Wednesday paddle plan — Lenka & Rob
🏄♀️ WEDNESDAY — Christchurch Harbour, final plan
Lenka & Rob · Wednesday 5 August 2026 · checked: parking, Met Office, tides, TMC files
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🚗 GETTING THERE — LEAVE 8:30, ARRIVE ~9:20
Route & all postcodes — ~28 miles each way, 45–55 min▼
| Place | Postcode |
|---|---|
| Lenka's (start) | — |
| Mudeford Quay car park (park + launch) | BH23 4AB |
| Beach House Café / Mudeford Sandbank | BH6 4EN |
| Hiker Café (Broadway end of the Head) | BH6 4EN |
| Noisy Lobster, Avon Beach (evening) | BH23 4AN |
Traffic: 8:30 start threads the needle — evening return ~7:15pm is in clear roads▼
Worst going: the 8–9am commute, then the 9:30–11am holiday beach rush on the A338 — leaving 8:30 slips between them. Coming home: the beach exodus peaks 4–6pm, so the Avon Beach evening plan (leave ~7:15–7:30pm) means an easy run home by ~8:15pm.
🌊 TIDES & WIND — YES IT'S TIDAL, AND TOMORROW'S RHYTHM SUITS YOU
Morning = tide coming IN. Your paddle window is the right one▼
Christchurch Harbour is shallow and tidal — parts go muddy at low water, and low water is roughly when you arrive. Then it fills all morning to high water early-to-mid afternoon, and the harbour's famous long "stand" holds the water up into the evening. So the 9:45–1pm paddle rides a rising tide and the crossing to the sandbank happens near full water. Shallow patch early? Give it 30 minutes — it's filling.
Wind: breezy ALL day — 16mph morning, ~21–22 SW by mid-afternoon▼
Met Office (Mudeford Sandbank): 22°C, sunny spells, under 5% rain. W ~16mph morning building to SW 21–22mph from 1pm. The harbour is the most wind-tolerant venue around ("relatively calm even in windy conditions" — local SUP guide), and the route uses the wind: west INTO it while fresh, home WITH it behind you — both crossings downwind. Kneel on the choppy bits.
The ONE safety rule: never paddle near THE RUN▼
The narrow gap beside the quay where the tide rips out to sea. Everything lovely is INSIDE the harbour — no reason to go near it. Keep clear of mooring ropes, give the little boats room, buoyancy aids and leashes on.
📋 THE DAY, HOUR BY HOUR
Full itinerary — Hiker lunch, Avon Beach evening, home ~8:15pm▼
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | Rob at Lenka's. Load boards, pump, drinks (Lenka), snacks (Rob) |
| 08:30 | Leave — M27 → A31 → A338 |
| 09:20 | Park Mudeford Quay BH23 4AB — RingGo location 1891, buy 8 hrs |
| 09:45 | Launch FREE right by the car — tide rising under you |
| 09:45–13:00 | Paddle west along the harbour, Stanpit Marsh wildlife, big loop. Wind in your face out, behind you back |
| 13:00 | Cross to Mudeford Sandbank near high water — beach huts, the Black House |
| 13:30 | Boards: beside Beach House if they say yes — else cable-locked behind the huts, paddles with you |
| 13:45 | Walk up Hengistbury Head — THE viewpoint (~25 min) + Double Dykes |
| 14:30 | LUNCH — Hiker Café (4.1★, £6–12, walk-in, open to 5:30pm) |
| 15:30 | More Hengistbury time — no rush, it's the favourite |
| 16:45 | Back at the boards |
| 17:15 | Short downwind hop back to the quay (10–15 min) |
| 17:45 | Boards in the car; top up parking on the RingGo app (~£5) |
| 18:00 | Evening stroll along the shore to Avon Beach (~15 min) — chips or Noisy Lobster |
| 19:15 | Drive home in clear roads |
| ~20:15 | Home 🎉 |
💷 MONEY — HONEST TOTAL ~£45–55 FOR BOTH, LUNCH INCLUDED
Parking £21.30 — and no, it is NOT free after 6pm here▼
BCP's official page: charges apply every day with no evening cut-off at Mudeford Quay. So: 8-hr ticket £16.30 (9:20→5:20pm) + ~2 hr top-up £5 for the evening = £21.30. Do the top-up on the RingGo app (location 1891) from the beach. Other tiers: 4 hrs £8.90 · 24 hrs £27.80.
Petrol on the work-car fuel card — how it REALLY works▼
No fixed pence-per-mile: TMC splits the month's actual fuel-card spend by business vs private miles. With no business miles this month, whatever goes on the fuel card is charged back 100%. The trick: no big fuel-card fill — a small £10–15 splash (or pay at the pump) keeps the trip at the ~£8–10 of petrol it actually burns.
The full sums + what saves money▼
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Parking (8 hrs + evening top-up) | ~£21.30 |
| Petrol, 56-mile round trip | ~£8–10 |
| Launching / booking | £0 |
| Hiker Café lunch | ~£6–12 each |
| Snacks & drinks (brought along) | £0 |
| Ferry (only if used) | £2.50 pp per crossing |
🗺 FREE THINGS ALONG THE WAY
Tourist spots on your exact route — all £0▼
The beach huts on the sandbank — Britain's most expensive (£300,000+) · the Black House at the spit's tip · Hengistbury Head viewpoint + Double Dykes Iron Age fort · Stanpit Marsh — herons, egrets, maybe a seal · crabbing at Mudeford Quay · Avon Beach in the evening light.
Kit list — don't forget▼
Buoyancy aids + leashes · cable lock · pump · dry bag + phone pouch · water shoes · towels + change of clothes · suncream · light waterproof · flask + water · snacks (Rob) + drinks (Lenka) · RingGo app installed · phones charged.