
If you need victuals when in Salcombe then go up to Kingsbridge, tide willing, or else catch the bus - think there's one every hour.
Ah, Captain Jasper's, where the only teaspoon is chained to the counter /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
If you need victuals when in Salcombe then go up to Kingsbridge, tide willing, or else catch the bus - think there's one every hour.
James_Calvert
Well-Known Member
Re: Better than expected.
Victuals:
Fresh meat, ice and the best pasties at the butchers;
Fruit, vegetables, butter, jam and emergency general stores at Cranches (next to sweet shop of same name);
Fresh bread, croissants, pies and crepes at the bakers;
Booze at the off-licence;
Fish and shellfish at the fishmongers;
Two delicatessens;
One sandwich bar - also does pasties;
Another new small general store;
All within a short stroll along Fore Street - it's not all clothes shops, pubs and restaurants, icecream parlours and fish and chips.
Bookshop, arty shops, shoeshop, just off Fore Street.
Chandlers, DIY store, various boaty shops, another shoe shop and an oyster bar in nearby Island Street - one of the boat yards also has a tank of live crabs and lobster.
Cashpoints, banks.
There's a new waterborne delivery service this year.
For victualling, compares extremely well with say Alderney, Lezardrieux, Ploumanac'h, L'Aberwrac'h, Newton Ferrers, Pin Mill, Walton Backwaters, Blackwater marinas, Shotley, Helford, to mention a few I know.
What more would you expect from a small compact town centre?
(Fray Bentos junkies might have to try the ready to heat meals from Cranches)
Victuals:
Fresh meat, ice and the best pasties at the butchers;
Fruit, vegetables, butter, jam and emergency general stores at Cranches (next to sweet shop of same name);
Fresh bread, croissants, pies and crepes at the bakers;
Booze at the off-licence;
Fish and shellfish at the fishmongers;
Two delicatessens;
One sandwich bar - also does pasties;
Another new small general store;
All within a short stroll along Fore Street - it's not all clothes shops, pubs and restaurants, icecream parlours and fish and chips.
Bookshop, arty shops, shoeshop, just off Fore Street.
Chandlers, DIY store, various boaty shops, another shoe shop and an oyster bar in nearby Island Street - one of the boat yards also has a tank of live crabs and lobster.
Cashpoints, banks.
There's a new waterborne delivery service this year.
For victualling, compares extremely well with say Alderney, Lezardrieux, Ploumanac'h, L'Aberwrac'h, Newton Ferrers, Pin Mill, Walton Backwaters, Blackwater marinas, Shotley, Helford, to mention a few I know.
What more would you expect from a small compact town centre?
(Fray Bentos junkies might have to try the ready to heat meals from Cranches)
whisper
Well-Known Member
Re: Better than expected.
Interesting - more general availability than I thought. I suspect the prices are a la Salcombe, though.
There used to be a general store near the newsagent - isn't that another clothes shop now? You have to admit there are an excess of them.
As I said before, it's a very pretty place to visit but I avoid it like the plague from mid July until early September.
There is also one major disadvantage for resident boatowners - there's nowhere to moor, legally, alongside the land. If I want to call into town I've either got to do it by dinghy from Kingsbridge or anchor off and use the dinghy or expensive taxi, or risk the wrath of the HM staff by using the Normandy pontoon. There really needs to be a resident's shore connected short stay pontoon - up Batson would do. Dredged to 1m would do us fine
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Interesting - more general availability than I thought. I suspect the prices are a la Salcombe, though.
There used to be a general store near the newsagent - isn't that another clothes shop now? You have to admit there are an excess of them.
As I said before, it's a very pretty place to visit but I avoid it like the plague from mid July until early September.
There is also one major disadvantage for resident boatowners - there's nowhere to moor, legally, alongside the land. If I want to call into town I've either got to do it by dinghy from Kingsbridge or anchor off and use the dinghy or expensive taxi, or risk the wrath of the HM staff by using the Normandy pontoon. There really needs to be a resident's shore connected short stay pontoon - up Batson would do. Dredged to 1m would do us fine
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
James_Calvert
Well-Known Member
Re: Better than expected.
Yes, I think the problem is that people are so used to one-stop shopping in the supermarket that they assume that if the supermarket is rubbish (like Ellis was) or that there isn't one, there's nothing else.
Cranches used to be mainly just fruit and veg; when Ellis closed, they expanded their range and are now very much like a corner shop. Amazing range considering how small they are.
The butchers is really good and their prices are really keen compared to supermarkets.
