Holiday ideas to broaden your horizons

Suffolk-based Tradewind Voyages began trading only last year and, to comply with the government’s current travel restrictions, in 2021 is offering some fabulous coastal cruises on board the world’s largest square-rigged sailing ship, Golden Horizon.

This luxurious ship will carry up to 272 passengers and is a near replica of the 1913-built ocean vessel France II. Golden Horizon is due to dock in Harwich after a six-night ‘dress rehearsal’ voyage that leaves Portsmouth on June 22. She promises to be a stunning sight and will definitely be very different to the Essex harbour’s usual North Sea ferry and container ship traffic. Combining historic charm with an exemplary guest experience, the company’s inaugural cruise is an ‘Eastern Coastal Contrasts’ voyage which sets off from Harwich on July 1, and all voyages in that month will be in UK waters.

On July 6 guests embark for a ‘Scotland East to West’ journey from Leith (Edinburgh), followed by a ‘West Coast Gems of Scotland’ cruise from Greenock (Glasgow) on July 15, a ‘Maritime Cities of the North West’ voyage »

» from Greenock on July 21 and a ‘Rounding the

South West Peninsula’ voyage from Liverpool on

July 25.

From August 4, UK voyages begin with

‘English South Coast and Islands’ from Harwich, and onwards to the Norwegian Fjords and

Denmark later in the month. Once Golden Horizon has crossed the Mediterranean, in September and October there will be three Adriatic Voyages including visits to Venice and Split – the latter is the ship’s birthplace. More exotic locations feature in future voyages, including Dubai and Singapore.

Life on board promises to be ultra-luxurious.

For those seeking a laid-back seacation, outstanding food, drinks and social spaces are assured, while a marina platform at the stern of the vessel provides access to watersports equipment including kayaks, canoes and pico sailing dinghies for those with energy to burn off.

Inside, Golden Horizon has a strong connection with the ocean, so every cabin and suite on board has a sea view, while their interiors have traditional features and furnishings that are a tribute to the nautical heritage of a tall ship.

Elsewhere, guests can unwind in the on-board spa, which boasts a sauna, hamman, snow room and Jacuzzi.

Golden Horizon is a sailing ship first and foremost, and in line with the company’s sustainability commitment, her crew aim to sail – without using propulsion – for around 70 per cent of each season. • www.tradewindvoyages.com 70 TheCoastalGuide 2021

Situated on the beach of Dungeness, near Romney Marsh – one of the most unusual and poetic landscapes in England – this stunning property is surrounded by shingle, with the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch miniature railway passing by the end of the garden. Designed for guests seeking a comfortable and relaxed place to stay with friends and family – you can bring your architecture-loving dog too! – Shingle House is set well back from the road, with no near neighbours… a perfect place in which to truly experience life by the sea. • www.living-architecture.co.uk

In the heart of the coastal village of Orford, just yards from the quay, is this pretty mid- terrace cottage dating from the 17th century. A comfortable bolt-hole for a couple with or without children, it has a small, sheltered patio to the rear, and for those who want to explore, it’s just a short walk from Market Hill and the imposing 12th century Orford Castle. Climb to the top of the keep to enjoy panoramic views over the town and surrounding marshes. • www.suffolk-secrets.co.uk

Part of the high-end Milsom group, The Pier is a delightfully welcoming hotel and a favourite destination for lovers of great food and drink.

The first floor restaurant – which has two AA rosettes – overlooks Harwich harbour, its ships and working docks, while on the ground floor the

NAVYÄRD bar and terrace is a continental- inspired bar with an enviable drinks and ‘Gin

Library’, offering more than 100 gins across four shelves, along with craft, cask and artisan beers, ales and a Nordic-inspired small-plate bar menu.

Individually-styled bedrooms complement the nearby seascape and many have the best vantage points for the beautiful sunsets that are seen on this part of the East Coast.

Aside from its companionable restaurant and bar areas, The Pier offers additional space for private dining within The Saloon, while House

Parties can be accommodated in The Angel, an adjacent building which was once a public house – this has seven bedrooms and a large sitting room.

