Looks like we may be staying........

[maybh1]

We have been made so welcome since moving our boat to Fox's for a refurb that we have decided to spend the next year on the East Coast once the work is finished.

Current options are:

Woolverstone
Titchmarsh
Tide Mill

We have visited the first two and like them both and I am going to have a look at Tide Mill next week

We like peace and quiet but also like the option of being able to go and have a meal out now and again preferably within walking distance

Due to difficult family circumstances at the moment the boat will probably be left for periods of time and we do not envisage that we will move her once she is tied up

However, my sons may wish to use the boat as a base for breaks with their young families

All advice welcome as we know very little about the area

The boat is a Trader 44

May
Xx

 

[MoodySabre]

The Tide Mill is very nice with excellent loos and showers. Woodbridge is a lovely town with plenty of eateries and the surrounding area includes such gems as Sutton Hoo and Orford isn't far by road. Train station very nearby.

The marina website includes tables showing the height over the cill for each tide. In a mobo there would be plenty of time for departing and getting out of the Deben (and vice versa). The river is one of the best.

Nothing to say against - must go there again this summer.

 

[ditchcrawler]

My boat was at the Tidemill for several years.For facilities etc it cannot be beaten as it is almost in the middle of Woodbridge(i live there) with plenty of pubs,restaurants,a cinema,sports centre and swimming pool,
train station etc.The drawback for me with a sailing boat drawing 1.7m was access over the cill limiting the times I could sail.You will have less of a problem.I eventually moved to Suffolk Yacht Harbour at Levington with 24hr access and no locks.For your needs the Tidemill looks ideal.

 

[baffled9]

Very much support all that has been said about Tidemill. I would suggest that, in your circumstances you should not rule out Ipswich Haven. It has 24 hour access, has the benefit (especially in the circumstances you describe)of being enclosed and locked, is relatively secure and well laid out. It is within walking distance of the mainline station and of the town - so there is an excellent choice of eateries. Downside is that it can be noisy at times but IMHO worth considering.

For you, Wolverstone would be quieter with access to pleasant parkland but is much more exposed. Butt and Oyster at Pin Mill is a reasonable walk for food. Titchmarsh is quiet,pleasant and sheltered but quite a long way from nearest habitation. on site catering is adequate though and management good with excellent chandlery.

Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[Andromeda9866]

+1for Ipswich move there 12 months ago great move we are on the haven side so less noise had no problems at all just paid for next year at £ 340.00 per meter

Really enjoy it

 

[johnalison]

Woodbridge is fine, I mean lovely, but it's quite along river down to the sea, though Waldringfield and the Rocks are good for children. As they say, Titchmarsh is not exactly sophisticated but it is nearer the sea and Stone point is excellent for the children. For me it would depend on which was easier to drive to, especially if weekends are involved.

 

[Hadenough]

If you don't plan to use the boat to go anywhere you will be far better off at Ipswich Haven.

 

[Otter]

Tidemill sounds ideal but its distance from sailing water is a pain. But no better place for a floating country cottage than Woodbridge.

 

[maybh1]

If you don't plan to use the boat to go anywhere you will be far better off at Ipswich Haven.

We drove to Ipswich Haven last week and were really put off by the look of the surrounding area as the flats look almost derelict

From where we pulled in to have a look (by Pizza Restaurant) it really did not appeal

May
Xx

 

[PeterWright]

Really depends on what you want to do when aboard. The Tidemiill offers far more interest ashore when you're aboard and in harbour, but is a bit of a p.i.t.a. if you want to get to sea. Woolverstone and Titchmarsh both have much better sea access (W better than T), but both are a bit out in the sticks. From your spec, not quite sure why Fox's is not on your list, but maybe your trip to Ipswich Dock has turned you off the town.

 

[maybh1]

. From your spec, not quite sure why Fox's is not on your list, but maybe your trip to Ipswich Dock has turned you off the town.

We have been at Fox's since late May having work done on the boat and have stayed on board a couple of times

I think they struggle for space at times and I am told there are problems with pollution from the adjacent scrapyard. Also, it is a working yard and can get a bit noisy at times

We love FMYC but apart from that and the Beefeater place across the road there appears to be nowhere to go.

We did try going for a walk last time we were there but the surroundings were not very appealing

Unless of course we are missing something?

