West Country Harbours local knowledge please

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derekgillard

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We're off for a months long Cruise this weekend so would appreciate any recent reports of places we should make for or indeed miss. As Premier marina berth holders we have moorings available in their Dartmouth and Falmouth marinas

Plan is to Leave Port Solent Saturday evening catch the tide and make for Dartmouth in one hop. After a rest we would like to spend a week making for Falmouth after which WEATHER PERMITTING make for Scilly Isles. We draw 1.85 so not keen on taking the ground but happy to anchor if conditions permit.

Plan is as follows, Dartmouth, Salcombe , Newton Ferris , Fowey, Falmouth.

Any inside knowledge or suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
Avoid Newton Ferrers at the weekend. Full of disgraceful forumites taking on alcohilic ballast.


Seriously, it is seething, especially this Sunday with High tide at 4pmish.
 
Falmouth town marina is handier for the town than Premier's Falmouth Marina, and is often quite fun in itself. The Maritime museum is OK but a bit child-orientated for my taste. Fowey is lovely, and a bus trip trip to the Eden project worthwhile (or Heligan/Mevagissey). You can break the Scilly trip at Penzance or Newlyn if conditions make it necessary.
 
It's all about finding the best weather window to get to Scilly.
Dartmouth from Port Solent in one hop is quite hard work for a first leg, we normally over night at Yarmouth first night, then one tide gets you to Dartmouth if the breeze is OK.
Rather than fight a turning tide to get to Dartmouth, we quite like Brixham for a fall back.
Salcombe, Yealm, Cawsand, Looe, Fowey, Mev, Falmouth, Helford are all worth a visit IMHO, but if the weather's good I'd tend to crack on as much as reasonable.

Alternatively, Weymouth as first stop, as it rarely makes as much sense to stop there on the way back.
All depends what length of leg suits you.
 
Plymouth has improved alot...nothing wrong with being holed up there for a while.
Brixham is worth a stop especially if you like fish..round on the commercial dock just to the left of the barriers is a small window opening selling AAA class produce off the trawlers.
Charlestown is worth a short anchorage for lunch..pick up a bouy outside Polperro..but there is no room inside.. you might manage to get into Mevagissey for a short stay...Falmouth we tend to use Pendennis marina..but Mylor is charming if remote..or up the Fal are some pontoons if you want silence...
As always..weather dependent !!
 
Newlyn can be OK as well just depends on how busy it is. No dogs allowed however (if you have one). There are plenty of places in Plymouth where you can anchor for free and dinghy ashore for a beer or pay for a marina berth and get a wider choice of watering holes. Beautiful peaceful anchorages on the Tamar and Lyner rivers if solitude is your thing.

Yoda
 
lw395 said:
Dartmouth from Port Solent in one hop is quite hard work for a first leg, we normally over night at Yarmouth first night, then one tide gets you to Dartmouth if the breeze is OK.
Rather than fight a turning tide to get to Dartmouth, we quite like Brixham for a fall back.
[...]
Alternatively, Weymouth as first stop, as it rarely makes as much sense to stop there on the way back.
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I usually go with studland as the first stop from portsmouth harbour, although with a NE wind on our way west last week it was chapman's pool. The Brixham/Salcombe/Dartmouth/Torquay choice is usually dictated by wind on the day.
 
derekgillard said:
As Premier marina berth holders we have moorings available in their Dartmouth and Falmouth marinas

Any inside knowledge or suggestions would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Check beforehand about getting into Premier Falmouth. As Premier berth holders for five years, we never managed to get a berth there as they were always 'full'. We always found the Haven good and, as suggested above, there are nice quiet pontoons further up the Fal. Helford is a must as well.
 
dslittle said:
Check beforehand about getting into Premier Falmouth. As Premier berth holders for five years, we never managed to get a berth there as they were always 'full'. We always found the Haven good and, as suggested above, there are nice quiet pontoons further up the Fal. Helford is a must as well.
Click to expand...
The pontoons at Malpas are fantastic, I visited back in April and will be returning.
 
Anchor outside Looe in fine weather but always use a dingy with an outboard or you wont be able to row back to your boat if the tide is flooding. Mevagissy is fantastic, no one goes there. Even better in settled weather go to Polperro, it's brilliant.
 
We've just returned yesterday from 3 weeks cruising the area, our first trip there (by boat, used to know the area land side, but it's funny how different your perspective is from the water) so can give a newbies perspective.

We had two separate stops at Premier Falmouth, got impression we were lucky to get in.

We bought the Imray guide to cruising the west country and found it very useful

We really really liked up river, the pontoon at Ruan creek up towards Malpass was a particular favourite
 
Thanks for all the advice
We left Pompy Saturday evening and under motor (no wind) made Dartmouth in 16 hrs.
Now about to enter Newton Ferres. Maybe Scilly next week???
I had forgotten how lovely this coast is
 
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