The Pier is easily reached by car, but for the full seafaring experience it’s fun to arrive by boat, courtesy of the Harwich Harbour Ferry, which operates a seasonal service with ports of call in

Harwich, Shotley and Felixstowe. • www.milsomhotels.com 72 TheCoastalGuide 2021

This stylish, beachfront property offers comfy living over three floors with breathtaking sea views and the sands just a few steps from the front door. A garage offers access to a ground floor shower room – perfect after an afternoon on the beach – and guests can enjoy the sounds of the sea from the master bedroom. Fisherman’s House is close to all the local amenities – take a ride on the steam railway to the elegant Georgian town of Holt, which makes an alternative day out. • www.norfolkcottages.co.uk

This spacious Grade II listed property has 18th-century origins and is in the heart of the old coastal town, within a conservation area. Sleeping up to eight people (plus one pet!) it’s ideally-located for strolls along the shingle beach, or across heathland. The RSPB reserve at Minsmere is within walking distance – even closer is a very popular pub, The Ship Inn, and a splendid beach café. • www.suffolk-secrets.co.uk

The beach may be only a short walk away, but there’s a cool coastal vibe throughout the light, bright interiors and gorgeous garden at this recently-renovated holiday home. Sleeping up to 10 and with private parking for up to three cars, it’s an ideal place to gather family and friends – if you need more space, neighbouring No 2 can be booked too (and comes with its own sauna)! Two local pubs and a lovely deli take the hard work out of catering for a crowd, and Southwold is just a ferry ride across the river. • www.sosouthwold.co.uk

Enjoy a prime position on Southwold’s iconic seafront with a stay at this six-bedroom property. Unrivalled sea views give guests first sight of the sunrise, while small gardens front and rear offer a place to escape the coastal crowds. Inside, there’s a sense of luxury in every space, with plenty of room for social gatherings. But those in need of me-time are catered for too... the snug is a perfect place in which to enjoy a little peace and quiet. • www.sosouthwold.co.uk

Dock Lane Melton Woodbridge IP12 1PE 01394 386327

Here at Melton Boatyard we pride ourselves on good, honest service. We are down to earth and, in a boating world increasingly full of shiny paint and expensive solutions, refreshingly straightforward. This is a traditional working boatyard, and we are proud of it.

Our 30-berth marina is modestly priced and our floating berths stay full all summer, although we can usually accomodate short-term requests by moving our own small fleet to free up a berth. Long-standing customers become our friends and many have been here for years. Customers tell us they appreciate our friendly service, relaxed attitude and open approach.

We are able to store 100 boats ashore, can offer mud berths on request, and offer membership to Deben Bar, our licensed club house located in The Engine Room of HMS Vale.

Moored alongside Melton Boatyard, Deben Café Bar offers a unique eating and drinking experience on the aft deck of an ex-Swedish Missile Attack Craft. Halfway between Woodbridge and Wilford Bridge, it is a welcome spot for rest and relaxation with spectacular views over the River Deben.

This unique café bar with stunning views, serves good food and bar snacks. Enjoy eating and drinking while observing our wide variety of bird life; you will often see deer and seals too. Dogs welcome.

HMS Vale is also home to Deben Bar – Melton Boatyard’s members club, located in the Engine Room of HMS Vale. debencafe@btinternet.com Telephone: 01394 388643

Both common and grey seals thrive on the East Coast. It can be difficult to distinguish the two species when they’re in the water, but when they’re basking on the mud there are a few telltell signs to help. Common (or harbour) seals are smaller, have a shorter head and snout, a rounder face and V-shaped nostrils; they are often seen in their distinctive ‘banana’ position, with head and tail up. On our coastline, their fur often turns orange – the colour comes from the iron oxide in the mud that they ‘haul out’ onto; it’s harmless, but eye-catching.

Seals are strong, agile swimmers – some can reach speeds of up to 40mph – but on land they can look cumbersome. Common seal pups are born during the summer and the greys have their pups between November and January. Both species haul out in order to breed, digest their food and rest, so it’s vital that they are not disturbed while doing so – if you spot them, keep your distance. And always take your litter home with you after a day on or near the coast… every year there are reports of seals that need help after getting caught up in discarded plastic and netting.

If our coastline is to continue being home to a happy, healthy seal population it’s vital that wildlife-friendly watching guidelines are followed.

Organised boat trips are the best way to minimise disturbance and be sure of the best sightings – seals are confident swimmers and will approach vessels out of curiosity in the water, while on land they are vulnerable and unable to escape as quickly, so they’re generally very wary of humans. People coming too close, handling or putting them back in the sea can all contribute to their deaths, and constant disturbance or loud noises, even at a distance, can make entire colonies stampede to the water to escape a perceived threat, causing injuries, wasting the seals’ energy, and separating mothers and pups.

