This is where we
needed to get the timing right, there’s still
11 miles to go and there’s no point it
making it hard work battling an incoming
tide. Likewise, you don’t want to be
stumbling through the mud. We’d not only
caught the tide just right but the weather
was working with us for a calm and easy
paddle, though an optimist would have
opted for a westerly for a down winder, but
that would have made for hard work the
following day as winds don’t rarely switch
180 degrees in your favour overnight.
With the tide ebbing, we knew there wouldn’t
be many places to get out of the water with
ease, or at least where there were
refreshments and a seat. Manningtree has a
sandy beach but with it being within a mile of
Cattawade it seemed too early a stop. Funny
how quickly things can change, we spotted
an ice cream van on the shore road before
Mistley. Naturally we would have passed it by
if it wasn’t for a great photo opportunity with
one of the many wooden wrecks that line this
coastline.
The perfect break would have been Mistly
itself, a quaint village with some great pubs,
where the harbour has enough water at all
tides, except they’ve fenced off our exit. I’m
told there is a local campaign to have this
removed, if all goes to plan this should be
open next year.
As with all good
adventures there was a
little more planning
than guesswork
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