Where are good places on the East Coast for a sailor to live?

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NealB

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After years (decades, in fact) away from my roots, I'm toying with the idea of becoming an Essex boy again.

I've looked at a couple of houses for sale in Burnham, both of some interest.

Anyone willing to offer a view of what's it like as a place to live? Good community spirit? Lots going on?

I'm also open to suggestions of other East coast locations near the water. Ideally, it'd be great to have room for dinghies, easy launching, river views, lovely walks without any need to drive, good pubs too, say within an hour and a half drive of the East End....but given our budget of up to about £300k, maybe we're being ambitious? Minimum of two bedrooms.

Feel free to pm, if you prefer.

Any suggestions welcome...thank you!!
 
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Wivenhoe certainly; after all I live there. It has a lot of activities, partly because of the nearby university, and a direct rail link to London.

Brightlingsea wears several characters, being fairly civilised but with a history of bolshiness. The waterside facilities are good, but it is a bit further by road, and no rail.

There are some good places in Suffolk, but that might be getting to far away for you.

Maldon is much larger, of course, and has improved a lot in the last 20 years, but may not be ideal from the river-access point of view, and no longer has a station.

I don't know what Tollesbury is like these days. It used to have rather a strange atmosphere, though pleasant to visit.

Some of the estuaries can get a bit roudy at weekends, such as the top of the Blackwater, and I would recommend a prolonged series of pub-crawls to acquaint yourself with the area before deciding, and possibly calling in to some yacht clubs.
 
NealB said:
After years (decades, in fact) away from my roots, I'm toying with the idea of becoming an Essex boy again.

I'v
I'm also open to suggestions of other East coast locations near the water. Ideally, it'd be great to have room for dinghies, easy launching, river views, lovely walks without any need to drive, good pubs too, say within an hour and a half drive of the East End....but given our budget of up to about £300k, maybe we're being ambitious? Minimum of two bedrooms.


Any suggestions welcome...thank you!!
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Felixstowe meets the spec. Water on three sides. 90 mins drive to central London.
Adnams for your throat.....

Shouldn't really be revealing such jewels until I've checked you out more....!

PWG
 
Well here's a reply from Leigh-on-Sea. It is a nice but busy place with an abundance of eateries. For £300k you won't get a sea view (except from a flat or a small cottage in the old town conservation area like this. On street parking and a courtyard garden - 5 mins from the station.

Plenty of places without a sea view within your budget both nearly all are semis - very very few detached houses in Leigh.

I have always lived here and my family and friends are here - if they weren't then somewhere a bit less busy would be nice. I do have a sea view but keep my boat at Bradwell because the Thames isn't very interesting with and is very tidal (as I type the water is a mile away rather than 100 yards at HW).
 
NealB said:
After years (decades, in fact) away from my roots, I'm toying with the idea of becoming an Essex boy again.

I've looked at a couple of houses for sale in Burnham, both of some interest.

Anyone willing to offer a view of what's it like as a place to live? Good community spirit? Lots going on?

I'm also open to suggestions of other East coast locations near the water. Ideally, it'd be great to have room for dinghies, easy launching, river views, lovely walks without any need to drive, good pubs too, say within an hour and a half drive of the East End....but given our budget of up to about £300k, maybe we're being ambitious? Minimum of two bedrooms.

Feel free to pm, if you prefer.

Any suggestions welcome...thank you!!
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With current property problems, might be worth a look a the Cooks Shipyard development @ Wivenhoe..Waterside properties/Apartments etc....couple of good pubs within 50-100yds,Sailyclub 100 yds, Dock & slipway under construction,Station 1/2 mile, upstream of Barrier. Also new development planned for Rowhedge, BUT no Rail transport.
 
try st lawrence bay.for 300 k theres new 5 bedders a few hundred metres from the water on a new estate.good sea wall walking 5 miles in any direction.small sailing club or speedboat club or if you live in the village only the river baliff will drop you a key to the gate to self launch.one pub at the waters edge but if you like peace this is it.looked on rightmove and a 5 bedder for 270k no older than 5 years.
 
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Thanks to all for an inspiring range of suggestions.....I like the idea of a fact-finding tour of pubs and sailing clubs...could be the basis of a good summer cruise.

I'll report back on findings!

Any more ideas will still be welcome!
 
My opening post gives slightly the wrong impression.......at the moment, we're just exploring possibilities, so we're not necessarily fixed on Essex.

Anywhere near good sailing, within an hour and a half drive of Limehouse, could be of interest.

So we'd love to hear ideas about Kent and Suffolk, too......ta very much!!
 
NealB said:
My opening post gives slightly the wrong impression.......at the moment, we're just exploring possibilities, so we're not necessarily fixed on Essex.

Anywhere near good sailing, within an hour and a half drive of Limehouse, could be of interest.

So we'd love to hear ideas about Kent and Suffolk, too......ta very much!!
Click to expand...

Woodbridge
Shotley area
Mistley
Felixstowe area
 
I would certainly consider the Shotley Peninsula, lots of choice of sailing area, reasonably quiet, apart from Shotley itself (across the river from Harwich and Felixstowe :()

Probably above average house prices though.
 
On the Kent side you could look at the Medway Towns and, probably more importantly, the surrounding villages; Upnor would be an option on the North bank of the Medway close to a couple of yact clubs.
 
We moved to the Ardleigh area (NE of Colchester) a couple of years ago and really like it here. We're 20 mins by car from Brightlingsea and 30 mins from Titchmarsh Marina or Ipswich or Shotley. It's lovely and quiet round here with farming countryside and not that much traffic. House prices are also pretty reasonable!
 
a quick plug for Burnham

Looking forward to retirement and we took a long hard look at Burnham, We've lived here over ten years and wodered if we should stay. Decided to - yes! Four sailing clubs to cater for every taste from posh to casual. Lots of good pubs, places to eat. Attractive waterside when its sunny - walk along the quay or sit outside the White Hart or the Anchor.

An hour or so from London by train, large supermarket in town, but ASDA and Tesco close by.

Want to see a West End show? Drive to Wickford, forty minutes to the show, then take a late train back to Wickford and drive home (half an hour), although direct trains run until about 9 -10 o'clock from Liverpool St but then the branch line to Burnham shuts)

Its own cinema (almost unique by a town this size's standards) showing recent movies about a month behind the west end.

Choice of marina or swinging mooring - recommend Priors for the latter! If the Burnham Marina is too pricey, Fambridge is cheaper and all states of the tide they say but a bit of a drive, and Althorne is cheaper and nearer but limited a bit by the tide.

Good racing if you're into that. Cruising is a bit limited - the Crouch is straight up and down so for weekends you're limited to the creeks or upriver to the pub at Fambridge. Mind you anchoring on a summer night in Potton Creek watching the seals takes some beating.

Bradwell, Levington, Brightlingsea, the whole of the Blackwater, the Deben, the Orwell, take your pic for cruising holidays. Property still not over the top, all sorts of houses from small cottages to modern estate posh ( the sort of house that has a bidet and although no one knows what it's for it adds a touch of class!)

Some good schools available - although St Peter's the local High School is pretty poor, lots of local kids go along the branch line to William de Ferrers of take the bus to Maldon schools.

So we decided to stay! Come and join us.
 
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