Trivia: Ferry routes running between points on the same shoreline

[PTR 444]

The general public perception of a boat service, whether a vehicle ferry, catamaran or hovercraft, is to bridge gaps between two opposite stretches of land surrounded by water. Usually these have no viable land link between them or have a land link the long way round which makes a fast passenger ferry competitive. The Hythe Ferry which has made the news today fits the latter category.

What is more unusual however are ferry routes that link two locations on the same coastline or river bank even where a road or rail link is perfectly feasible. I believe the London boats are an example of this, although I am not sure whether there are any individual routes that stick to the north or south bank of the Thames. Hypothetical ferry corridors such as Southampton to Portsmouth or Liverpool to Blackpool could probably also be competitive with rail depending on speed due to the slow nature of train links between them.

Also am I right in thinking that it was normal to travel by boat between towns along the same coastline before the development of railways?

 

[Dai Corner]

What is Coastal Shipping?

Marine Insight - The maritime industry guide.

www.marineinsight.com

Coastal shipping is confined to a country. It is a type of cabotage, where goods are transported from point A to point B along a country’s coast by small vessels. These small vessels are also known as coasters.

Most countries these days allow local as well as international shipping companies to operate on coastal routes.

Unlike overseas shipping where ships sail between ports located in different countries, coastal shipping covers only ports within a particular country. It caters to the domestic trade of that country only.

 

[Gloster]

Also am I right in thinking that it was normal to travel by boat between towns along the same coastline before the development of railways?

Very much so. If you were travelling from and to places fairly close to a port, coastal shipping was a major alternative to using the roads. It continued until around the 1930s, although once a fairly comprehensive railway system had developed it declined to being on relatively straightforward routes, ones where the railway journeys were somewhat tortuous or continuation of routes to places inaccessible by rail.

 

[PTR 444]

What is Coastal Shipping?

Marine Insight - The maritime industry guide.

www.marineinsight.com

Are there many ports in the UK where this is viable though? Even with an example of two ports in a straight line, I still doubt that it would compete with the speed of road or rail.

Passenger catamarans are different since they can travel much faster and compete with land transport if that takes a convoluted route.

 

[D6130]

Very much so. If you were travelling from and to places fairly close to a port, coastal shipping was a major alternative to using the roads. It continued until around the 1930s, although once a fairly comprehensive railway system had developed it declined to being on relatively straightforward routes, ones where the railway journeys were somewhat tortuous or continuation of routes to places inaccessible by rail.

It continued on the West Coast of Scotland for many years after the 1930s. Caledonian MacBrayne's Summer service from Mallaig to Kyle of Lochalsh, for example, was not withdrawn until 1976....and was a very enjoyable part - in good weather - of many people's Freedom of Scotland trips.

Coastal shipping routes are still very much a thing in many European countries with heavily-indented mountainous coastlines, such as Norway, Italy, Croatia and Greece.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

In the freight world, ferry routes operating between ports that could be linked by road are fairly commonplace. Eg Spain to UK, Benelux to Scandinavia. Driver's hour rules, the shortage of truck drivers and the desire to cut carbon omissions are indeed making such links increasingly attractive.

Back in the day, there was passenger coastal shipping between London and Leith (for Edinburgh) which I believe lingered on into the railway age; it was actually the start of road coach services in the 1930s that finally killed it off.

 

[Lewlew]

There was a dream by a ferry company (I think it was Wightlink) to run a fast catamaran from Portsmouth to Southampton via Cowes, IOW a few years back but nothing ever come of it.

 

[Basil Jet]

Also am I right in thinking that it was normal to travel by boat between towns along the same coastline before the development of railways?

Yes, the reason so many seaside towns had piers was because travelling to them by boat was the norm before the railways.

 

[eastwestdivide]

On coastal shipping, one flow still active is aggregates from Glensanda in Scotland to other locations in the UK. Here’s a ship currently doing Glensanda-Liverpool on vesselfinder

BONTRUP AMSTERDAM, Self Discharging Bulk Carrier - Details and current position - IMO 8110681 - VesselFinder

Vessel BONTRUP AMSTERDAM (IMO 8110681, MMSI 308271000) is a Self Discharging Bulk Carrier built in 1984 and currently sailing under the flag of Bahamas.

www.vesselfinder.com

Do they still go to Grain Thamesport for onward distribution in the SE by rail? Was set up in Yeoman days (1990s?)

 

[miklcct]

Here is an example in Hong Kong:

Tuen Mun - Tung Chung - Sha Lo Wan - Tai O. The latter 3 are on the same coastline, where Sha Lo Wan has no roads (a road was planned but not built).

