River Link is a ferry, cruise boat, and bus operator, based in Devon, England. The company is owned by Dart Valley Railway plc, who also own and operate the Dartmouth Steam Railway. [1] [2]
River Link is a ferry, cruise boat, and bus operator, based in Devon, England. The company is owned by Dart Valley Railway plc, who also own and operate the Dartmouth Steam Railway. [1] [2]
River Link operates the Dartmouth Passenger Ferry, which connects the terminus of the steam railway at Kingswear station to the waterfront at Dartmouth, on the opposite bank of River Dart. It also operates river and coastal cruises from Dartmouth, including a cruise the length of the tidal Dart to the Steamer Quay in Totnes. [3] [4]
The railway between Paignton and Kingswear, the ferry from Kingswear to Dartmouth, and the river cruise from Dartmouth to Totnes form three segments of a heavily promoted round-trip known as the Round Robin. In order to close the loop, River Link operates a bus service, often using open top buses, between Totnes and Paignton. [3]
Dart Pleasure Craft currently operates a fleet of eight vessels.
The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for 75 kilometres (47 mi) to the sea at Dartmouth.
PS Kingswear Castle is a steamship. She is a coal-fired river paddle steamer, dating from 1924 with engines from 1904. After running summer excursions on the River Medway and the Thames for many years she returned to the River Dart in Devon in December 2012 to run excursions from 2013 onwards on the river she was built on and for. Kingswear Castle is listed as part of the National Historic Fleet of ships of "Pre-eminent National Significance".
The Dartmouth Steam Railway, formerly known as the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, is a 6.7-mile (10.8 km) heritage railway on the former Great Western Railway branch line between Paignton and Kingswear in Devon, England. Much of the railway's business is from summer tourists from the resorts of Torbay, who travel to Kingswear, where the Dartmouth Passenger Ferry takes them across the River Dart to Dartmouth.
Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth. It lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and has a population of 1,332, reducing to 1,217 at the 2011 census.
The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was a broad gauge railway linking the South Devon Railway branch at Torquay with Kingswear in Devon, England. It was operated from the outset by the South Devon Railway.
Dartmouth railway station was a booking office for train tickets located on the quayside of Dartmouth in the English county of Devon. While there has never been a railway line at the site, it was possible to book through tickets to and from Dartmouth via the office, accessing trains by travelling on Dartmouth Passenger Ferry to or from Kingswear railway station on the opposite bank of the River Dart. Accordingly, the office was classed as a "railway station" for ticketing purposes if purchasing an integrated ticket combining rail and ferry travel.
The Dartmouth Passenger Ferry, also known as the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company, is a passenger ferry that crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river from Dartmouth to Kingswear, the others being the Higher Ferry and the Lower Ferry. The 630-mile (1,010 km) long South West Coast Path crosses the Dart on either the Lower or Passenger ferries.
The MV Cardiff Castle is a twin screw passenger vessel, operating on the River Dart in South Devon, UK, mainly on the cruise / ferry route between Dartmouth and Totnes, but also on circular cruises from Dartmouth, for Dart Pleasure Craft Ltd.
The MV Dart Venturer is a twin screw passenger vessel, operating on the River Dart in South Devon, UK, on the cruise / ferry route between Dartmouth and Totnes, and on circular coastal and river cruises from Dartmouth, for Dart Pleasure Craft Ltd.
G.H. Riddalls and Sons was a passenger boat operator on the River Dart, in South Devon, England. It operated on the route from Dartmouth to Totnes, on circular cruises from Dartmouth and also ran the ferry service from Dartmouth to Dittisham. The boats were painted with red hulls and white superstructures, and were marketed as the "Red Cruisers".
The MV Dittisham Princess is a twin screw passenger vessel, operating on the River Dart in South Devon, England. She is mainly used for the Western Lady Ferry in Torbay, as well as charters, winter services and as a relief vessel, on the cruise/ferry route between Dartmouth and Totnes, and on circular cruises from Dartmouth, for Dart Pleasure Craft.
The MV Dartmouth Princess is a single screw passenger vessel, operating on the River Dart in South Devon, United Kingdom. She is mainly used on the Dartmouth Passenger Ferry service from Dartmouth to Kingswear, where she runs year-round as the main vessel.
The MV Karina is a single screw passenger vessel, which formerly operated from Douglas, Isle of Man for the Laxey Towing Company. She operated on a selection of cruises along the Manx coast. She is registered on the National Register of Historic Vessels, certificate number 1893.
The MV Plymouth Belle is a single screw passenger vessel, operating from Plymouth, Devon on Dockyard and Warships cruises from the new town pier, adjacent to Mayflower Steps.
The MV Edgecumbe Belle is a single screw passenger vessel, operating from Dartmouth, Devon, UK to Kingswear for Dart Pleasure Craft Limited.
The MV Western Belle is a twin screw passenger vessel. She is owned by Ullswater 'Steamers', who refitted her and launched her on Ullswater in the autumn of 2010.
The MV Lady Wakefield is a twin screw passenger vessel, operating between Glenridding, Howtown and Pooley Bridge on Ullswater in the Lake District for Ullswater Navigation and Transit Co, marketed as Ullswater 'Steamers'.
MVSeymour Castle is a river boat sailing for Thames River Cruises of Reading, England as the MV Devon Belle. She is registered by National Historic Ships on the National Register of Historic Vessels, certificate number 1955, and is one of the surviving "Little ships of Dunkirk" from the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.
The River Dart Steamboat Co Ltd (RDSC) and its predecessors, the Dartmouth Steam Packet Company and the Dartmouth and Torbay Steam Packet Company, were the major ferry and excursion boat operators on the River Dart in South Devon for 120 years, until the company's demise in 1976. The company was famous for its distinctive paddle steamers, which were a familiar sight on the river until the late 1960s.
MV Dartmouth Castle was a passenger ship operating on the River Dart for the Dartmouth Steam Railway. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Ships.