Non-sail stay on SAOR

A quiet couple of days on SAOR in Levington Marina as a base for exploring this corner of south Suffolk.

A change of scenery

Vicky had been under the weather for sometime and was not up for doing too much. Sailing was too much (it’s a little out of her comfort zone at the best of times) but we did fancy a change of scenery. SAOR was new to the syndicate and I’d only had a day sail so far so it seemed that a non-sail stay on the boat would allow us to get to know SAOR a little more, an take advantage of the local attractions and great natural scenery around the Orwell estuary and beyond.

So, what to do in this neck of the woods...

There’s quite a selection of things to see and do:

Sutton Hoo, National Trust (Anglo Saxon burial ground with imprint of 27 metre ship)
Ipswich
Felixstowe, with seeside promenade and beeches and docks.
Woodbridge; a nice old market town a few miles up the river Deben.
Trimley marshes.
Walks and bike trails aplenty.
Villages and pubs all over.

It’s worth noting that the King Charles lll coastal path runs up from Felixstowe the marina through the Marina, so there is plenty of good walking to be done in both directions.

We decided to take our bikes and have a fairly active break

Arrival at Levington on Sunday evening

late on Sunday afternoon, we loaded our clobber onto SAOR, with the helpful hand of a sudden heavy down pour as we were passing the bedding up onto the boat. Now to get the electrics running and a quick cuppa… unfortunately I’d forgotten a key element of the switching on, but after a quick call to Len, all sorted. A quick cuppa, unpack, and get the berth ready. One of the features of SAOR I like is the double aft berth which provides for relative comfort. Time was getting on and we were off to the Ship in Levington. Being a mile or so away, it has very much become the local for SAOR crew and it would seem quite a few other sailors from SYH. Pricey compared or other pubs nearby, but a good selection of meals and drinks. After, a quick walk round the Levington area before returning to the boat. We had an iPad with us, and watched the last episode of Mix Tape before bed.

Easy start on Monday.

A windy night but we had very little disturbance from flapping halyards. So a good nights sleep.

A relaxed start to the day. Up to the shower block, no more than a minute from the boat. The facilities are modern and immaculately maintained and cleaned. The showers are great. Back to the boat for a fried breakfast.

Coastal Path Walk

We decided to walk the coastal path down toward Felixstowe Docks. Quite a lot of this pathway is a ridge acting as a defence against the river in more adverse conditions. Plenty of Swans and geese along the way, and plenty more in Trimley marshes if you’re into birdwatching.

The path took us up to Felixstowe Docks… always good to feel the energy of this place close-up

… and then meandered back along the coastal patch to the Marina. If you’re back early enough, the Harbourside Kitchen is a nice little cafe next to the marina and on the coastal path.

Back at the boat we had a little rest, and no lunch; following the morning’s Full Monty, we felt like we wouldn’t eat for a couple of weeks. We then took the car out for a tour of the area. We drove round Woodbridge and down to Ramsholt on the other side of the Deben from Levington. Nice pub (Ramsholt Arms) with views over the Deben. Dinner and a pint here, then, as it was still quite early we decided to visit the Felixstowe sea front.

Back to the boat for a nightcap, watch a bit of news and off to bed.

Back at the boat we had a little rest, and no lunch; following the morning’s Full Monty, we felt like we wouldn’t eat for a couple of weeks. We then took the car out for a tour of the area. We drove round Woodbridge and down to Romsholt on the other side of the Deben from Levington. Nice pub with views over the Deben. Dinner and a pint here.

As it was still fairly early, we went down to the sea front in Felixstowe, enjoyed the sunset and took in a trendy bar.

Thanks back to the boat for a night cap and off to bed.

Tuesday

We’d brought the bikes so after we’d showered and had another fried breakfast we got going. We planned to get down into Felixstowe an along the coast to the mouth of the River Deben. This involved following national cycle route 51 for some of the way this included also roads through Felixstowe itself and onto the promenade walkway with cycle along the coast, and roads before we got to the mouth of Deben and the Felixstowe Ferry.

Here there was a nice café, the Ferry Boat café, and it’s possible to watch the very small local ferry taking people and cyclists across to the other side of the river. There’s also a nice pub here which we didn’t visit this time (the Ferry Boat Inn), next time maybe. We then started our cycle back to Levington, taking a more direct route through Felixstowe andthen down to the coastal path that we walked the day before. We didn’t realise quite how bumpy this pathway would be on a bike, and I’m still suffering.

Dinner in Trimley

On cycling trough Trimley that morning we noticed a couple of pubs in Trimley; The Hand in Hand, and the Mariners (pictured). The Mariners had finished serving food, so off to the Hand in Hand. Good deals here – with two main meals at a very low price. Spent half the amount we spent at the Ship (Levington) and it was just fine, as was the service.

Wsdnesday Morning - Back home

Departure day. A bit of toast and cereal, packed the car, gas off, few quid into the honesty box, electrics off, water topped-up,and away we go.

No sailing but an enjoyable and reasonably active couple of days. SAOR proved a comfortable and relaxing base. Not a bad way to spend some time especially if the weather is not the best for sailing, or you just fancy a change of scenery.