After a good day at sea, no sight is more welcoming than a comfortable mooring, a hearty meal, a decent drink and a bed for the night. Adrian Porter heads off in search of the best boating havens Britain has to offer . . .

1 - Bucklers Hard: Oasis of calm
If you’ve ever cruised the Solent, you will appreciate just how busy it can be. Granted, it’s never exactly gridlock by landlubber standards, but there are an awful lot of boats packed into a relatively small stretch of water. So when the time comes to make port and you need somewhere to unwind, start plotting a course for the Beaulieu River and Bucklers Hard. Despite a relatively shallow entrance, once you’re ambling up the river, enthralled at the lush greenery and picture of calm unfolding around you, you’ll realise it was worth the effort. After just two and half miles of therapeutic wanderings, you will come across Agamemnon Yard at the historic Bucklers Hard with a very large marina.

English eccentricities
A few minutes walk from the marina is the main area of Bucklers Hard - two rows of houses which contain within them a local shop, a waxworks and the wonderfully eccentric Master Builder’s pub, restaurant and hotel. The Master Builder’s is a delightfully strange mix. The main drinking bar is as you would hope - real ales (try the Ringwood Best), log fire, beamed ceilings and traditional décor. They also have an array of Godminster vodkas, including their peculiar horseradish vodka, which apparently makes a hell of a Bloody Mary. Move through to the restaurant and you find fine dining and a very different atmosphere to the bar.
The accomm odation is divided into ‘nice’ and ‘very nice’ tariffs. Weekend rates are often the most pricey. Two nights cost between £240 and £320 but do include breakfast per person (based on two staying), though paying a bit extra (£340-£440) will also get you dinner. Your kids will cost £15 each at all times, though there is a maximum allowance of two.

The drawback to Bucklers Hard is the price. Mooring on the main pontoons is expensive, but if you have a tender to make shore runs, then I advise heading for the river pontoon or the swinging moorings. True, you won’t be able to walk to land, but as well as benefiting from a much reduced mooring fee, you’ll find that when you turn off your engine, there is no artificial light to spoil the stars and no noise to disturb the peace.

Pontoon prices

• Up to 22 feet: £21.50
• 23 to 26 feet: £26.00
• 27 to 39 feet: £32.50
• 40 to 50 feet: £37.00
• 51 to 60 feet: £49.00

River pontoon/swinging moorings

• Up to 20 feet: £10.50
• 21 to 26 feet: £13.00
• 27 to 35 feet: £15.50
• 36 to 44 feet: £19.50

Marina facilities

• Water
• Electricity (£2 on top of mooring fees)
• Fuel station
• Shower
• Launderette

Contact details
Harbourmaster’s office
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
01590 616200
www.bucklershard.co.uk
www.themasterbuilders.co.uk

2 - Mylor Harbour: 
One for the holiday
If you’re looking to cruise the waters of the southwest coast, consider putting down a base for a few days at Mylor harbour. Situated near Falmouth in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Mylor harbour is as close to the idyllic postcard as it gets. Despite this, the place remains a modern affair as far as the visiting boater goes, with pontoons, excellent berthing facilities and decent local amenities. For those who choose to make use of the swinging moorings instead, there is a water taxi service that charges £2.50 per person per trip.

Cornish Cuisine
Just over a nautical mile north of Mylor is the Pandora Inn (pictured left). Parts of this pub date back to the 13th century and, with beamed ceilings, log fires and local food, it’s a great place to get a leisurely meal and a selection of real ales from Cornwall’s St Austell brewery. Way off the beaten track but with its own pontoon, the Pandora Inn is best visited by water.

Stay a while
Back in Mylor, accommodation comes in the form of several grand apartments that overlook the harbour. Minimum stay is three nights, so this is a location best suited to a group or couple in need of a few days away. Patrons of the apartments are not entitled to free moorings, but they are entitled to free car parking and trailer stowage, which should perk up the ears of anyone looking to explore the Fal Estuary and the southwest coast.

Pontoon prices

• £2.90 per metre per day
• £3.40 per metre per day during August

Swinging Moorings

• £1.50 per hour (short stays)
• £1.80 per metre per day
• £2.30 per metre per day during August

The water taxi is £2.50 per person per trip or free of charge to those staying on Mylor Harbour’s own swinging moorings. There is a ten per cent reduction when staying for a week and a 15 per cent reduction if you are lucky enough to stay for a month.

Marina facilities

• Free water and electricity when staying in marina.
• Fuel station
• Public slipway
• Shower
• Equipment hire (electricity cables, dehumidifiers etc etc)
• Launderette
• The list goes on . . .

Contact details
Mylor Harbourside Holidays
01326 372121
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www.mylorharbourside.com


3 - Harbour Master: The chic treat
Wales is a boating ground not to be missed. Rich in boat clubs, waterside facilities and estuaries to explore, you can spend weeks taking in the varied coastline. Picking a location to feature as an ideal boating retreat is tough, given the range of options on offer, but the Harbour Master hotel and restaurant that looks out over the harbour of Aberaeron is a venue that should be at the top of any boater’s list.

Serving local produce and a selection of real ales as well as 17 wines (all by the glass) and cocktails no less, the Harbour Master has been listed in the ‘Good Food Guide’ ever since the guide was established. Favourites on the menu include locally landed lobster, Welsh Black fillet steaks and the spicy crab risotto.

