The Ore
THE ORE AND THE ALDE are one and the same river, the name changing for no very obvious reason just above Orford. Quite bleak in its lower reaches as it runs through marshland, for several miles it takes an intriguing course parallel to the sea, often no more than one or two hundred metres away behind the shingle banks. Beyond Aldeburgh it turns inland and opens out into an attractive cruising area which however soon shallows as you get towards the head of navigation at Snape. Those attempting to reach Snape will need shallow draft, springs and some luck in finding the channel. There are no marinas on the river, but a number of options for mooring and anchoring.
Like the Deben, the entrance is between sandbanks which are liable to change configuration, and as with the more southerly river the first essential is to visit the East Coast Rivers website for the latest information. Having done this, find the red and white Orford Haven buoy and then proceed to the port hand Oxley buoy and on to the starboard hand Weir. Do not attempt to enter in bad weather and keep a close eye on the depth sounder. Yachts of any size will need at least half tide.
Once past the South Shoal and the Weir buoy, navigation is reasonably straightforward. A couple of miles up the river you arrive at Havergate Island which you can pass either side, the deeper water being the north-westerly route. There are various possible anchorages in the vicinity including up the Butley river which joins the Ore just beyond the southern most tip of the island.
About three miles beyond the island on an attractive bend in the river you arrive at the pretty little town of Orford. Visits to the town quay where water is available may only be brief, but moorings are sometimes to be had whence you can dinghy ashore and explore the remains of the 12th century castle, medieval church and local eating options including the well known Butley Oysterage (T 01394 450277) or The Trinity restaurant at the Crown and Castle Hotel (T 01394 450205).
Aldeburgh
Slaughden Quay at Aldeburgh is four miles further on where the river at last makes a decisive turn inland, the beach here being only a pile of shingle away. Moorings can sometimes be had where you can stay afloat at all stages of the tide, for which someone will come alongside to charge you a modest fee. Otherwise you will need to find an anchorage further upstream.
Travel ashore is by dinghy, but be aware that whatever the state of the wind and the tide when you leave the boat, circumstances may be different when you return. Rowing back to your boat against a strong ebb, especially if there is a countervailing wind roughing up the surface, can be nearly impossible, a fact which we discovered in the small hours of the morning one September visit.
There is nothing particularly special about Aldeburgh (pace its enthusiasts), but it is perhaps its very typicality as a small Suffolk seaside town that has given it appeal over the years. Sufficient appeal for the poet George Crabbe, a native, to write a long poem about the place and its inhabitants around the beginning of the 19th century, and in the twentieth century for the composer Benjamin Britten to adapt part of the poem for his opera Peter Grimes and settle in the town, subsequently creating the Aldeburgh Festival. Britten is buried in the local church of St Peter and St Paul.
Among several good restaurants are The Lighthouse (T 01728 453377), The Regatta (T 01728 452011) and 152 High Street (T 01728 454594).
© 2008 Yachtpilot
|
