Woodbridge and Beyond
A continuation of The Waterfront Guide
(Deben Yacht Club dinghy park)
There are numerous places near to the Waterfront offering facilities, interest and entertainment that should be mentioned, as they are closely associated. If you have already travelled on the previous Waterfront page from the Tide Mill, to the bandstand close to the Deben Yacht Club you may notice a point of interest here. The land used for storing the Yacht Club dinghies is lower down than the river above it. How can this be? There is a thriving canoe section in the Club.
At High Water times you can be close to the frantic activity at the start of the dinghy races as the boats criss-cross each other seeking the most advantageous place to start.
Next to the DYC Dinghy Park, something unusual.
Do you want to give your dog a treat? Have you got a model yacht to sail?
Dog Owners. What do you know about the Dog Hub?
Find out by clicking on this website code BELOW the picture in brackets. ALL named websites have links near their pictures in brackets. (WoodbridgeModelBoatClub.org.uk)
Close to the yachting pond is The Tea Hut
Crossing the railway line here is the narrow, wooded, Jetty Lane alongside the Woodbridge Boatyard.
Whilst close to the (Woodbridge Boatyard) did you solve the Puzzle picture, previously posed on The Waterfront page? Here is another picture of this mystery waiting for you solve. Read the sign on the wall.
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Toilets
Toilets are in Jetty Lane close to the Tea Hut.
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Cross the railway line in Jetty Lane to get access to Kingston Field to the left.
Here are football pitches, tennis courts, table tennis table, wonderful children’s play area including a Zip slide
to mention just a few facilities.
Behind the Waterfront
Kingston Field
Refreshments here are in the Longfields Café (see Facebook)
The children's play area in (Kingstone Field Playground) deserves special mention as it caters for all ages. Bring your bucket and spade for the sandpit. All the latest tests of balance, strength, swinging and clambering ability, are catered for. It will keep young children occupied and captivated for quite some time. Open the website (link in brackets above) to see aerial views of the adjoining accessible tennis courts - AND- you can even use the Petanque piste!
Walking towards the town from Kingston Field will take you towards the Swimming Pool
and the
Opposite the Skatepark there are Toilets
This is the location of the major car parks in town. Parking here gives access to the Kingston playing field, with its children's play areas. It provides car parking for the station and the Riverside Cinema/Theatre.
A few strides further brings you to the Riverside Theatre.
It is more of an entertainment centre and incorporates a restaurant.
Here you are only a footbridge away from the Town Quay again.
See The Waterfront at the top of this page.
Do You want to walk? I mean - really walk!
Returning to Whisstocks Place where the location of the riverside path beside Sugar Scoop begins, those adventurers or explorers who want to walk further will find themselves with nautical-flavoured views of the Tide Mill Marina on the river side of the path. The Mill once caught the rising-tide water in a huge pool. When the water in the river receded the water was allowed to flow out from the pool to power the Mill's wheel. Today the Pool is filled mainly with boats, with only suffiient water to float them.
Beyond the Waterfront
An extension to the Waterfront Guide.
Walking further takes you to the long-standing, traditional Robertson’s Boatyard currently the home not only of boats but also of a number of small businesses. You could hire another river cruise in a converted lifeboat, or even hire a unique range of holiday accommodation. The yard is the hub for many canoes. There is yacht storage and moorings afloat. The wide concrete launching ramp is a valuable facility.
The path continues if you can follow its twists and turns. Woodbridge is very close to Melton, so close, in fact that you would never know when you cross from one into the other. Once past a cluster of buildings to arrive back on the river wall you will be moving into Melton. At Low Water there are extensive mudflats for the feeding birds, from flocks of Canada Geese to sentinel egrets. There are superb views across the wide river at this point, to the actual site of Sutton Hoo, on the hill top opposite. Standing amongst the cluster of house-barges at The Melton Boat Club the top of Mound No 2 is just visible on the skyline between the trees, if you know where to look. You can imagine the effort taken to haul the 90ft ship up from the river to the burial site. All you wish to know about this ship is on this website.
Walking yet further will bring you, eventually, to the Melton Boatyard, the location of the Deben Café Bar on the repurposed ship HMS Vale next to the Granary Yacht Harbour.
Former Swedish navy missile attack craft 34m x 6m. (DebenCafe.co.uk) (Granary-Yacht-Harbour.co.uk)
Built in Norway, Speed 35knots. Brought to Melton July 2018. If you want to eat on board click on the (Deben Cafe) above.
Tables beside the river path are available at HMS Vale
This is quite a walk from the Woodbridge Waterfront, but it is accessible by road. It can be found by following the main road from Woodbridge to Melton, to the Coach & Horses, then turn into Dock Lane to find parking. Cross the railway line and up onto the river wall.
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As you will find, Woodbridge Waterfront is a happy and relaxed blend of commerce and creativity. It is a vibrant escape and contrast to neglected high streets elsewhere. You will feel optimism here in the facilities, activities and the people.
Welcome to the whole of Woodbridge Waterfront!
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