Am I missing something, or is there not any website which shows all the marinas etc with proper details of what is available on shore?
I am planning my summer trip around the South and South Western coasts, and I would love to know where the best shops/restaurants/petrol stations/events etc are, but from a watery perspective.
I sail a little race boat without much storage so shore based provisioning is absolutely vital, and I would prefer to stop in places with good stuff to do and see when ashore.
An example is my boat has an outboard, and not many marinas have petrol on site - the nearest petrol station could be miles away, so I need to know the number of the local taxi co for example. Supermarkets also would be good to know about, and specialist local shops.
It seems to me that a website where we can post our favorites and advice would really add to the pleasure of cruising, and as a it's not difficult to set up as thats the sort of thing I do anyway...
If I have missed all the obvious sites I do apologise and I'll never post on here again, but a "guidebook" for those of us approaching from the water seems like a pretty attractive prospect.
People have tried this a number of times over the years, when I started out in the Solent in the 80's my mate's girlfriend's Dad (i.e. someone I never met) was producing a magazine called "harbours and restaurants" or somesuch. It failed, probably because the information changes at least yearly, if not monthly. Almanacs and pilots are quite good, but not on pubs or eateries. Supplement it with this year's Good Pub Guide, and an OS map and you probably have all the information you'll ever need.
This one has got some info, but it hasn't yet got beyond Littlehampton and is, in any event, better for the other side of the Channel.
But, I agree with Evadne. A decent almanac or pilot book will tell you about access to supermarkets. Restaurants and pubs change too quickly, so you need a more up to date source of info for that.
I'm not aware of anywhere with this information, but I agree it would be useful. As for the point about restaurant and pub information changing quickly that is precisely where a website could add real value.
I'm guessing something like Tripadvisor with listings and the ability for the public to add their reviews and recommendations; locations could then also be flagged with info like "distance to nearest petrol station" so you can search on the criteria which are important to you.
I would have thought that given the opportunity members of this forum would be only too happy to offer their thoughts and experiences, surely...
Well my home marina is marked on the map, but that is all. No useful info shown. That would be understandable if I was berthed in some backwater, but I'm at one of MDL's marinas in the Solent!!
It is obviously aimed at the US market. There is clearly a long way to go to make that useful to people in the UK (or other countries outside the US, for that matter).
If you obtain a copy of the Solent Yearbook(I.S.C. ?) there is most of the information contained there.
If expecting to visit the Hamble contact the Hamble Harboumasters office for a copy of the facilities for Hamble,Warsash ,Swanwick.
Most Clubs in the region,if not all ,welcome visiting yachts but few have visitor moorings.
There's a Tesco superstore and garage( with bus ride of 10 minutes) at Bursledon
Cowes Yacht Haven and several chandleries in the Town all have free copies of the Cowes area and local tide tables included.
Yarmouth Harbourmasters also have free handbooks when you visit.
Think you'll find them all pretty good. Have a good tour!
I think it would require a huge effort to take this on and keep it up to date, informative and consistent/fair (i.e balancing the moans from someone with a bad experience, with favourable views).
I'd be right behind anyone willing to do that, but I don't have the time or inclination myself.
Unless and until someone does, I'll happily make do with what is available. My Reeds Almanac tells me about basic facilities, such as fuel availability, supermarkets, etc. I have a small collection of pilot books that supplements this info for most of my cruising destinations. As for pubs and restaurants, there are some (non-yottie) websites that carry reviews. But, in general, I actually enjoy walking around trying to find what I consider to be a gem of a place, and not one that someone else likes. Yes, I won't always get it right and some reliable recommendations would be nice, but I make do without.
Would what you suggest really be so life changing that it would justify the effort involved?
Thanks for this, some usefu sites, and I suspect that a site like trip advisor would do the job but agree that it would be a lot of work.
It seems to me that most of the sites are really excuses to try to sell advertising rather than everyone clubbing together with useful info - rather like this forum for example.
The fact that everything changes so fast might be the best reason to put something together, a website with comments and additions would be good and just so useful for everyone.
Maybe it wouldn't be commercial, but it would be good...
Marinas, Harbours, Anchorages?
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