Overnight stay
The hotel consists of three 19th century buildings, housing 13 rooms for visitors. Completely refurbished, the modern décor blends in around existing features like the main spiral staircase. Since 2002, they have also been listed in the ‘Good Hotel Guide’, have a five star INN rating from Visit Wales and enjoy a host of glowing reviews from the likes of The Sunday Times, The Guardian and Observer Food. Price wise, the bed and breakfast tariff ranges from £110 to £250 per night per room, (a £60 option is also available). Adding dinner to the bed and breakfast arrangement adjusts the price bracket to an amenable £160 to £300 (again, an £85 option is available). All prices are on the website and there is also a handy ‘late availability’ page where you can take advantage of the unfortunate few who have had to cancel a stay.

The harbour
The only hiccup at the Harbour Master is the harbour over which it watches. There are no pontoons here. Instead, boats tend to come in and drop anchor or else, for longer term stays, tie up to the wall. Just make sure you call ahead and reserve a space, as there isn’t much of it. The harbour also dries out, so whether you’re on board or in the hotel, remember to adjust your lines to accommodate this.
www.harbour-master.com

Harbour prices and facilities

• £8.50 per day
• 01545 571645 (limited space – call ahead)
• Showers available

4 - The Old Forge: 
A true boating haven
Nothing screams convenience like The Old Forge’s advertising mantra: ‘Mainland Britain’s remotest pub’. Situated on Loch Nevis, just south of the Isle of Skye, The Old Forge is truly remarkable. What else could you say about a popular pub that, despite being miles from anywhere, with no access roads, still manages to attract more than enough business to justify stocking an array of whiskeys (the golden shelf), a large selection of gins (known as the silver shelf) and a decent selection of food, wines and beers?

Local produce
The ales come from the Glenfinnan Brewery, a local(ish) micro-brewery with beers by the name of ‘The Standard’ (after the flag) and the ‘Pretender’. Isle of Skye breweries also send real ale here, with its popular ‘Red Cuillin’ requiring two ferries just to get it to The Old Forge’s thirsty clientele.
The food served also comes from local sources, and of particular note are the Arisaig scallops. These plump little beasties are harvested by divers, allowing the larger, more robust specimens to be hand-picked while their smaller counterparts are left to fatten up for another day.

Music on the walls

About 18 years ago, The Old Forge placed an advert in the Free Press: ‘Bring your G string, no strings attached’. The advert invited musicians down, not for money, but for a belly full of food and a night’s accommodation in exchange for their services. Today, The Old Forge still does not pay any musician, but they don’t have to place adverts any more. Bands, musicians and just those musically inclined, come from all over to play at The Old Forge - just to say that they have.

Guitars, fiddles, bongos, locally handmade whistles, and even a cello are up for grabs by anyone who can play. And when the music gets going, the whole pub moves with the ebb and flow. Have a look at the videos of the pub jamming along on their website to see what you’re missing.

Moorings and accommodation
There are ten swinging moorings available for those who arrive by boat. Tenders can be stored on the beach and there is a pier for dropping people on dry land, though you are unable to tie up to the pier overnight. No tender? No problem. Call the pub when you’re planning your voyage and if the ‘house dinghy’ is available, they’ll pick you up from the moorings. Want to stay overnight? No bother. There are B&Bs in the area (again, listed on the pub’s website) and the good people at The Old Forge will arrange something for you if you call in advance.

Knoydart House
The pub is also building its own luxury accommodation nearby. Known as Knoydart House, it will be ready in August 2010 and bookings are already being taken. The house is built mainly of wood and glass and sleeps eight to ten people. It comes with the use of two swinging moorings, making it perfect for a mini two-boat flotilla. Elevated to make the most of the natural setting, guests can soak in the outdoor eight-person hot tub while sipping a drink and enjoying the magical landscapes. The minimum stay is three nights but deals for shorter stays can be negotiated.

Prices

• £10 per night for a swinging mooring (or free to those going to the pub).
• Facilities
• The pub has showers behind the building for those arriving by boat.

5 - Herm: The island retreat
The often overlooked Channel Island of Herm is a boating haven all of its own. Barely a mile and a half long and half a mile wide, no cars are allowed on the island and the only way to reach it is by boat. There is a harbour wall that very small vessels can tie up to, but for the rest there are beaches with mooring chains to fix onto and dry out on. Once on firm land, you can register with the admin office, where you will be asked for a donation as opposed to an enforced mooring fee. There is one hotel on the island as well as several restaurants and taverns that serve local seafood, including the renowned indigenous oysters and crabs. Cafes are also to be found on the island, including at both the island’s main beaches (Shell Beach and Belvoir Bar) and cottages are readily available to rent for those wishing to make a proper holiday of it.

The island is a veritable refuge of tranquillity and calm, an ideal place to spend a few days relaxing yourself to the very core. The only slight inconvenience is that you cannot boat straight to Herm from the UK or France. Instead, you have to ‘clear in’ with customs at Guernsey (St. Peter Port is the most convenient) before boating the three miles to Herm. Further details of requirements before you land at Herm can be found on the Boating Abroad section of the RYA website.

www.rya.org.uk / www.herm.com