Harwich Harbour Ferry
HARWICH TOWN & PENINSULA
Heritage shipbuilding town, port, resort & more
On track for great car-free days out
Harwich Town and Peninsula
All you need to know for visiting the Harwich Peninsula
Enjoy great car-free days out from the military and maritime heritage of Harwich, home of The Mayflower, to the wonderfully wildlife-rich riverside of The Stour, including the Stour Valley and Dedham Vale landscapes immortalised by the artist, John Constable.
Harwich & Dovercourt
Expect history around every corner in Harwich. Pop into the Ha’penny Pier’s historic ticket office built in 1851 for early continental travellers, to pick up a map, join a free guided tour or find out about local lad Christopher Jones, master of The Mayflower, which took the first settlers to America in 1620.
Spot the Treadmill Crane used in the Naval shipyard (1667-1927). Visit all three of Harwich’s remarkable light ’houses’ or take in a film at the elegant, Grade II* listed Electric Palace Cinema. Don’t miss ‘The Redoubt’, the fine circular Napoleonic fort tucked away near Harwich Green, or Beacon Hill Fort by The Point and wildlife foreshore of Dovercourt Bay.
Free guided tours by The Harwich Society : May- Sept – Saturdays 2.00pm – Start: Ha’penny Pier Visitor Centre. No need to book.
Plan a Haven-wide Adventure
Whether you are on foot or on your bike, combining multiple scenic destinations around the Haven couldn’t be easier! The Harbour Foot & Bicycle Ferry links Harwich with Shotley Gate, across the River Stour on the Shotley and cross the great deep sea channel of the River Orwell to Landguard Point at the tip of the Felixstowe Peninsula. The ferry embarkation point is at the historic Ha’penny Pier.
A seasonal daily timetable operates (weather permitting), with tickets bookable online to avoid disappointment.
Find out more
Enjoy the Views…
From the Ha’ Penny Pier to the top of the High Lighthouse (over 100 steps!) or Beacon Hill Fort, historic Harwich has a host of brilliant spots to admire the views of the Orwell and Stour rivers and the great estuary. Look out to sea from the nearby Victorian resort of Dovercourt. Enjoy beautiful Stour vistas at Wrabness, the would-be Georgian spa town of Mistley or on ‘The Walls’ at Manningtree – or follow the river inland to Constable Country. With two sides to every river and a story behind every vessel in view, fancy finding out more about the comings and goings in Harwich Haven?
Harwich Museum
The Swan Basin, Mistley Quay
Mistley Towers
Sir Grayson Perry’s House for Essex
RSPB Stour Estuary Reserve
Ha’penny Pier
Treadwheel Crane
Electric Picture Palace Cinema
Harwich Low Lighthouse
Harwich High Lighthouse
Harwich Redoubt Fort
Beacon Hill Fort
LV 18 Lightship
Constable Country & Flatford Mill
VIEW PLACES TO VISIT
Explore More
Enjoy some real time out, travelling by train to Harwich in Essex and towns and villages along the River Stour. The Haven is both conveniently on Greater Anglia rail routes and suprisingly off the beaten track. And when you arrive at your Haven or riverside destination, why not set out on a little adventure on foot or by bike? There’s just so much to see and do.
What will you pick this time? And next time, when you come back for more?
