Pwllhelli Marina problems again

As Halo put it, I’m a HH refugee. I wouldn’t give pufwelly more than a nanosecond of thought. Even now in retirement with more free time, the thought of the car journey is more than enough to rule it out.

I’m also south Manchester/Cheshire. I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Lake Solent over the last couple of years and it’s not somewhere I’d like to keep my boat. The car journey took a little over 7 hours once, not something I’d be happy to repeat.

NW coast doesn’t appeal either. I draw 2.1m. The Clyde seems the obvious next choice so I’ll give it a try this coming season. May also introduce myself to a new form of transport......the train.
 
davidjackson said:
NW coast doesn’t appeal either. I draw 2.1m. The Clyde seems the obvious next choice so I’ll give it a try this coming season. May also introduce myself to a new form of transport......the train.
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As you probably know, all the "mainland" Clyde marinas (ie not counting Portavadie or Tarbert) are pretty easy to get to by train. Largs is a pleasant coastal walk of a mile or so and all the others are less. I wouldn't recommend Port Bannatyne - it's a nice marina, but the ferry hours on and off Bute (7am - 7pm, basically) are just too restrictive if you have a long way to go.
 
Thanks, JumbleDuck, helpful to know. We had a short summer cruise in The Clyde about 4 years ago and it won the seal of approval from my wife. We have NW friends berthed in Portavadie so we’re aware of the location issue. Nicely placed for the Oystercatcher Pub, though. I’m fairly sure it will be one of the easier access marinas that we go for. I’ve always liked Largs from when I used to dive regularly off Cumbrae and surrounding area more than 20 years ago. After being in HH for about 15 years I’m quite looking forward to the season ahead.
 
JumbleDuck said:
As you probably know, all the "mainland" Clyde marinas (ie not counting Portavadie or Tarbert) are pretty easy to get to by train. Largs is a pleasant coastal walk of a mile or so and all the others are less. I wouldn't recommend Port Bannatyne - it's a nice marina, but the ferry hours on and off Bute (7am - 7pm, basically) are just too restrictive if you have a long way to go.
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Pwllheli is 20 min longer in the car than Holyhead. Done both trips countless times from South Cheshire
 
geem said:
Pwllheli is 20 min longer in the car than Holyhead. Done both trips countless times from South Cheshire
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I assume you mean via A55? Living where we do we can use one of the finest driving roads in Wales, between Bala and Trawsfynydd. In winter, when it's empty, it is brilliant. Not so good in summer but not subject to the same holdups as the A55.
 
vyv_cox said:
I assume you mean via A55? Living where we do we can use one of the finest driving roads in Wales, between Bala and Trawsfynydd. In winter, when it's empty, it is brilliant. Not so good in summer but not subject to the same holdups as the A55.
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indeed, he could come cross country and pop in to see us!
 
Re Welsh drivers in Caernarfon. I'm sure some of them do it deliberately. They seem to be able to spot English cars a mile off, it must be that the English cars are less than 20 years old and aren't held together with sticky tape.

I'm interested to know more about ill feeling in Pawllheli against the Marina? Or is it the English? The horrible Plas Heli etc?You would have thought that they would be glad of the Council creating and probably subsidising something which surely boosts the town's economy in a big way.
 
savageseadog said:
Re Welsh drivers in Caernarfon. I'm sure some of them do it deliberately. They seem to be able to spot English cars a mile off, it must be that the English cars are less than 20 years old and aren't held together with sticky tape.