May
Xx

 

[nauticalnomad]

I have stayed lengthy times at most of the marinas on the Orwell and id say foxs would be the best one out of the lot..
It has a local feeling, The people look out for each other and the Oyster reach accross the road is a good place to go,
Its a bus ride into town or a half hour walk but..
Ipswich Haven was a bit souless and uncomfortable,
SYH and Wolverstone are too out of the way and sleepy little hollows for local people..
I am sure Shotley is in essex and another country away but they do have a good beer festival worth venturing to annually and the bus goes both ways from foxs (into town and Shotley) You can even catch the ferry from shotley to Harwich if you want some major excitement.
Tide Mill and Tichmarsh are somewhere you go for a weekend sail.. I wouldnt want to spend lengthy amounts of time in either place unless you lived there...

 

[sailorman]

We have been at Fox's since late May having work done on the boat and have stayed on board a couple of times

I think they struggle for space at times and I am told there are problems with pollution from the adjacent scrapyard. Also, it is a working yard and can get a bit noisy at times

We love FMYC but apart from that and the Beefeater place across the road there appears to be nowhere to go.

We did try going for a walk last time we were there but the surroundings were not very appealing

Unless of course we are missing something?

May
Xx

There is Bourne Park opposite the Harvest garage down a lane then under the railway line.Great for kids, a play area & loadsa space to run about in.
Jimmi`s farm for animals & very expensive meat
a short drive for country walks.
the scrap yard is much better & seems to be under control, in a northerly ( depending on cargo) we do sometimes get dust from the dock
The Tide mill might be the best bet

 

[Leighb]

I am sure Shotley is in essex and another country away.

I have to assume you are joking?

 

[Marmalade]

Ipswich has the advantage of being near shops / cinemas / stuff for kids to do. Depending on whether your sons live in large towns this may be attractive. Don't underestimate the noise and foot traffic along the quay on a Thurs / Fri / Sat night - the intrusion of which depends heavily on where in the marina you're berthed. Sunday mornings can be great though, with plenty of places to sit and enjoy breakfast / coffee whilst watching the world go by (something adults usually find more attractive than kids).

If your sons come from an urban environment, then the Tidemill would provide the antithesis to all of that - a quiet market town with good access to the Deben and the countryside.

Personally I'd go for Woodbridge although I can see the attraction of Ipswich

 

[wingdiver]

Having been based in Foxs for the past 15 years, I would say it has a lot going for it.
The fact that it is a working yard is only a negative if you are sat on your boat all the working day and even then, it really doesn't cause a lot of issues if you are in the water somewhere (rather than ashore). It makes for an interesting experience in my opinion.
Being a working yard means there is always a suitable marine trade available to hand if you have anything needing doing and the well stocked chandlery (probably the best in the area) for anything you want to do yourself.
As Sailorman says, the scrapyard is more noisy than polluting these days and the dust from the docks does come over a bit in a Northerly but the prevailing wind is SW.
Eateries within walking distance are restricted to the very nice FMYC, the Oyster Reach, there is also a small restaurant at the ski slope/golf range at the top of Bourne Hill and the Suffolk Food Hall. Other than that, there are loads of good eateries a car or bus/taxi trip (or a nice 2 mile stroll) into Ipswich or a short drive into the immediate countryside.
If you fancy a walk, there is also a great one if you go up Bourne Hill, past the ski slope etc and go over the top of the A14 to Wherstead village and down to the Strand past the Suffolk Food Hall by the Orwell Bridge and back to Foxs - great views of the river from Wherstead village too.
Access to the A14/A12 and the rest of the world is excellent too.

 

[jimi]

We're at Ipswich Yacht Haven and like it there. The loos & showers are excellent, if you get a berth at the far end (near the lock) you won't be too bothered by disturbance from the opposite quay.

 

[Otter]

I spent 2 years at Tidemill and 8 months at Foxs. Foxs far and away the most friendly, great bunch of fellow bertholders and the staff are superb. But honestly if your plan is not to go out to sea much and just have a lovely place to stay, then the heart of Woodbridge can't be bettered. There are also some nice low stress trips down the second nicest river in Suffolk*. But if you want a bit of life and a simple access to a good sail then Foxs is better.


*Butley Creek is the nicest.

 

[sailorman]

RU baiting me sonny

 

[johnalison]

As you can see, there are some dodgy types at Fox's. We have a much better class of companion at Titchmarsh. I can't speak for the Tidemill, it's too far north for me, probably Eskimos.