The River Stour commences in the area of the Port Control Offices at Harwich....

... and winds its way inland with Essex on the South side and Suffolk on the North side. Although wide and broad the navigable channel narrows right down and virtually dries out by the time you get to Mistley. Intrepid Creek crawlers can push on a bit further to Manningtree.

The River offers plenty of anchoring opportunities albeit far from any meaningful facilities. For a shoal draft craft able to take the ground there are untold opportunities for a peaceful berth. (Hopefully not like the boat in our photo gallery that looks like it's nosedived from the sky).

The village of Mistley offers some chance of getting day-to-day provisions, while Manningtree is only a 15 minute walk from here and can offer small town facilities.

The boatyard at Mistley has grown a pontoon and is offering marina type services; it handles various other kinds of marine work including dredging and barges etc. There is also a public quay that is probably not suitable for drying out alongside. Ed Note. A private developer has laid claim to the waterfront at Mistley and there is an ongoing legal wrangle about it. It is hoped that the quay will become available but in the meantime there is a block of apartments being built there.

For those waiting out bad weather or simply intent on a bit of peace and quiet it would be wise to do your stocking up beforehand at the Halfpenny Pontoon at Harwich (covered in the Harwich article). Having said this however the River is only a few miles long so nipping back to Harwich is always an option.

This video from Dylan Winter may give you a feel for the Stour.

Before you can get to the Stour you will have to pass through Harwich and its busy....

... shipping channels, docks and terminals. This is covered properly in our Harwich article. The harbour authorities here is still Harwich VTS on VHF channel 71. Keep listening watch for shipping movements. Small coasters still make their way to Baltic Wharf at Mistley. (See the photograph No 7 in our Gallery)

Pilotage Details...

The busy Parkstone Quay is just within the River past Harwich and needs to be given a wide berth, and there is an 8 kn speed limit in the River Stour.

When coming in from sea follow the guidelines as if you are going to Shotley Point Marina. This puts you on the North side of the River by the green conical Ganges buoy (Fl.G.5s). The first part of the journey up River needs to be made outside of the channel, therefore the next three green conical buoys Bristol (Fl(2)G.5s), Parkeston (Fl(3)G.10s) and Ramsey (LFl.G.10s) need to be left close to port instead of starboard. A generally westerly course with a touch of south achieves this. NB a line joining the Bristol Buoy and the Parkestone Buoy takes one directly to Erwarton Ness - you need to turn a touch South after the Parkestone Buoy

There is plenty of water outside of the channel, and keeping outside of the Green buoyage leaves the shipping at Parkstone Quay plenty of room to turn around.

Once past the green conical Ramsey buoy you are in the River Stour proper with anchoring and mooring spots now described

The first possible Anchorage you will come to is off Ewarton Ness.

This is marked by the Ewarton southerly Cardinal beacon (Q(6)+LFl.15s).

Anchoring close-up on the northern shore near to the ruined jetty and roughly in line with the above-mentioned beacon will give you shelter in northerly winds. Unfortunately you get no such shelter from the East or the West over here.

Landings can be made at the ruined jetty or on the shingle beach, at the former you may get muddy and at the latter you'll get wet feet. Once ashore a determined hike inland will bring you to the local village Ewarton. When you get there you may wonder why you bothered... no shops, no phone, no facilities....and no pub ! On the other hand, it does have a church and it is said that Anne Boleyn's heart was buried there!  If exploring ashore in the evening don't forget your torch for the trek back.

More possible anchorages and moorings for the yachtsman or motorboater...

In strong southerly winds Copperas Bay just a bit further up River on the southern side will give shelter. There are large ship mooring buoys in this vicinity, they are unlit and they often have gear strung between them. Small craft can pass either side but don't try go between them.

If planning to anchor around this area (Copperas bay) don't get too close in, there are charted obstructions. Likewise if planning to dry out a reconnaissance at low water would make sense.

If anchored anywhere in this area use a riding light at night, as coasters use the channel.

Pushing upstream from the Copperas bay area you will see and should pass between a pair of Cardinal beacons. The beacon on the North of the River is the southerly Cardinal Holbrook beacon (VQ(6)+LFl.10s) this needs to be left on your starboard side. It marks the entrance of the Creek leading across the drying Holbrook Bay. The Royal Hospital School is prominent on the northern shore.

Anchorage can be had just within this Creek with careful soundings. The truly determined could get ashore on the northern side with a dinghy mission a couple of hours either side of high water. The villages of Holbrook and Harkstead are walkable, with no shops at the latter and a Post Office/general stores in the former (closes early lunchtime Saturday's). Both villages have a pub.

The beacon on the southerly side of the River off Stone Point is the northerly Cardinal No.2 (Q), and this needs to be left to port.

