Smashing night last night! We got to Heybridge Basin after riding at a fair old clip and climbing both The Mighty North Hill and Maldon's Market Hill.
The campsite is a peach. You have to cross the lock gates which thankfully have a substantial handrail on both sides:
The loo block is for the use of the site and visiting yachtspeople. It is protected by a keypad lock, was small but perfectly adequate and clean. It even has washing machines:
The site only takes 10 2/3 person tents and the British Waterways chap I e-mailed yesterday said booking was advisable:
There were a couple of spritsail barges motorsailing under their topsails:
We had beer in both The Old Ship and The Jolly Sailor. Both were just fine. We ate in The Old Ship which has big windows affording great views of the water; my homemade chicken curry was yummy.
Tomsk turned up just as our food did. It was a chilly ride home.
The Basin and it's campsite would make an excellent venue for the Christmas Do and I for one am going to try and camp there beforehand if at all possible.