You make a good point about landing facilities for residents. But if you've got a big boat you should be OK if you limit your stay on the outside of Normandy pontoon to 20 mins or so. Unfortunately the length restriction behind Whitestrand pontoon where residents can go impacts on the bigger boats: it used to be 16 feet, its now about 14 feet. And behind the Normandy pontoon is reserved for visitors, with a length restriction of about 10 1/2 feet.
However there's now an overflow pontoon, just to seaward of Normandy, not connected to the shore but the Harbour staff will put you ashore or aboard as required. I'm not aware of any length restriction there - it's mostly tenders of various sizes - but you could always check if you could fit in.
And there are a couple of landing places you can leave your boat (near the top of the tide), one at the slipway at Ditchend between the RNLI berth and Whitestrand, and one off Island Street. They're only really suitable for large dinghies though.
We've also made good use of our memberships of the local clubs: if you board the Egremont, you can use the Island Cruising Club's free launch service; and the Salcombe Yacht Club has a useful landing place and running mooring just by their race box (also available for visitors' tenders) if you're anchored nearby.
Yes, I think the problem is that people are so used to one-stop shopping in the supermarket that they assume that if the supermarket is rubbish (like Ellis was) or that there isn't one, there's nothing else.
Cranches used to be mainly just fruit and veg; when Ellis closed, they expanded their range and are now very much like a corner shop. Amazing range considering how small they are.
The butchers is really good and their prices are really keen compared to supermarkets.
You make a good point about landing facilities for residents. But if you've got a big boat you should be OK if you limit your stay on the outside of Normandy pontoon to 20 mins or so. Unfortunately the length restriction behind Whitestrand pontoon where residents can go impacts on the bigger boats: it used to be 16 feet, its now about 14 feet. And behind the Normandy pontoon is reserved for visitors, with a length restriction of about 10 1/2 feet.
However there's now an overflow pontoon, just to seaward of Normandy, not connected to the shore but the Harbour staff will put you ashore or aboard as required. I'm not aware of any length restriction there - it's mostly tenders of various sizes - but you could always check if you could fit in.
And there are a couple of landing places you can leave your boat (near the top of the tide), one at the slipway at Ditchend between the RNLI berth and Whitestrand, and one off Island Street. They're only really suitable for large dinghies though.
We've also made good use of our memberships of the local clubs: if you board the Egremont, you can use the Island Cruising Club's free launch service; and the Salcombe Yacht Club has a useful landing place and running mooring just by their race box (also available for visitors' tenders) if you're anchored nearby.
whisper
Well-Known Member
Re: Better than expected.
I don't have a problem landing with the dinghy it's with our 26 ft main boat that's there's a problem. We're often told not to moor up on the Normandy pontoon but at other times no one minds. I suppose it depends on how busy the place is. Certainly out of season we regularly moor there and go for a snack.
Friends in K'bridge who have boats in the 16-20ft range have had to buy a small inflatable because there's nowhere for them to legally moor in Salcombe.
I expect that this situation applies in lots of places, not just there.
Anyway, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
PS Re the Egremont - any idea what size boat will they allow to be moored alongside to use their facilities?
I don't have a problem landing with the dinghy it's with our 26 ft main boat that's there's a problem. We're often told not to moor up on the Normandy pontoon but at other times no one minds. I suppose it depends on how busy the place is. Certainly out of season we regularly moor there and go for a snack.
Friends in K'bridge who have boats in the 16-20ft range have had to buy a small inflatable because there's nowhere for them to legally moor in Salcombe.
I expect that this situation applies in lots of places, not just there.
Anyway, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
PS Re the Egremont - any idea what size boat will they allow to be moored alongside to use their facilities?
James_Calvert
Well-Known Member
Re: Better than expected.
I think a 26 footer would be pushing your luck. I've once in a while gone alongside their launch landing (on the west side) with our 32 foot, but only with their agreement and usually just to drop someone off or to pick them up.
Dinghies generally no problem round the other side.
Either club will welcome new members, sail or power.
Re someone else's post, the ICC showers there are better than SYC's but a bit spartan. Payment at your discretion say £1 a time.
I think a 26 footer would be pushing your luck. I've once in a while gone alongside their launch landing (on the west side) with our 32 foot, but only with their agreement and usually just to drop someone off or to pick them up.
Dinghies generally no problem round the other side.
Either club will welcome new members, sail or power.
Re someone else's post, the ICC showers there are better than SYC's but a bit spartan. Payment at your discretion say £1 a time.
