Saturday, 4 September
5:00 p.m. (Embark)
An international port located on the estuary of the rivers Stour and Orwell in northeast Essex, Harwich is one of England’s busiest coastal towns. It’s also just 69 miles from London. Throughout history, the town has been a crucial port, providing a sheltered anchorage for many ships. The old town of Harwich is a conservation area, where you’ll discover many historic buildings. The neighboring town of Dovercourt is a bit more modern, but equally quaint and fascinating to explore.
| Temperature | Fahrenheit | Celsius |
|---|---|---|
| Average High | 65° | 19° |
| Average Low | 52° | 11° |
| Mean Temperature | 59° | 15° |
| Precipitation | Inches | Centimeters |
| Average Precip. | 2 | 6 |
The pound sterling (£) is divided into 100 pence (p). Paper notes are in denominations of £5, £10, £20 and £50. Coins are £1 and £2 (yellow-gold); 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p (silver); and 1p and 2p (copper).
Harwich and the Mayflower Project
Visit the Harwich website by our own Icy Jewel Paul (HarwichCruiser). There you’ll find information about the Mayflower Project also. The Jewel of the Seas will journey across the Atlantic on virtually the same course as the Mayflower of Harwich 390th years before. On 6th September, for a short while, the Jewel will be on the exact course on the exact 390th anniversary as the 1620 Mayflower of Harwich. Go see Paul’s site for all theinfo!
Harwich Cruise Terminal
Harwich is the smallest of the three main cruise ports that serve London, (Harwich, Southampton and Dover). It is is a single berth, single terminal affair which even at the height of the summer season will only have a cruise ship every other day. However relatively unused by cruise ships it has plenty going for it and is very pleasant to use.
The nearest major London Airport by far for Harwich is Stansted. Both Heathrow and Gatwick are on the other side of London from Harwich.
Boat train information
Harwich is around 90 miles from London, at least a 2.5 hour journey by road.
The trains between Liverpool Street and Harwich run broadly hourly daily. Especially at weekends do check in advance that there is no rail maintenance work where bus replacement services may delay your journey.
The trains take around 90 minutes during the week, remember you want Harwich International, not Harwich Town. At the weekends you may have to change trains at Colchester making the journey more lengthy
(From: www.londontoolkit.com:)
For many cruises, a special ‘cruise train’ is scheduled to operate.
Leaves Liverpool Street: 12:05
Arrives Harwich International: 13:17
(departs 12:00 arrives 13:15 Sundays)
Harwich Cruise Terminal: From left , rail station for London, taxi rank, cruise terminal, coach (bus) park and ship. Ferry terminal at far end of platform. You can purchase tickets at The Trainline web site. Tickets are mailed to UK addresses only or you can opt to collect them from machines at many of London’s main stations or Gatwick Airport but not Heathrow Airport. You are sent a unique code which you enter into the machine which dispenses the tickets.
Harwich
Harwich, pronounced ‘Harich’ or ‘Harridge’, is a port town in Essex, East Anglia.
Harwich lies at the junction of two estuaries and the area forms one of the UK’s major harbours (although most freight shipping actually operates from Felixstowe, a short distance over the water, rather than from Harwich itself). Ferries to northern Europe operate from adjacent Parkeston, while there are fast rail and road links to London.
The town received its charter in 1238, although there is evidence of earlier settlement – for example, a record of a chapel in 1177, and some indications of a possible Roman presence. Its position on the estuaries of the Stour and Orwell rivers and its usefulness to mariners as the only safe anchorage between the Thames and Humber led to a long period of maritime significance, both civil and military. The town became a naval base in 1657 and was heavily fortified.
Local attractions include two lighthouses; the Electric Palace cinema, one of the oldest in Britain and now restored to its original state; the Redoubt fort, dating from the Napoleonic era; a lighthouse museum; a small beach; and of course ship-watching. Many attractions are open during the summer only.
Shopping in Harwich itself is extremely limited, although there are a number of art, antique and book stores. Nearby Dovercourt has a number of small supermarkets, mainstream high-street shops, banks and so on, while Parkeston has recently been given the ‘kiss of life’ and has a number of newly built stores to shop at, including Peacocks, Focus and Argos.
The Pier Hotel has a well-regarded restaurant specialising in, although not limited to, seafood. The Pier Cafe, opposite the hotel on the pier itself, is especially popular during the summer. Two recently-opened establishments have also become popular: the Ship Inn, serving modern British food, and Thai Up At The Pier, a Thai restaurant. A number of pubs also serve food, notably the New Bell Inn (lunchtimes only). Popular pubs include the traditional New Bell Inn and Hanover, the more youth-oriented Billy, and the Stingray with large-screen TV.
The Pier Hotel is the only full-service hotel in Harwich, although there are a number of B&Bs and pubs with accommodation. Dovercourt offers a wider range of accommodation. There is a Premier Travel Inn in Parkeston, near the port. Do not to stay at the campsite in Harwich, better to drive to one of the camping grounds in the surrounding countryside.
Harwich was the home town of Christopher Jones, the master and quarter-owner of the Mayflower, and was also a base for that ship. The famous diarist Samuel Pepys was the Member of Parliament for Harwich. Christopher Newport, captain of the expedition that founded Jamestown, Virginia, also hailed from Harwich.
Advice from Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor
The best and cheapest way is to get a tube to Liverpool Street. It will not be a problem using the underground on a Sunday and from there catch the train direct to Harwich. The train station is adjoined to the cruise terminal.
The train station is next to the cruise terminal in HARWICH. Last time we did the Jewel to Harwich, we took a taxi to the train station then hopped on the train. It was very easy. It dropped us off right by the pier. We did the train last time and really liked the convenience. Nearly had an entire car to ourselves and since everyone else was cruising it was instant friendship. We’ll probably do it again if they still offer the boat train next year.
The train to Harwich leaves from Liverpool Street Station. There is at least 1 train an hour, but on the days the Jewel sails, they have a special boat train that leaves around noon. It is non-stop to the dock – literally – you get off the train, walk a few feet and give your luggage to the porters.
The other trains will get you there, but at least one stop and possibly you change trains. That is what makes the boat train special. The trains are modern, clean and fast. I think the trip took 1 hr 15 mins. It is also inexpensive – if I remember it was about $32.
The best way I know of getting from London and Harwich is the National Express bus service. NE runs from both locations … they are fast and very reasonable … with senior discounts … and they handle all your luggage with no problem.
If I was in staying in central London I would catch the train to Harwich from Liverpool Street as my first choice.
If you want to make it easy on yourself, contact Woodford Chauffeur Cars (www.woodfordchauffeurcars.co.uk or cherylfinch4@aol.co.uk). They go to and from all of the airports, central London hotels, and cruiseports. They charge per car (they have vans and buses as well) depending on the size you need. Door to door and no messing with the luggage. No stress either. We found them on Cruise Critic a few years back and have used them ever since.
The Liverpool Street – Harwich train is the only practical public transport between London and Harwich apart from taxi’s (shared vans do not operate in the UK because of licensing laws) However the cruise train is not the only train, this is just a special train put on for cruises that runs non stop. There are hourly trains that do the same route stopping at a few stations along the way.
Harwich Links
