Harwich Things to Do

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There's nothing much to Harwich's town beach, even though it is award-winning for its cleanliness despite its location opposite the busy container port of Felixstowe. A fifteen minute walk around the headland though takes you to Dovercourt where there are excellent beaches, both shingle and sand, protected by groynes.

These beaches are "Blue Flag" standard and are regarded as the best that the Essex coast has to offer and because of Harwich's relative isolation don't attract the sort of crowds that you find elsewhere.

There are the usual British seafront facilities such as an amusement arcade, crazy golf and colourful beach huts, as well as fish and chips and ice-cream vendors but all on a very small scale.

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Harwich's Ha'penny Pier was built in 1853 as the jetty for paddle steamer services to the Continent and several British coastal destinations. It is so-called because a fee of half a penny was charged to anyone using it to see off or greet the steamers' passengers (like a platform ticket).

The steamer services were discontinued after World War I and in 1927 about half of it was burnt down and not replaced.

The pier no longer charges a fee and makes for a pleasant place to sit and watch the working boats in the small harbour or to cartch the local foot ferry across to Shotley and Felixstowe. The former ticket office has been restored by The Harwich Society and is now the local Tourist Information Centre and hosts a small, free to enter, Mayflower exhibition.

Also on the pier is a little cafe which specialises in local seafood which can be eaten in or taken away.

The town's Alma Inn has seen its ups and downs over its 160, or so, years but is now under new (as of May 2010) ownership and has been transformed into a slightly upscale, but still traditional, bar and dining rooms.

I haven't had a chance to eat here yet but the menu certainly looks worth trying, featuring mostly local produce and, of course, fish straight from the boats.

As a pub this a friendly little boozer with a good range of well-kept, reasonably-priced, beers and all the other bits and bobs you'd expect including a proper coffee machine.

Harwich's little 5-barrel micro brewery is an unprepossessing little shed just up from the town's railway station, pretty much opposite the High Lighthouse. It may be nothing much to look at but the beers are excellent with a full range of brews including a mild, a porter, session bitters and a couple of strong ales. In addition to the regular range they also experiment with various one-offs and seasonal offerings. Website has a full list with tasting notes.

Brewery tours can be arranged for groups of ten or more but if all you fancy is a sample then the Old Bell is your best port of call.

The Old Town of Harwich has got a pub pretty much on every corner (and a few in between too), which makes for a lot of pubs in such a small town. Each and every one of these pubs has its own individual character and all are worth a visit if you like proper pubs as opposed to the pubco clones which normally dominate small-town Essex.

The jewel-in-the-crown though definitely has to be The New Bell Inn which is a "proper pub" par excellence. The pub's front door leads straight into the front bar and straight to the trio of handpumps situated admidships behind it - as good a welcome to a pub as I could ever wish. Immediately noticable too is the lack of intrusive musak or wide-screen televisions which in too many places these days seem to have been substituted for the simple pleasure of daily banter and wisecracking from both sides of the bar. Yep, this is that sort of pub where conversations ebb and flow as naturally as the waves washing on the not too distant shoreline and strangers feel immediately at home.

With a choice of three real ales, including one from the local Harwich Town Brewery (plus the usual lagers and stuff - though I think I did notice the real Czech Budvar on offer) and a nice simple little lunch menu I was definitely where I wanted to be for the remainder of the afternoon's drinking session!! My only regret was that I had already had lunch round the corner and to rub salt into the wounds here on the specials board was the crab salad which The Ship said was unavailable on its!

Ach well a few beers were had, genial company enjoyed and my ferry time eased a little closer :0)

Oh and BTW I just love the address!

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Harwich is the sort of place to visit if you like things nautical in their real-life everyday settings as opposed to being visitor attractions. The town itself has a rich maritime history being the only safe haven between the rivers Thames and Humber and is the present day home of Trinity House who upkeep all the lighthouses, buoys and other navigational aids for England, Wales and most British territories including Gibraltar. One of the main, yet low-key, attractions are a couple of lovingly restored pairs of "leading lights" (which are the lighthouses designed to guide ships into harbour) and in the estuary itself are quite often working lightships visiting for repairs.

The harbour is still very much a working harbour, albeit quite small scale, with fish being landed most mornings, is home to the area's local lifeboat and also has a marina. Across the water is the port of Felixstowe, the largest container port in the country and down the road at Parkeston is the international ferry terminal with ships sailing regularly to Holland and Denmark as well as occasional cruise ships.

Yep, for such a little out-ot-the-way place Harwich is definitely on most nautical maps.

The nicest thing to do in Harwich is to walk down to Dovercourt, the equally small twin town down by the estuary itself, and have a look at the huge Felixstowe docks across the water. You get some of the maritime atmosphere down here with a lighthouse and some old shipping history since Harwich was once a naval centre and also had a shipping yard.

This round fort, actually a large Martello Tower, was built between the years of 1808 & 1810 to defend the area and port against a Napoleonic invasion. A Redoubt was a military fortification capable of withstanding a lengthy siege, was claimed to be bomb proof and possessed considerable firepower. Three were originally built, this one being the only one North of the Thames.

Now a museum, it only costs £1 to gain access to this historic site.

The picture that is shown is actually a postcard and shows the fort from the air, as it was, before renovation.

For those people who are interested, the name and idea of a "Martello tower" originated from an ancient stone tower in the Bay Of Martella, Corsica which held out against a British Naval attack.