Lindisfarne - any experience

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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www.keepturningleft.co.uk
I have started thinking about the next bits of my journey and I would love to find a mooring somewhere around Lindisfarne for a month or so

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions/contacts

a few snaps would be great as well.

Katie L floats in about a foot and sits happily on mud or sand - less happy on rocks or gravel

My plan is to sail to the area and use it as a base for a few weeks so somewhere I can park the car and maybe walk to the boat at low tide

leave the boat in reasonable safety for a week or so if the weather turns bad on me

cruddy old boat yards work really well for us

Dylan
 
Never sailed there, but spent many holidays there as a youth. I don't think things have changed much since I was last there about 9 years ago. A beautiful stretch of coast - if the weather was warm, you'd never need to go anywhere else.

A mooring on Lindisfarne might be difficult; there is a small jetty - I think it dries out at low. You might have better luck at Beadnell or Seahouses........

There's always Amble.......boatyard, marina...further away though
 
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Hi Dylan
There are certainly some moorings at Holy Island which dry so suitable for KTL I guess. I would be a bit wary of leaving a boat unattended there however, the shelter is not great. If you don't want to pay for a berth at RNYC Blyth, or Amble Marina, you should consider Seaton Sluice or Seahouses aka North Sunderland Harbour. The RNYC publish an excellent pilot book covering Humber to Rattray Head which I think you will find very useful! Full of harbourmasters' phone numbers.
Cheers
 
We used to stop there from time to time many years ago. Unless things have changed, the Ouse was fairly sheltered in most conditions. As far as I remember, Stone ridge and the Yares uncovered while we were still afloat at anchor in the Ouse so we always dried out very gently even in SE winds. However, we only drew 0.55m with keel up. I don't remember it being too bad at HW either but I think we usually went into Seahouses if weather forecast was really bad from SE.

I probably still have aged sailing directions from ancient days. Not certain how much use they'd be now. We often took the inner passage at night on way to or from Holland. Nice boost from the tide and pilotage fairly easy when you got used to the area at night.

Berwick Upon Tweed is fun to exit in strong onshore winds (not). We were stuck there for several days and went to the end of the wall to watch a coaster trying to leave. A large wave knocked her about 80 deg. from course and we were certain she'd be on the beach. Difficult to see where the land began and looked pretty wild. Fortunately, she managed to turn away from the shore. Strangely enough, we walked back to the boat and stayed put for another 2 days. Excellent shelter inside the harbour but a long walk into town. Must be 20 years since I last went there so not exactly the latest information.
 
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Given your ability to dry out, there is a beautiful sandy lagoon at Low Newton which is just
south of Beadnell to the north east of Alnwick. Paid parking might be awkward though.

Beadnell; with the only west facing harbour on the east coast; is very exposed to south
easterlies and has been transformed from beautiful fishing harbour to a posh estate
by the sea..

Seahouses dries out but has a sandy bottom. Paid parking again.

The River Aln at Alnmouth dries out to sand but the entrance can be tricky.

Further north there is Eyemouth another east coast fishing village.

All these sites open up Northumberland and the Borders to you and although my contacts are senile or dead,
it is a fabulous area to visit. Have a peep at http://www.northumberland-coast.co.uk/low_newton.php
 
tokoloshe said:
Given your ability to dry out, there is a beautiful sandy lagoon at Low Newton which is just
south of Beadnell to the north east of Alnwick. Paid parking might be awkward though.

Beadnell; with the only west facing harbour on the east coast; is very exposed to south
easterlies and has been transformed from beautiful fishing harbour to a posh estate
by the sea..

Seahouses dries out but has a sandy bottom. Paid parking again.

The River Aln at Alnmouth dries out to sand but the entrance can be tricky.

Further north there is Eyemouth another east coast fishing village.

All these sites open up Northumberland and the Borders to you and although my contacts are senile or dead,
it is a fabulous area to visit. Have a peep at http://www.northumberland-coast.co.uk/low_newton.php
Click to expand...


Alnmouth looks fun

D
 
tokoloshe said:
Given your ability to dry out, there is a beautiful sandy lagoon at Low Newton which is just
south of Beadnell to the north east of Alnwick. Paid parking might be awkward though.

Beadnell; with the only west facing harbour on the east coast; is very exposed to south
easterlies and has been transformed from beautiful fishing harbour to a posh estate
by the sea..

Seahouses dries out but has a sandy bottom. Paid parking again.

The River Aln at Alnmouth dries out to sand but the entrance can be tricky.

Further north there is Eyemouth another east coast fishing village.

All these sites open up Northumberland and the Borders to you and although my contacts are senile or dead,
it is a fabulous area to visit. Have a peep at http://www.northumberland-coast.co.uk/low_newton.php
Click to expand...