Next up comes the small craft moorings at Wrabness. There is no club, yard or authority in control of these on-site. They can be seen clearly in the photo gallery. There are several beach huts but absolutely no facilities nearby...

It may be possible to borrow a suitable mooring overnight, but you must be prepared for the eventuality of the rightful owner returning.

Anchorage in this particular area is probably not a good idea, firstly the channel is narrow it's northern edge being marked by the green conical buoy No.3 (Q.G) (now called the River Stour Lee) secondly there has been much dredging in this area and the holding is not that good. Coasters pass through this channel.

A better Anchorage will be found a little bit further on the southern side within the creek that penetrates Jacques Bay. The details are best seen from the chart but it will probably take a bit of probing around with the depth sounder to locate it. There are deep holes within it where you can lay afloat quite close to the shore, and completely away from all commercial traffic.

There is one further place where you can lay afloat at anchor before the channel gets too narrow and too shallow. This spot is shown on the smaller chart, it lies to the north of the red No.6 beacon (Fl(2)R.5s) and the land at Sutton Ness. Anchorage needs to be made as far north as possible using the depth sounder, and a riding light is necessary because of the coasters. Holding is good, landing can be made at Sutton Ness, and a determined hike inland will bring you to the village of Sutton. (No facilities, pub).

For those with a decent dinghy and outboard a reconnaissance mission 2 miles up River will bring you to Mistley. This would probably be a wise move for anyone wishing to take the yacht and dry it out there. The best time to explore would be at low water when the channels are well defined, and drying out spots can be checked. The ebb can run hard through these channels, and high water is about 25 minutes after Harwich at Mistley.

The emphasis at Mistley has changed in the last few years. What was a dredging company called Mistley Marine has become almost a marina operation called Mistley Marine and Leisure which you will come across just before Mistley Quay. They now have a dredged, walk ashore pontoon which has some shore power on it; there is water from a tap ashore. They have toilets and showers and, they say, there are pubs and eateries ashore. Contact them on mobile at 07850 208918 to fix up a berth and get advice on how to get in. They charge £18 a night for visiting boats with a bit for electric hook up if you are using a lot for your fridge or the like.

Mistley Quay itself is just past Baltic Wharf (where the coasters go).
Update 2022  The walls of the Quay are not yacht friendly, ladders have been cut off, and the section available for public mooring is restricted. Development is going on and no access is available for small craft at present. Small craft are NOT allowed to use the Quay. The fence that preventing landing along the Quay should havebeen removed in the summer of 2021 as the legal wrangle had been brought to a close. It is uncertain what will happen to the rules about using the wall to moor up as it is now a "village green"  The battle between the residents and the developement company continues today in 2023 with the company refusing to budge so, for the moment, Mistley still has its fence and you are not permitted to moor there. Mind you, it has been known for the odd boat to ignore this.

A veritable mountain of drying mud lies just off and parallel to the Quay. This can be seen very clearly in the photo gallery... note also the wreck of the barge sitting in the middle of it, also shown on the chart.

The Stour Sailing Club lies further up the river at Manningtree and, if you are bilge keeled, it should be eminently possible to get as far as that and take the ground. The club itself has cruising members with boats up to the mid 20 feet and maintains 3 visitors moorings; they also say visitors can lie alongside the quay. Your best bet would be to ring the club in the evening before you go up river and enquire as to the conditions and advice on how to get there.

Facilities close to the anchorages have been covered.... basically pubs only.

Once you get to Mistley, either by dinghy or on the boat your choices expand to a couple of small stores. All is not lost because 15 minutes away on foot is Manningtree a slightly larger village. This can also be reached in the dinghy.

This is a far more useful place, and boasts a couple of small supermarkets, a variety of small town shops and a couple of banks. Add to that a selection of pubs, a few restaurants including an Indian and a railway connection to London (as does Mistley).

Nearby to Mistley on the waterfront you will find the Stour Sailing Club. They are in charge of all the moorings between Mistley and Manningtree, and offer friendly hospitality to visiting yachtsman.

They provide a couple of drying moorings for visitors, probably the best plan is to phone them on 01206 393924, and we provide a link to their website below:

www.stoursailingclub.co.uk

The club has toilets and showers, and it may be possible to get water in Jerry cans.

Manningtree

The name Manningtree is thought to derive from 'many trees'. The town grew around the wool trade from the fifteenth century under its decline in the 1700s and also had a thriving shipping trade in corn, timber and coal until this declined with the coming of the railway. Manningtree is known as the centre of the activities of Matthew Hopkins, the self-appointed Witchfinder General, who claimed to have overheard local women discussing their meetings with the devil in 1644 with his accusations leading to their execution as witches.

