The Hulmes Ferry (Davyhulme, Manchester)

[Gathursty]

http://www.hulmesferry.uk/

A colleague told me about this as I use a Manchester Ship Canal lock as part of my commute.

I investigated it one evening and the access from the North side is close to overgrown and in a hidden and foreboding path from Irlam. The South side is much more pleasant and is only less than 200m from a housing estate.

Has anyone used it? To me, it is a revelation. If you live in the North West and are looking for a FREE thing to do with kids at the weekend, have a go.

 

[Altfish]

There used to be one (Still is?) at Thelwall

http://allthingswarrington.net/Places/Places/thelwallpennyferry.html#.V4ZWwM5Fy1s

 

[ian1944]

I like the directions to the Hulmes ferry. From Eccles take the A57 east (i.e. towards Manchester), from Irlam take the A57 west (i.e. towards Liverpool). Magically, these lead to the same point between the towns where a turning into an industrial estate will be found.

 

[Springs Branch]

Interesting to note the article on the Thelwall ferry mentions carrying "about 600 passengers per year" (at 11p per trip).

As it's available 365 days a year, that's less than two passengers per day on average, and assuming some of the trips carry groups, there are probably a good few days with no "punters" at all.

I wonder if the Thelwall & Hulmes ferries are a kind of Parliamentary Ferry service, i.e. it costs Peel Ports less to keep them running than it would to repeal or change the Act(s) of Parliament requiring them to operate the ferries?


In the same area, years ago I regularly used the Manchester Ship Canal's private toll bridge at Warburton to visit a girlfriend in Lymm. The toll was 10p per car, but it was a very casual operation. Sometimes you paid, sometimes the toll booth operator had gone for his tea and left the barrier up, occasionally he would be in the booth chatting to a mate and couldn't be bothered collecting your 10p so just waved you through (I hasten to add this was close to 40 years ago!).

 

[daodao]

Interesting to note the article on the Thelwall ferry mentions carrying "about 600 passengers per year" (at 11p per trip).

As it's available 365 days a year, that's less than two passengers per day on average, and assuming some of the trips carry groups, there are probably a good few days with no "punters" at all.

I wonder if the Thelwall & Hulmes ferries are a kind of Parliamentary Ferry service, i.e. it costs Peel Ports less to keep them running than it would to repeal or change the Act(s) of Parliament requiring them to operate the ferries?


In the same area, years ago I regularly used the Manchester Ship Canal's private toll bridge at Warburton to visit a girlfriend in Lymm. The toll was 10p per car, but it was a very casual operation. Sometimes you paid, sometimes the toll booth operator had gone for his tea and left the barrier up, occasionally he would be in the booth chatting to a mate and couldn't be bothered collecting your 10p so just waved you through (I hasten to add this was close to 40 years ago!).

The ferries are rarely used, but the toll bridge is very busy, especially at peak hours and when there are problems on the M6 Thelwall viaduct. Warburton is so congested at peak hours that the Warrington-Altrincham bus (WBT route 5) omits the village centre at these times. The toll is now 12p single, and there are 2 toll collectors in the booth at busy periods; however, it is unmanned in the late evening/overnight and on Xmas day.

 

[Gathursty]

Yesterday (Friday) I had the opportunity to return to Irlam and I parked my car at the start of the path leading to the Hulmes Ferry.

I walked behind the crane hire yard and came upon the steps down to the jetty which gives an impressive vista of the canal in both directions. Most people probably see the Ship Canal from high above so to be almost at level with it is quite cool.

There is a gong which you bang and it gets the attention of the ferryman on the other side.

The operation is straightforward. The ferryman drives in a half-circle curve from his jetty to yours and completes the circle after you embark on the ferry which is tethered to by two ropes.

The ferryman has done this for about a year and ISTR he previously worked for Peel Ports or a subsidiary/legacy of this enormous company and that's how he got into to doing this. He is old and was shirtless as I suppose is customary on such warm days. The boat also comes tethered with a smaller rescue boat which seems overkill as I suppose you could swim to either side if you had a gun to your head but better safe than sorry.

I come off the boat and aim to walk through the Davyhulme Nature Reserve. I come to the end of this linear park but find no way to access the locks by Barton Bridge to complete the circle so I return to the Ferry.

I come to the jetty and see no-one around nor a device to attract attention. I assume he is in the portacabin but there is no answer on the door. Before I try to ring the mobile number on the sign, two boys who I used to teach appear at the other jetty and satisfyingly bang the gong and the ferryman appears from the inside of the boat. I forgot boats this size had internal quarters.

On my jetty, a man and daughter join me on the ferry and we depart. This journey lasts little more than a minute but a tether at the front of the boat is forgotten about so the ferryman has to quickly release us from the front.

All in all, a pleasant journey and without knowing about journeys inbetween mine, there were 5 people using the ferry within one hour which I find very impressive.

I'll add some pictures from my phone later but I'd definitely recommend it if you've got kids and are looking for something free to do. You could probably link it in with the Trafford Centre's facilities as it's only about 3 miles from either side of the river from here. I'd also recommend it to anyone else as I can't think of anywhere else you can board a ferry for free, albeit only for one minute.

 

[PermitToTravel]

There's a ferry run for similar reasons in east London, linking Woolwich to North Woolwich, but that one is much more well-used and takes vehicles

 

[Gathursty]

Here are some pictures from Friday.

 

[eMeS]

http://www.hulmesferry.uk/

A colleague told me about this as I use a Manchester Ship Canal lock as part of my commute.
...
Has anyone used it? ...

I was taken on it several times when I was young - say, 5-9 years old. I vaguely remember there being two ferries - one was a rowing type boat (sculled? with a single paddle), and the other (was it a chain ferry?) could carry small vehicles. I think the two ferries were some distance apart. I think it was also possible to walk to Irlam via the nearby lock, but I don't remember doing that. On my last visit, there was safety fencing in place at the lock.

Off topic – I remember my father taking me on the Liverpool Overhead Docks Railway, before it closed.

I was born in Park Hospital Davyhulme (now Trafford General) in 1938, and I remember my grandmother telling me how she had watched the Manchester Ship Canal being dug from somewhere near Bent Lanes, Davyhulme.
We moved away from the area in 1949.