If you’d like to spend some time getting close safely and seeing these wonderful mammals in their natural habitat, here’s where to head…

The largest seal colony in England resides at the tip of the Blakeney Point shingle spit, which is also one of Europe’s most important sites for migrating birds. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the spit is also the site of an iconic former Lifeboat house. .• www.beansboattrips.co.uk • www.bishopsboats.co.uk • www.blakeneypointsealtrips.co.uk TheCoastalGuide 2021 77

Take a seal-watching boat trip from Harwich to

Hamford Water National Nature Reserve which is on the Walton Backwaters – author Arthur

Ransome famously depicted the area in his 1930s book, Secret Water. In good weather you’ll likely see yachts and motorboats at anchor here, their crews paddling kayaks or dinghies along the creeks where the seals rest. • www.sealwatching.co.uk 78 TheCoastalGuide 2021

Sandwiched by the Rivers Crouch and Roach, this RSPB nature reserve has some brilliant walking trails. The island is made of 740 hectares of farmland, as well as salt marsh, mudflats, marshes and lagoons – the majority of the island became a wildlife habitat thanks to the relocation there of 4.5m tonnes of soil gathered from tunnelling for London’s Crossrail project.

Scheduled boat trips leave from Essex Marina,

Wallasea Island and Burnham Town Quay, and some departures are accompanied by an expert guide from the RSPB. • www.charterdiscovery.co.uk

Go2Sea and Christabel Boat Trips both offer a range of leisure trips around the beautiful Kent coastline, including seal-watching trips starting from Ramsgate Harbour. • www.go2sea.co.uk • www.christabel.uk

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) was formed in 1988, when a few like-minded divers got together in response to the mass mortality of harbour seals in the Wash area. Many hundreds of seals have been helped since then, and BDMLR has worked closely with specialist rehabilitation facilities to ensure their long-term care and eventual return to the wild.

Although seal rescue has remained a key component of the work of the charity, it has become progressively more involved in the response to stranded cetaceans in the UK and was a founder member of the Marine Animal Rescue Coalition (MARC), which has a primary focus of improving the response to live cetacean strandings. Now, BDMLR attends over 450 incidents a year, with around 10 per cent of those being cetacean rescues.

If you see a live, beached animal, it’s important to know that this may not necessarily mean it is in distress. Seals often haul out at low water and rest until the tide returns, so not every seal on land is in need of rescue. Tear stains beneath the eyes are a good sign – seals don’t have the ducts that re-circulate tears, so they seem to cry continuously and this shows that they are well hydrated.

Young grey seal pups will not enter the sea until they’re three to four weeks old, when they are weaned and need to find their own food. If you see one, don’t touch as this could lead to the mother deserting it. Harbour seal pups, born from June to September, can swim within a few hours and so may be in and out of the water regularly.

If you think a seal is ill or distressed: • Call BDMLR for advice and assistance. If you can, take some photographs on your mobile phone and they will give you a number or email address to send them to. • Do not pick the seal up – observe it from a safe distance. • Do not chase it back in the sea – try to stand between it and the sea until help arrives. • Look for signs of injury and provide an accurate description along with the size, species (if known) and location of the animal. • Keep other people and dogs away – these can cause stress to the animal and seals also carry infections that can be transferred. • Avoid inhaling the seal’s breath and stay away from its head – it may bite! BDMLR hotline: 01825 765546 (office hours); 07787 433412 (Bank Holidays, evenings and weekends) • www.bdmlr.org.uk

The East Coast and its estuaries are known for their abundance of bird life – in Essex alone there are ten Designated Habitats Sites that safeguard them.

The Essex coastline stretches just over 350 miles from the Thames Estuary to the Stour Estuary. It features a variety of habitats and environments including mudflats, saltmarshes and grazing marshes. Every winter thousands of protected waders and wildfowl travel thousands of miles to overwinter and feast on the many marine worms, shellfish and plants they find here. They need to feed and rest undisturbed so that they can survive the winter and build up enough energy to fly back to their summer habitats – quite literally, their survival relies on them not being disturbed.

Birds perceive people and their dogs as a threat; if either get too close, the birds sense danger and stop feeding. They may walk, swim or fly away, and this means they lose valuable feeding time and waste precious energy.

Over half of England’s most threatened breeding bird species are ground nesting, so if you’re enjoying watersports or walks along shorelines and estuaries where there are breeding roosts, it’s important to be bird aware in spring and summer too. Human presence adds to the birds’ stress of defending their territory, laying eggs and rearing chicks; disturbance can result in nest desertion.

The advice from the RSPB is to watch where you walk, stick to the paths, watch out for signage, and keep dogs on a lead. If you’re walking across open shingle, look and listen out for alarmed birds, as these are often an indication of a nest nearby. If you do hear alarm calls, back away to avoid further disturbance.

The Swallowtail Restaurant and Bar is situated in Burnham Yacht Harbour and with its full height sliding doors has stunning views of the marina and River Crouch. The large open balcony has an amazing new canopy which means you can enjoy alfresco dining no matter the weather.

