Why do we hate Great Yarmouth?

[trambo]

Hi folks, The last week or two has seen me trolling around the east Manchester areas of Ashton Clayton and Droylsden filming and photographing a new tramway extension. The line follows the Ashton Canal for much of its length and scenically is pretty dire. Also when we did the Cheshire ring a few years ago we were told not to moor anywhere from the city until we reached Droylsden because of the natives! It got me thinking  have we a Broads equivalent? Only Great Yarmouth came to mind but compared to the Ashton and many other parts of the canal network is it really that bad? The moorings are good and neat, the town itself  has some interesting parts and most facilities. The natives seem friendly enough. Even the river with it's changing temperament depending on the tide adds interest. So why do we avoid it so much? Is it the town or us? Why do you hate (or love) Great Yarmouth?

 

Fred

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Fred,

 

We did the Cheshire Ring the year before last, the advice not to stop in the City is just in my opinion, there was 6 people on our boat but we talked to crews of 2 that were intimidated by the druggies and drunks that are on the section that goes under the City, unlike Birmingham, Manchester has turned its back on the canal system which is a pity because sections of it were where the canal system was born.

 

Getting back to the topic.

 

I think one reason why I dislike and have never moored at Yarmouth is because the journey towards Yarmouth after Stracey Mill tends go down hill fast the nearer you get to Yarmouth, the banksides are run down, shallow with no mooring other than the Yacht Station which to me is not ideal because of the fixed moorings, if there was moorings off of the river that were on pontoons it would be safer for everyone especially for overnight moorings. Security is poor and none at night.

 

The beach is ok once you get there but we have only been there once.

 

The opinions above are mine alone.

 

What do you think?

 

Regards

Alan

[ZimbiIV]

Because it's a blot on the landscape!

Spoiling the transit north/south.

2 bridges at least need blowing up.

paul

[C.Ricko]

Yarmite.

 

I once heard that the best way to see Birmingham was from the toll road.

 

could we have  toll river from Berney to Stokesby?

[mjt]

Don't put ideas in people's heads Clive.

[trambo]

 

 

We did the Cheshire Ring the year before last, the advice not to stop in the City is just in my opinion, there was 6 people on our boat but we talked to crews of 2 that were intimidated by the druggies and drunks that are on the section that goes under the City, unlike Birmingham, Manchester has turned its back on the canal system which is a pity because sections of it were where the canal system was born.

 

 

 

Hi Alan, There are now safe moorings at both ends of the city stretch, having used both we found them quiet and safe. Know what you mean about the canal being hidden through the centre but I rather like that. Sort of a secret passage. The area you mention I think is around lock 85 which has an office block built over it and despite efforts can be seedy. The main problem on the city centre section is still the locks which can be very hard work. A lot of effort has been made between the City and the Etihad stadium and the canal is well used by walkers and joggers but after that until Droylsden it is still very run down.

 

Photo taken of lock 86 last Sunday

 

[ranworthbreeze]

This topic has been moderated.
Sorry to all involved.

Regards
Alan

[thirdmate]

Do not disagree with Mod as Clive says Yarmite is a good way of expressing your feelings

 

Andy

[mbird]

Personally I don't hate Gt Yarmouth. True, a good proportion of it leaves a lot to be desired and is very run-down, but the same is true of many British seaside towns like Blackpool etc. Even Cromer has less-than-attractive areas, it's just a lot smaller!

 

The development of Yarmouth since the hey-days has been very poorly managed from an architectural point of view, leaving the town scarred by hideous concrete carbuncles (to use HRH's phrase), but there are still some gems to be found if you know where to look. A trip to the Time and Tide museum a few year ago made me look at Yarmouth in a different light when it was a thriving port and some of the history is still to be found there today. Yarmouth was a working port and industrial town long before it became a holiday destination, so it's no wonder it ain't that pretty.

 

Agreed, the trip through Yarmouth by river is not exactly picturesque, as it travels through the derelict/industrial back-end of the town, and the yacht station is not somewhere I would wish to spend the night. The last time I did was about 5 years ago, and the sound of yoofs walking up and down the quay in the early hours of the morning meant I spent quite a while on sentry duty incase we were untied. We've also had stones and batteries thrown at us in the past when cruising through, which is why I always had a camera with a long zoom lens to hand. That certainly deters the vandals!

 

Viewing it from a different perspective though, it does have a superb beach, a good fun-fair, a good swimming pool and also some good places to eat. To a large number of holiday-makers that come from inner cities each year, a lot of whom have probably never seen the sea before, the place must be paradise! The fireworks evenings that are put on during the summer holidays each week are really quite good, and the last one we went to in August was packed with people enjoying themselves and had a really good feel to it.

 

I do wish though, that the council would clamp down on some of the trading that goes on along Regent Road. Do we really need to be selling vicious hunting knives or novelty rock in the shape of genitalia (some of which is so detailed it could be used to teach trainee gynaecologists) at children's eye level? 

 

Yes, it's tacky (as are most seaside resorts), yes it's extremely run-down in places, but it is still a popular destination. It needs huge investment to sort it out, which simply isn't going to happen any time soon, but, if you view it through the eyes of someone who lives in a tower block in an inner city, is it really that bad?

