Hull Marina occupies the basins of the old Humber Dock and Railway Dock, both built in the early 19th century to serve the booming Baltic trade. When containerisation killed the small docks in the 1970s, the city kept the basins, filled them with pleasure craft, and built bars and restaurants around the edge. The result is the busiest social patch in the city outside the Old Town.
Walk the cobbled quays for views over the masts to the Humber and the city skyline, cross Princes Quay bridge into the shopping centre, or settle in for a long lunch at one of the dockside places. The annual Sea Shanty Festival fills the marina with singers in spring, and the lock gates still open to let yachts in and out on the tide.