Alnmouth looks fun

D
 
There was a couple of boats moored outside the harour at Berwick for a few years
It may be possible to find out from the harour master if one can anchor there
I have never noticed undue problems with rough sea at that point as it is in the river Tweed a bit
Entry can be a bit dodgy in rough weather but then you would not want to go sailing then anyway
The river mouth is fairly well protected by the Shad once inside
Worth a look - beautiful place to stay with fantastic surroundings
However, if you was at Eyemouth facilities are better & only 20 mins from Berwick on the bus
Give Blyth a miss - bit bleak & cannot even get fuel
No one has mentioned Burnmouth. Dries but secure I believe. Lots of rocks about but the approach is straightforward I am told
Nothing much there though except a death defying hill to get access
It is between Berwick & Eyemouth
 
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dylanwinter said:
I have started thinking about the next bits of my journey and I would love to find a mooring somewhere around Lindisfarne for a month or so

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions/contacts

a few snaps would be great as well.

Katie L floats in about a foot and sits happily on mud or sand - less happy on rocks or gravel

My plan is to sail to the area and use it as a base for a few weeks so somewhere I can park the car and maybe walk to the boat at low tide

leave the boat in reasonable safety for a week or so if the weather turns bad on me

cruddy old boat yards work really well for us

Dylan
Click to expand...

Some notes and phone numbers here.

http://www.visitmyharbour.com/harbours/north-east-england/farne-islands-lindisfarne/expanded.asp


Might be worth calling the Harbour masters at Lindisfarne and Seahouses. There are usually a few boats on swinging moorings at Holy Island
but I suspect it might be a bit exposed to south easterlies.
 
Holy Island Pilot Ed Wingfield

Whilst this information is given in good faith and every effort has been made to avoid errors, no responsibility is accepted regarding its complete accuracy and the author or website owners will accept no responsibility for damage or loss arising from any mistake or omission arising from its use.

Holy Island (Lindisfarne) is a superb venue for the dinghy sailor. It offers both sheltered all-tide sailing for the novice through to adventurous options for the more experienced sailor, in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Holy Island is cut off by tides that cover the Causeway 2 hrs before and 3 hrs after high water. Berwick-on-Tweed lies 10M to the north-west; the Farne Islands lie 6M to the south-east. There is little high ground locally therefore Bamburgh and Holy Island castles make unmistakable orientation points. The sheltered sailing is over Fenham Flats and Holy Island Sands, a wide, esturine area of sand and mud within Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve and ‘The Harbour’ which never dries and provides good LW sailing.

Holy Island is really atmospheric. It attracts tourists but isn’t spoiled by them and their requirements. Most depart before the Causeway covers. For accommodation there is a choice of one hotel, two pubs, and a handful of B&Bs. Either pub may serve as evening HQ and restaurant. Other facilities are: Post Office, telephone, souvenir shops, off licence and public loo with cold water washing sink. Provisions are all but unavailable. Of interest are: the Priory, the Castle, round-the-island walks, the Church and the village itself. Cashback is available in ‘The Ship’. There is a cash dispenser in ‘The Crown and Anchor’.

The Harbour Master, Mr Tommy Douglas (01289 389248) must be paid £2/day or £5/week. His house is the one closest to the water tower. Then you may proceed past the ‘NO VEHICLES BEYOND THIS POINT’ sign to the grassy area before The Ouze.

The slipway is owned by the Local Authority and used by the fishermen. It is over by the fishing shacks but outside the harbour wall that protects The Ouze. Vehicles and trailers may be left nearby on the grass. Light boats can be hand launched across the sand directly into The Ouze –2 +2HW. The slipway area has been found useable by DCA at all-tides.

‘The Ouze’ is a small drying inlet near the village protected from any incoming swell by ‘Long Ridge’ a shingle bank in the entrance. Anchor toward the west shore, in front of the upturned herring boat shacks. Coarse sand gives way to squishy mud a couple of hours after HW.

Anchor holding in ‘The Ouze’ is very good once the surface crust is penetrated. My heavy cqr simply skids along the surface. Bruce anchors are better but as the tide recedes you will see that many local small boats use good old ‘fisherman’ anchors. These leave upraised flukes ready to penetrate the hulls of the unwary!

The Harbour contains a handful of deepwater moorings for fishing boats and visiting yachts. The fast tidal streams scour the sand away leaving good depth and even at low water the dinghy sailor can have a satisfying sail. Be aware of the reversal of tidal streams when tide covers or uncovers the Causeway by either allowing or stopping water spilling over from the north.

Low water is the best time to explore the channels draining Holy Island Sands and Fenham Flats. The circular channel links with South Low (the stream flowing under the Causeway) at a point favoured by Atlantic Grey Seals known by DCA as Seal Junction. Last year we observed a colony of maybe two hundred animals – no kidding! They are of course hated by fishermen but loved by the visitors.





