Planning a cruise

[Duncs]

I am planning a week’s cruise (Westerly Centaur) going south from Walton Backwaters during the school holidays and was wondering if anyone familiar with the area could recommend good places to visit especially with respect to entertaining two 5 year old children.
Thanks in advance


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[tcm]

Re: 2 x 5 year old kids

forgive me dunc, but of course the five-year-olds won't care a hoot where you visit. Short trips best, of course, and beaches should be on the agenda, but it really doesn't matter too much.

I wd first visit:
1. A toyshop, to buy two Game Boy electronic game thingies.
2. A toyshop again, to buy a small (4 inch dia) sponge indoor football. Amazingly, small people can actually play football in any boat, and excellent fun it is too.
3. The games shop yet again, to buy hockey sticks - the type normal used with roller blades - cut them down a bit for five year olds. This is an excellent beach game - far better than football when the ball gets hoofed too far and you haven't got enough players. With hockey, mark a pitch on a drying beach. Normally, parents stay in goal and the kids thrash about.

Otherwise, you need a selection of pillows for the obligatory pillow fight to knock the living daylights out of each other in a small cabin, which guarantees a very sound sleep. The kids might sleep well too.


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[boatless]

Whilst in said toy shop. Armed with a small mortgage, two Super Soaker water guns.

<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.

 

[PIGLETSDREAM]

Couple of buckets loads of spades and the most important STUGERON and wrist bands

<hr width=100% size=1>Must go, Matron is coming

 

[Cobra]

Come into the Colne...

As you enter the Colne, there is the Colne Point Nature Reserve, a very long sandy stretch on your Starboard Side. Whilst you are not able to land on most of this beach due to breeding birds, there is an area clearly defined where you can land. Holding is good, and the beach slopes away gently making messing about in the water very safe.

Continue up the Colne to Alresford Creek. At High water there is a very pleasant area to go ashore for a picnic. If you go a bit further up the River, you will come to the Wivenhoe SC pontoons...a nice overnight stop.

Alternatively pop into Pyefleet and either pick up an empty mooring or drop your hook for a very secluded overnight stop.


<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it. ND!

 

[AndrewB]

Re: Come into the Colne...

Yes, I thought immediately of the Colne beach as well. Another possibility is to anchor and land on Foulness Sand at the entrance to Burnham, near low tide somewhere around Outer Crouch buoy. There are very often seals on the sand there which will allow people to come quite close. Both these require a dinghy of course.

Is there a small children's playground at Bradwell marina?

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[squidge]

Re: Come into the Colne...

South from Walton.Hmmmm ,well how about the Blackwater, lots of places to stop.Heybridge basin opens 1 hour before HW untill HW, from there you could explore Maldon (beach, prom, indoor swiming pool, parks,bowling ally and kids indoor ball play gym "monkey puzzle", ) If you have a tender you can use it to explore the Chelmer and Blackwater navigation(canal ) which takes you from the basin first to Tesco for shopping (the canal goes past the front doors) then into Chelmsford via the locks.
Brightlingsea , Mersea, Tollsbury,
In a marina
Try a crab line with a chunk of meat on ,= hours of fun
Fishing for shrimp with a net, always a hit.
And of course dont forget the bucket and spade!
Have fun /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[tcm]

Re: supersoaker expert

5 year olds may not be able to handle/lift the bigger models 1000, 1500 etc. when loaded with water So the lesser supersoaker ( is there a 500?) is probably the limit. Also there's a storage issue.

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[boatless]

Re: supersoaker expert

Who said anything about the kids using them?

<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.

 

[flaming]

Oasea island in the blackwater is always worth a stop.

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[Dave99]

Tollesbury marina has a heated swimming pool and a saltwater pool

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