[Matt]

I quite like Yarmouth but with two little children I have never stopped at the yacht station as they are no good on a ladder when the tide is out!

[mbird]

Quite agree Matt. A floating pontoon with ramp access would make such a difference!

[BuffaloBill]

I will not stop at Yarmouth either for the reasons mentioned above.

And after that episode with 'Liberty' where she was untied and left

to drift down to Haven Bridge and possibly out to the estuary was

the final nail as far as we are concerned.

If the old Marina Quay's was transformed into an off-river marina

with floating pontoons, I would, provided there was decent security.

That won't happen as no-one will stop at the Yacht Station then!

That area right down to the junction with Breydon should be dredged

and cleaned up and made to look attractive to visitors. What a 

disgrace for visiting boaters to see on entering Yarmouth.

[reedham]

I think that people sometimes forget / don't realise that Yarmouth is primarily an industrial town. Yes it has a beach and during the summer many, many tourists but it also has a large number of companies that service the oil, gas and more recently the renewables industries.

 

If you take it in that light then it's probably one of the nicer industrial towns........that said having spent 15 years working in Yarmouth I can't believe I'm actually defending it!

[loribear]

hi all, we've stayed at yarmouth quite a few time over the years , but never leave the boat at night, we stayed there a couple of weeks ago overnight & a liad of youths went by singing at 12 am, which kept me awake as i'm a light sleeper & was alert listening for footsteps , as my sister sleeps like the living dead lol , we then usually leave the next day after our shower & go across breydon, i have been to worse places on the canals like stoke, where some kids threw bricks over the bridge which was abit worrying, but we've never had anything happen like that on broads. lori

[Hylander]

Birmingham used to be the pits but I do believe they have cleaned that up now.    Great Yarmouth is no worse than a lot of other places.    You want to go to Leysdown on a dull day...

[trambo]

My own thoughts on Great Yarmouth are about neutral. It's not a place I want to go to but I don't mind if I do end up there for any reason. Years since I have actually been down to the promenade. My son James wanted to go to the fair, so it would be the early 90s. Comparing it with Blackpool he was not at all impressed. Been into the town much more often and its not that bad but I do find the treck into town and fighting the traffic a bind after the relative tranquility on the Broads and what a place to have the railway station!

 

Matt's idea of the floating pontoons is excellent. Not only the kids that have problems at low tide! but I suppose it all comes down to the pennies.

 

Fred

 

p.s. Where is Leysdown?

[littlesprite]

Trambo,

Leysdown is on the isle of Sheppey, you might have seen a news item a fortnight ago about Britain's worst road accident for over 10 years, that happened on the bridge to the island.

 

As for Yarmouth I quite like it when I'm in the mood for that type of thing, there are also some nice little shops for those who wander off the beaten track.

[ranworthbreeze]

Birmingham used to be the pits but I do believe they have cleaned that up now.    Great Yarmouth is no worse than a lot of other places.    You want to go to Leysdown on a dull day...

Hello Hylander,

We moored at the Birmingham Gas Street Basin two/three/ years ago if memory serves me correctly, it was a safe well used friendly place full of bistro's and a building that had every one of the normal eating establishments you see in most of the Cities, most had outside tables & chairs. The area was spotless, bridges had been built for everyone to get about.

We stopped overnight, had a great meal a few drinks and back to the boat, well worth a visit.

Regards

Alan

[Hylander]

Dear me Birmingham has changed.    When we went through there in the 90s doing the Warwickshire Ring at the time,  all I seemed to recall was debris in the water, from mattresses to gas cylinders (hopefully empty) , would not have even been surprised to have seen a dead body floating about.     There were outfalls from factories into the canal that definitely looked suspicious and the smell at times was rank.      I recall seeing a young chap under one of the bridges, obviously frozen stiff and really out of it, and we moored up but had to undo the ropes and go immediately when we saw a group of yobs heading for us.    You can imagine and understand why we have never been to the Warwickshire Ring since as it goes through delightful Birmingham.    We also had school kids drop items on us from a bridge.   I personally thought my other half had brought me to the ends of the earth.

 

Never again - and people moan about Great Yarmouth!!!!!!     Great Yarmouth is like St Tropez in comparison.

[easyrider]

 Great Yarmouth is like St Tropez in comparison

 

Topless bathers?

[Hylander]

Wishful thinking !!   Especially when there is a brisk Easterly blowing straight from Siberia.       

[Bobby]

Gt Yarmouth went up somewhat in my estimation since a Wetherspoons pub was opened there.

!!!

Bobby.

[mbird]

Gt Yarmouth went up somewhat in my estimation since a Wetherspoons pub was opened there.

!!!

Bobby.

 

You can't beat the Troll Cart for value, and there's now a new Weatherspoons in Lowestoft too!

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Birmingham used to be the pits but I do believe they have cleaned that up now.    Great Yarmouth is no worse than a lot of other places.    You want to go to Leysdown on a dull day...

No,............ You don`t.

[Katakalousse]

Only reason I go there is for Harry Ramsdens or the ice cream, straight in straight out

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