ONBOARD THE DEBEN
RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN
Orford Castle litter the river’s bed – provides a pleasant landing spot with a sandy beach. Then, on the west side, is Waldringfield. There used to be a thriving cement industry here, with barges coming and going, but perhaps mercifully there’s little evidence of it now. Instead, there’s a popular inn, the Maybush, and a small boatyard, which also offers river trips and, as of this season, incorporates a gallery and shop run by local artist (and CB contributor) Claudia Myatt. Still on the west side, and shortly before the river reaches Woodbridge, lies Martlesham Creek, accessible about an hour either side of High Water, and with its own secluded boatyard, which has pontoons and swinging moorings. Five minutes’ walk through the woods and up the lane brings you to the Red Lion pub. The fierce figurehead of a red lion on the wall comes from the Dutch ship Stavoren, captured – so I’ve been told – in the Anglo-Dutch battle of Sole Bay, 1672. And so to Woodbridge, a rewarding finale to this upriver passage, despite its tendency to be fringed by mud rather than water for a large half of each tide.
CLAUDIA MYATT
RICHARD JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN
Several of Classic Boat’s friends and contributors live there, including Richard Hare, Andrew Craig-Bennett, and Moray MacPhail of Classic Marine. But you will need to time your arrival with some care. The river pretty well dries here at Low Water, and entry into the Tidemill Yacht Harbour is feasible for less than a couple of hours either side of High Water. The marina is protected by a sill at its entrance and the depth over the sill is shown there on a tide gauge. You’ll notice at once that this is not your normal marina, being a horseshoe of water and pontoons, surrounded by grassy banks. In fact, it was converted from the old tide mill pool by Whisstocks, then the town’s chief boatbuilder, in the 1960s. The tide mill itself, an iconic Woodbridge sight, still stands at the head of the marina. Built in 1796 (though previous mills date back to 1170) it was still working commercially in the 1950s. Now a living museum, it provides daily demonstrations according to tide times. A walk from the tide mill along the river wall will take you past the now-abandoned Whisstocks sheds
Clockwise from top: Ramsholt Arms; view to Bawdsey Manor; Woodbridge harbour; sandy landing quay at Waldringfield
CLASSIC BOAT SEPTEMBER 2013
69