I'm interested to know more about ill feeling in Pawllheli against the Marina? Or is it the English? The horrible Plas Heli etc?You would have thought that they would be glad of the Council creating and probably subsidising something which surely boosts the town's economy in a big way.
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Pwllheli is in the heartland of Welsh Nationalism, it colours their way of thinking, not as bad as it used to be but still there. Plaid Cymru rules, a nasty blend of socialism and anti English with a healthy chip on their shoulders. They still think that the marina will bring in the English which will dilute the Welsh language. There is a report somewhere done for councillors about the marina in which those thoughts are articulated, done by an so called neutral academic iirc.
 
skipper_stu said:
Pwllheli is in the heartland of Welsh Nationalism, it colours their way of thinking, not as bad as it used to be but still there. Plaid Cymru rules, a nasty blend of socialism and anti English with a healthy chip on their shoulders. They still think that the marina will bring in the English which will dilute the Welsh language. There is a report somewhere done for councillors about the marina in which those thoughts are articulated, done by an so called neutral academic iirc.
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I have kept my boat in N Wales and not felt this anti English at all. Maybe it’s because I am a thick skinned Yorkshire man or maybe it’s because I don’t have a chip on my shoulder about people speaking their own language.
 
skipper_stu said:
Pwllheli is in the heartland of Welsh Nationalism, it colours their way of thinking, not as bad as it used to be but still there. Plaid Cymru rules, a nasty blend of socialism and anti English with a healthy chip on their shoulders. They still think that the marina will bring in the English which will dilute the Welsh language. There is a report somewhere done for councillors about the marina in which those thoughts are articulated, done by an so called neutral academic iirc.
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I remember a story from quite a few years ago. Some parts of the marina or approaches were being dredged at some time in winter. The job finished, weather turned very bad and the dredger was unable to depart. The operators offered to dredge the whole place at a very nominal rate just to keep the equipment paying for itself. The council turned it down for exactly the reason you quote - "it will attract more English people and the language will be diluted". Far more recently the number of berths was extended but they are strictly for visitors, not for permanent berth holders.
 
Integration into the community is hard when the Marina is essentially "out of town" and seen as a rich persons playground .

This is not helped by some of the brash behaviour on the roads and on the water by "Cheshires Wives , son's and daughter's" with their powerful vehicles and mobo's. Stu and I witnessed some of the worst exhibitionist behaviour to be seen whilst mooored in the outer harbour.....

I personally don't think I contributed much to the Town's economy. When we were based there we might buy few litres of fuel on our way in but only for the outboard. The local supermarket was overpriced and encouraged most weekend regulars to shop at home to eek out our limited budget.

I would never dream of walking into town for Fish and Chips which actually were one of the best places to visit in N. Wales...

The sailing club prior to the investment in the New Plas Heli was expensive to join,charged visitors more for their drinks than members and had no facility for allowing people on moorings to visit using their dinghies for transport.

I have a great affinity for the welsh people. My english "family" home was in Wales. I was not brought up as a welsh speaker, but I learnt that to integrate one needs to at least learn some "jibber" to make conversation just as you would in France, Italy, Spain etc..

You will notice that I very rarely use the English Baron's name for my new home village. It was called Felinheli before the slate barons decided to build a port miles away from Dinorwig to avoid paying Caernarfon harbour dues whilst they monopolised the exploitation of the local resources. Not surprising there is some resentment still over this name!
The only friction and resentment I have observed here is with "english speaking" people with heads too far stuck up their asses to acknowledge that they perhaps need to try to use some welsh pleasantries rather than just "shout louder" when asking for a pint in the local....

I still don't quite understand why it is the Irish are always served first and never get the cold shoulder?

The welsh language issue still goes on and on . This is three miles up the road....

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/welsh-government-backs-planners-decision-14464896.

So preventing employment , growth in turnover in local economy, etc etc....
 
Halo said:
I have kept my boat in N Wales and not felt this anti English at all. Maybe it’s because I am a thick skinned Yorkshire man or maybe it’s because I don’t have a chip on my shoulder about people speaking their own language.
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I remember Tommy Hook saying to me when I was a youth, we call you FETs, the first letter Im not allowed to say but the second and third was English Tourist! He was only partly joking! For the record, Ive never believed the old chestnut about a FET walking in to a pub whereon the regulars switched from English to Welsh. The locals use Welsh as their first language and wouldnt dream of conversing in English. Plaid Cymru is the bit I dont like, nasty inward looking imho. Think Student left wing mindset and actions. They are propping up the Socialist Republic of Wales government along with the only Lib Dem. The price Labour is paying is to pay millions in propaganda to MAKE people through Councils speak Welsh.
This isnt a rant but an insite in to the reasons to answer the OP question. The Council has always been run by Plaid Cymru!
 