We are open 7 days a week. We welcome visiting groups, functions and families and our friendly staff will make it their aim to give you a truly memorable experience. Please call us on 01621 785505 or visit our website: www.swallowtailrestaurant.co.uk Foundry Lane, Burnham on Crouch, CM0 8BL

Tollesbury Marina on the River Blackwater 250 berths • Water • WiFi • Electricity • Chandlery • Boatyard for lifting & repairs • Wonderful views & countryside www.tollesburymarina.com • 01621 869202

Eat at the Harbour View overlooking the Marina

Seafood, specials and a fabulous Sunday Roast

Lovely waterside setting with great views

www.the-harbour-view.co.uk 01621 869561

Buying or selling a boat on the East Coast? We hold Spring & Autumn used boat shows in a great location Free storage ashore No sale – no fee GIVE US A TRY! www.davidmorrisboats.co.uk • 01621868494

Brightlingsea Harbour Tollesbury Saltings

Bradwell Marina

Blackwater Marina Bradwell Marina Brightlingsea Harbour Brightlingsea Marina Burnham Yacht Harbour

Essex Marina Fambridge Yacht Haven Ha’penny Pier Heybridge Basin Leigh Marina Leigh-On-Sea Sailing Club Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Stour Sailing Club Titchmarsh Marina West Mersea Yacht Club Wivenhoe Sailing Club

Burnham Yacht Harbour

Maylandsea Bradwell Brightlingsea Brightlingsea Burnham-on-Crouch Wallasea Island Fambridge Harwich Heybridge Leigh- On-Sea Leigh-On-Sea Burnham-on-Crouch

Manningtree Walton Backwaters

West Mersea Wivenhoe

Titchmarsh Marina

Tollesbury Marina

blackwater-marina.co.uk bradwellmarina.com brightlingseaharbour.org brightlingseaharbour.org burnhamyachtharbour.co.uk essexmarina.co.uk yachthavens.com hha.co.uk/leisure/mooring/ 01245 226245 leighmarina.co.uk leighsailingclub.org royalcorinthian.co.uk stoursailingclub.co.uk titchmarshmarina.co.uk wmyc.org.uk wivenhoesailingclub.org TheCoastalGuide 2021 83

Chatham Maritime Marina

Allington Lock Allington Marina Chatham Maritime Marina Conyer Creek Marina Cuxton Marina Elmhaven Marina Allington Allington Chatham Sittingbourne Rochester Rochester

Gillingham Marina Margate Harbour Medway Pier Marine Port Medway Marina Queenborough Harbour Royal Ramsgate Marina Swale Marina The Embankment Marina London

Gallions Point Marina Gillingham Margate Gillingham Cuxton Queenborough Ramsgate Conyer Creek Gravesend

River Thames Hermitage Community Moorings River Thames Imperial Wharf Marina River Thames

Limehouse Marina River Thames

South Dock Marina St Katharine Docks Norfolk

River Thames River Thames

Wells Harbour

allingtonlock.co.uk allingtonmarina.com chathammaritimemarina.co.uk conyercreekmarina.co.uk cuxtonmarina.com elmhaven-marina.co.uk gillingham-marina.co.uk portoframsgate.co.uk 01634 851113 portmedwaymarina.co.uk queenborough-harbour.co.uk portoframsgate.co.uk swalemarina.co.uk theembankmentmarina.co.uk

gallionspointmarina.co.uk hermitagemoorings.org imperialwharfmarina.co.uk aquavista.com 020 7252 2244/07950 805509 skdocks.co.uk

Tidemill Yacht Harbour Shotley Marina

Woolverstone Marina

Felixstowe Ferry Fox’s Marina Ipswich Haven Marina Lowestoft Haven Marina Felixstowe Ipswich Ipswich Lowestoft

Neptune Marina Orford Quay Ramsholt

Ipswich Orford Ramsholt Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club Lowestoft Shotley Marina Shotley

Slaughden Sailing Club Southwold Harbour Aldeburgh Southwold

Suffolk Yacht Harbour

Levington The Royal Harwich Yacht Club Woolverstone Tide Mill Yacht Harbour Waldringfield Moorings Woolverstone Marina Woodbridge Waldringfield Woolverstone

Fox’s Marina

07803 476621/01394 270106 foxsmarina.com ipswichhavenmarina.co.uk lowestofthavenmarina.co.uk

neptune-marina.com 01394 459950/07528 092635 07930 304061

rnsyc.net shotleymarina.com slaughdensailingclub.co.uk 01502 724712 syharbour.co.uk royalharwichyachtclub.co.uk tidemillyachtharbour.co.uk waldringfieldsc.com mdlmarinas.co.uk