Across The Harbour lies Guile Point with its sinister obelisk shaped deep water leading line marks. Landing here is possible from a creek that tucks in behind the point giving shelter from an onshore wind. This offers an excellent place for barbecues, picnics or an afternoon snooze. The tiny island of Black Law lies directly between The Ouze and Guile Pt. Rare terns breed here (May/June) and must not be disturbed.

Off the south-west tip of Holy Island is tiny St Cuthberts Island with the remains of a ruined chapel. An anchorage with good holding can be found in a channel to the west of this island called ‘The Basin’. The Royal Northumberland Y.C. pilot book once recommended it for yachts but it has recently silted. Depths are still around 1m. It gives good shelter from a NE to SE blow.

On the north side of the island is Coves Haven, guarded by fingers of rock projecting seawards, a small sandy beach makes a good place to stop for a picnic. The outlying reefs are populated by yet more seals.

At HW springs it is possible to circumnavigate Holy Island in a clockwise direction. (I have made it (June 2004) with my Dockrell 17 on a 4.9m tide) Arrive at the Causeway as it is about to flood and from your high viewpoint of the Refuge you will see Goswick Sands cover. If there is anything more than light surf you should abort the attempt. Non-gps skippers should follow Colin and Jayne Firth’s track ie. cross the Causeway west of the Refuge and head NNW parallel to the mainland until off Middle Shiel then head NNE to sea. Gps equipped skippers (WGS 84) could follow my course from the west of the Refuge to the watershed at N55 41.428 W001 52.314, then head to sea in deepest water N55 41.876’ W 001 52.041’.

The deepwater route back into the harbour is to follow the buoyage and pick up the obelisk leading-line on Guile Point to Burrows Hole, then turn to starboard on Holy Island leading-line which takes you into The Harbour. Local shallow draught craft in settled weather will take a short-cut close to the Castle known as Hole Mouth.

Circumnavigation notes.
1. Goswick Sands are subject to continuous change. The above coordinates and information were correct at June 2004 and are now (2008) misleading.

2. The crossing of Goswick Sands is best left to experts only, at best to get it wrong will leave you stranded on an exposed beach for 10 hours! At worst the weather will change and dangerous surf may force you to abandon your boat.

For pictures, detailed Island facts and history refer to the Northumbria Tourist Board website www.ntb.org.uk

Public Transport: Mainline Railway to Berwick-on-Tweed then Bus service No 477 - Holy Island. Daily running times alter to suit the tides. Go to www.jplanner.org.uk for timetable.

Ed_wingfield@yahoo.co.uk
 
The sandbanks at the entrance to Berwick move about a bit from year to year,
so make sure your charts are up to date!

I have had many happy piss ups at the local sailing club but the south side quay
used to be mainly commercial and the town is not very inspiring.

Did you know that Berwick is still at war with Russia?



Daydream believer said:
There was a couple of boats moored outside the harour at Berwick for a few years
It may be possible to find out from the harour master if one can anchor there
I have never noticed undue problems with rough sea at that point as it is in the river Tweed a bit
Entry can be a bit dodgy in rough weather but then you would not want to go sailing then anyway
The river mouth is fairly well protected by the Shad once inside
Worth a look - beautiful place to stay with fantastic surroundings
However, if you was at Eyemouth facilities are better & only 20 mins from Berwick on the bus
Give Blyth a miss - bit bleak & cannot even get fuel
No one has mentioned Burnmouth. Dries but secure I believe. Lots of rocks about but the approach is straightforward I am told
Nothing much there though except a death defying hill to get access
It is between Berwick & Eyemouth
Click to expand...
 
Cambois is an industrial dump.

Craster is a drying out fishing harbour and the village is quite interesting.

Beadnell has a private harbour so you would have to moor outside and be aware of wind
and seas out of the east. There is an awkward group of rocks smack in the middle of the
bay. Over the last 20 years holiday housing estates have spoilt the place,

Low Newton is a sandy drying out lagoon with a good pub and micro brewery.

Never heard of South Low and I have been intimate in most of the interesting places
on the coast.

st599 said:
What about the smaller places like Cambois, Craster, Beadnell, South Low etc.

Fantastic coastline.
Click to expand...
 
westhinder said:
Ed, how deep are the deep water moorings? Will I be alright with a draught of 2.1m?
Click to expand...

The only deep water moorings are private and for the the local fishing boats.

You'll find plenty of safe depth in the natural harbour although there is a bar of around 1.6m. Cardinal and lateral buoyage is good, leading lines are very clear and both have sectored lights. Watch for side current taking you off the leading line.

Don't come in at night on your first visit - you'll end up with a nervous breakdown!

Fit a trip line just in case. If a SW-NWly starts to blow f4+ prepare to get out before the flood tide as you may find you begin sailing around your anchor.

Dylan will be safely in the 'Ouze'. He'll anchor amongst the drying moorings on thin mud.
 
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