Also a number of kaito services listed here are similar as well, linking rural places without roads on the same shore. You can see them in the following map. These kaito services are the only mean of transportation for those living there to connect to the outside world, apart from hiking or driving their own boats.

 

[PTR 444]

There was a dream by a ferry company (I think it was Wightlink) to run a fast catamaran from Portsmouth to Southampton via Cowes, IOW a few years back but nothing ever come of it.

Not really a coastal route, but I remember at one time there was a company called Scoot Ferries who operated short-lived Portsmouth - Cowes and Lymington - Yarmouth passenger ferry services. IIRC the company went bust less than a year later, and so those services were no more.

Have there ever been any proposals to run a non-stop Portsmouth - Southampton catamaran or hovercraft?

 

[Ken H]

How about the one at Dartmouth, the Greenwich Free Ferry, and the Windermere Ferry.
Is the one at Sandbanks, near Poole still going?

 

[PTR 444]

How about the one at Dartmouth, the Greenwich Free Ferry, and the Windermere Ferry.
Is the one at Sandbanks, near Poole still going?

While technically these serve the same shoreline because they are located on lakes or river estuaries where both sides eventually join further upstream, they aren’t really the “coastal shipping” style route examples I am looking for. To clarify, how many commercial passenger ferry routes are there where the route taken is longer than the coastline between the two places?

 

[Merle Haggard]

It continued on the West Coast of Scotland for many years after the 1930s. Caledonian MacBrayne's Summer service from Mallaig to Kyle of Lochalsh, for example, was not withdrawn until 1976....and was a very enjoyable part - in good weather - of many people's Freedom of Scotland trips.

On my Freedom of Scotland ticket, I did the sort of inverse. Caught the last train of the day to Mallaig, night ferry to Kyle then first train from there back to Glasgow. Cut down considerably on the time to 'do' both branches but don't remember much of the boat journey!

 

[DelW]

It continued on the West Coast of Scotland for many years after the 1930s. Caledonian MacBrayne's Summer service from Mallaig to Kyle of Lochalsh, for example, was not withdrawn until 1976....and was a very enjoyable part - in good weather - of many people's Freedom of Scotland trips.

My recollection of travelling that route in (I think) 1968, was that it then formed part of a longer route, serving Portree and Raasay at its northern end and Canna, Rum and Eigg at the southern. My trip was on a very small ship, and I remember a Morris Minor car being loaded at Raasay. The ship's deck was below the level of the pier, and the car was driven off the pier on two timber baulks cantilevering above the deck, until just short of the tipping point. The deckhands supporting the ends then lowered them down to a fairly steep angle, and the car was driven down onto the deck, transversely across it. I think we left the ship before it was unloaded, so I don't know how or where it was landed.

Although Mallaig and Kyle are both on the mainland, they don't meet the OP's criterion "... even where a road or rail link is perfectly feasible". Other than using the Armadale ferry, the road route would be via Banavie and Invergarry, which according to Google maps is 113 miles vs 19 miles as the crow flies (or 28 miles by road via Armadale). I can't persuade it to calculate the all-rail route via Glasgow, Perth and Inverness!

 

[adamedwards]

CalMac run a ferry once per week from Kennacraig (Kintyre) via Islay and Colonsay to Oban and back in the summer. That makes for quite a long trip between two mainland ports in Scotland. I don't think there is any equivalent like it.

Also there is a summer Friday and Saturday CalMac saling from Ardossan to Campbletown, both mainland ports, but Campbeltown being so far down the Kintyre peninsula to be worth the ferry crossing. Combining both routes with buses and trains would make for a quite a good mini tour.

For anyone not familiar with the geography, this map may help:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Scotland#/media/File:Scotland_ferries_map.png

 

[Flying Snail]

CalMac run a ferry once per week from Kennacraig (Kintyre) via Islay and Colonsay to Oban and back in the summer. That makes for quite a long trip between two mainland ports in Scotland. I don't think there is any equivalent like it.

Another link from Kintyre is Ardrossan - Campbelltown, summer only.

 

[D6130]

Another link from Kintyre is Ardrossan - Campbelltown, summer only.

Mentioned in the previous post!

 

[Flying Snail]

Mentioned in the previous post!

Not when I read it.

 

[D6130]

Not when I read it.

Apologies! Had it been edited later perhaps?

 

[robbob700]

The South Sands Ferry in Salcombe is an example. This just goes along the coast from the town centre.