Many of the buildings in the centre of the town have Georgian facades which obscure their earlier origins. Notable buildings include the town's library, which was originally built as, 'a public hall for the purposes of corn exchange' and was later used around 1900 for public entertainment, and the oldest Methodist church in Essex, located on South Street.

The Ascension, by John Constable, which hangs in Dedham church, was painted for Manningtree church, pulled down in the 1960s.

Mistley

Mistley is a large village and civil parish in the Tendring district of northeast Essex. It is around 11 miles northeast of Colchester and is east of, and almost contiguous with Manningtree. The parish consists of Mistley and New Mistley both lying beside the Stour Estuary and Mistley Heath a kilometre to the south. It is served by Mistley railway station on the Mayflower Line.

In a somewhat contradictory fashion, the map openly marks a Secret Bunker. This was built in 1951 as one of five Cold War control rooms in Essex. It was open as a museum for a few years but closed in 2002.

Mistley is the village where Mathew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, was most active. He stayed in the Thorn Hotel, on Mistley High Street.

 “set himselfe up at Mistley Thorn, from which place he embraced for his conspiracies and to which cam his manie informers againste the Witches and at the Thorn alsoe there cam such celebrated personnes as the Number One Argus, John Thurlowe and William Lilly, the astrological prophet and almanacker”.  C. S. Perryman, 1725.

Comprehensive article on Matthew Hopkins and his links to Mistley:

http://www.controverscial.com/Matthew%20Hopkins.htm

Witchfinder General

Matthew Hopkins (ca. 1620 - 1647) was an English witchhunter whose career flourished in the time of the English Civil War. He held, or claimed to hold, the office of Witch-Finder General, though this was not a title ever bestowed by Parliament, and conducted witch-hunts in the counties of Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and other eastern counties of England.

Matthew Hopkins, born in Great Wenham, Essex, was a shipping clerk and thought to be the son of James Hopkins, a Puritan clergyman; Hopkins is commonly thought to have been a lawyer, however, there is scant evidence to suggest this was the case. According to his book The Discovery of Witches (not to be confused with Reginald Scot's book The Discovery of Witchcraft) he began his career as a witch-finder when he claimed to have overheard various women discussing their meetings with the Devil in March 1644 in Manningtree, a town near Colchester, where he was living at the time. As a result of Hopkins's accusations, nineteen alleged witches were hanged and four more died in prison.

Hopkins was soon travelling over eastern England, claiming to be officially commissioned by Parliament to uncover and prosecute witches. The parliament were well aware of his and his teams' activities as shown by the concerned reports of the Bury St Edmunds witch trials of 1645. His witch-finding career spanned from 1645 to 1647. While torture was technically unlawful in England, he used various methods of browbeating to extract confessions from some of his victims. He used sleep deprivation as a sort of bloodless torture. Another one of his methods was to first search for the devils mark on a woman, this would be a boil. If she had a familiar (cat or dog) he would suspect that the familiar was sucking the womans blood. This boil would be known as The third nipple then he would cut her arm with a blunt knife and if she didn't bleed she was a witch. He also used a "swimming" test to see if the accused would float or sink in water , the theory being that witches had renounced their baptism, so that all water would supernaturally reject them. He also employed "witch prickers" who pricked the accused with knives and special needles, looking for the Devil's mark(a mole or birthmark) that was supposed to be dead to all feeling and would not bleed. It was believed that the witch's familiar would drink their blood from the mark as milk from a teat.

Hopkins and his colleague John Stearne, together with female assistants, were well paid for their work, earning £2 from one visit to Stowmarket, Suffolk, which was then more than a year's wages for most people.

The text on this HISTORY page is covered by the following licence
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License

Most of the the pubs mentioned in the text around the various anchorages serve food at lunchtimes and in the evenings.

Mistley possesses tea rooms, a fish and chip shop, and a restaurant pub.

In Mistley the  "Mistley Thorn" has turned itself into one of those upmarket gourmet pubs, in fact it has a Michelin award. Turns out that the pub has a bit of a history. Matthew Hopkins the self-styled "Witchfinder General" (played by Vincent Price in the Hammer horror film of the same name) was busy in this area and based himself at this hostelry in the 1600's.(See the link in the history section) . His modus operandi was to dunk old crones into the village pond followed by a sham trial and hanging (char grilling at the stake was strictly for the film.) Gruesome.

For the Mariner more concerned with the rumblings in his belly than legend and history, the choice widens somewhat when you get to Manningtree. Here will be found a selection of pubs and a few restaurants (including an Indian for those with spicy tastes). A couple of links are provided below for further investigation:

Pubs.

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/results.shtml/el/Manningtree%3BEssex/

Restaurants.

Restaurants & Places to Eat in Manningtree - Tripadvisor