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skipper_stu said:
I remember Tommy Hook saying to me when I was a youth, we call you FETs, the first letter Im not allowed to say but the second and third was English Tourist! He was only partly joking! For the record, Ive never believed the old chestnut about a FET walking in to a pub whereon the regulars switched from English to Welsh. The locals use Welsh as their first language and wouldnt dream of conversing in English. Plaid Cymru is the bit I dont like, nasty inward looking imho. Think Student left wing mindset and actions. They are propping up the Socialist Republic of Wales government along with the only Lib Dem. The price Labour is paying is to pay millions in propaganda to MAKE people through Councils speak Welsh.
This isnt a rant but an insite in to the reasons to answer the OP question. The Council has always been run by Plaid Cymru!
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I agree. I have never had any trouble with speaking English in Pwllheli. Every local person I have conversed with has always been pleasant. The big issue is the council. Spot on Stu
 
geem said:
I agree. I have never had any trouble with speaking English in Pwllheli. Every local person I have conversed with has always been pleasant. The big issue is the council. Spot on Stu
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The first Easter for many a year that I havent been boating! Sitting here looking out of the window with Castell Dinas Bran covered in snow and to the west, the Horse Shoe Pass similar!
 
Caer Urfa said:
It says £380/mtr No way would I pay that, that's why it's half empty, as usual the council think all boat owners are an easy touch
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Yes. It looks like a poor business under local political control with Holyhead a poor privately held one. We never did seem to fully grasp the niceties of European funding.

This is a commonplace, being said many times before.
But he French seem manage matters much more adroitly. The new (ish) marina at Roscoff, is locally controlled, has lavish new buildings, first rate facilities, wide fairways, full access and solid breakwaters. It is one of a dozen or so that have been built to a similar pattern on that coast in the last 25 years. An annual berth is roughly half of the Pwllhelly rate.
 
doug748 said:
Yes. It looks like a poor business under local political control with Holyhead a poor privately held one. We never did seem to fully grasp the niceties of European funding.

This is a commonplace, being said many times before.
But he French seem manage matters much more adroitly. The new (ish) marina at Roscoff, is locally controlled, has lavish new buildings, first rate facilities, wide fairways, full access and solid breakwaters. It is one of a dozen or so that have been built to a similar pattern on that coast in the last 25 years. An annual berth is roughly half of the Pwllhelly rate.
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And the sailing is a damn site better.:encouragement:
 
davidjackson said:
As Halo put it, I’m a HH refugee. I wouldn’t give pufwelly more than a nanosecond of thought. Even now in retirement with more free time, the thought of the car journey is more than enough to rule it out.

I’m also south Manchester/Cheshire. I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Lake Solent over the last couple of years and it’s not somewhere I’d like to keep my boat. The car journey took a little over 7 hours once, not something I’d be happy to repeat.

NW coast doesn’t appeal either. I draw 2.1m. The Clyde seems the obvious next choice so I’ll give it a try this coming season. May also introduce myself to a new form of transport......the train.
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There is always IoM with good ferry /flights. I'd seriously consider it if I ever wanted to return to Irish sea sailing, putting Ireland, England, Wales & Scotland within an easy day's sail. Plus, I find the island a very pleasant place.
 
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Just to clarify it is the marina pontoons that are £380 per meter pa and this is not half empty.
It is the outer harbor that has tthe problem and that is mosty the drying trot moorings. These are a lot cheaper pa.
There is supposed the be a new financial structure started last autumn so we will have to wait and see what happens.

I an very happy writing thas on my pile mooring there now. Just waiting for the rain to decrease a little.
 
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