Home | South Sands Ferry

The South Sands Ferry runs between the picturesque town of Salcombe and South Sands Beach

www.southsandsferry.co.uk

 

[daodao]

The South Sands Ferry in Salcombe is an example. This just goes along the coast from the town centre.

Home | South Sands Ferry

The South Sands Ferry runs between the picturesque town of Salcombe and South Sands Beach

www.southsandsferry.co.uk

There is also a seasonal ferry service from Salcombe to Kingsbridge.

Kingsbridge Salcombe Ferry

The Lady Mary is a unique passenger ferry service that connects Kingsbridge and Salcombe via a gentle cruise along the tranquil Kingsbridge Estuary.

www.kingsbridgesalcombeferry.com

There are also several ferries in the Plymouth area; one seasonal service runs along the coast from the Barbican to Royal William Yard (Stonehouse)

The Barbican, Royal William Yard & Mount Edgcumbe Ferry - Plymouth Boat Trips

‘Barbican Link Ferry’ Linking: The Barbican, Royal William Yard & Mount Edgcumbe Hop on and off the new Barbican, Royal William Yard & Mount Edgcumbe ferry service, linking three iconic destinations on the water. Experience the restaurants, bars and boutique shopping at Royal William Yard, the...

www.plymouthboattrips.co.uk

 

[edwin_m]

Falmouth has operated a "Park and Float" in recent years which connected a car park at the edge of the town with a pier near the centre, which seems to meet the OP's criteria as the ferry route is about the same length as the distance over land. According to a quick web search it was suspended for the pandemic but hasn't re-started.

I think also there have been boats between Falmouth and Truro, and between Dartmouth and Totnes (which admittedly is shorter than the road distance but not drastically so). These may be more for tourism than as part of the transport network.

 

[Lloyds siding]

Many years ago I did Liverpool to Menai Bridge, Liverpool to Caernarfon and Liverpool to Llandudno.
A current passenger only ferry which makes a dramatic short cut over the road link is between Fleetwood and Knott End.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Spalding has / had a water taxi linking the town centre with Springfields Outlet Village. Not sure if it has returned post Covid, but it has a journey time of 40 minutes, so slower than walking between the two.

 

[Lloyds siding]

A few years ago there was a hovercraft running a commuter ferry between Southport and Blackpool, with sightseeing trips in off-peak hours.
A hovercraft between Fleetwood and Barrow-in-Furness was tried, but didn't last long.

Nostalgia: Hopes for Barrow hovercraft service became a one-day wonder

FIFTY years ago, what looked to be an exciting new daily hovercraft service between Southport, Barrow and Blackpool turned into a farce.

www.nwemail.co.uk

 

[DelW]

A few years ago there was a hovercraft running a commuter ferry between Southport and Blackpool, with sightseeing trips in off-peak hours.
A hovercraft between Fleetwood and Barrow-in-Furness was tried, but didn't last long.

Nostalgia: Hopes for Barrow hovercraft service became a one-day wonder

FIFTY years ago, what looked to be an exciting new daily hovercraft service between Southport, Barrow and Blackpool turned into a farce.

www.nwemail.co.uk

Staying in Swanage many years ago (1970s?), there was a hovercraft service eastwards, to somewhere like Christchurch then Yarmouth IoW. It was more a tourist attraction than regular public transport, but the first leg arguably meets the OP's criteria and was probably quicker than the parallel road route via the Sandbanks chain ferry and through the middle of Bournemouth.

AFAIK the Hovertravel service between Southsea beach and Ryde Esplanade is the only remaining hovercraft route in Britain.

 

[BayPaul]

Torquay to Brixham (and Paignton to Torquay and Brixham) is one of the best examples. It's mainly a tourist ferry, but is also a very practical form of public transport, being quicker than the bus, and even quicker than a car at busy times. At one point a few years ago competition had dropped the single fare down to £1,which also made it cheaper. The council sponsored a disastrous fast ferry on the route. I suspect if they had simply subsidised the existing operator to run during commuter and evening periods it would have been much more successful.

 

[paddy1]

There used to be a hovercraft service between Bournemouth and Poole. Don't know how long it was in operation for, or when it ended, but I remember travelling on it in around 1970.

 

[adamedwards]

It occurs to me that Southampton to Portsmouth might be an interesting route to run by ship, as the roads are I assume congested and a bit of a long way around and the railway is not very direct either. Would Southampton - Hythe - Portsmouth work or could you add Cowes and Ryde in to add to the income from trips plus potential round trips?