Transit type | Cable ferry |
---|---|
Carries | up to 18 cars (depending on size) / 100 passengers |
Operator | Westmorland and Furness Council |
Frequency | Every 20 minutes |
The Windermere Ferry is a vehicular cable ferry which crosses Windermere, a lake in the English county of Cumbria. The ferry route forms part of the B5285 road and crosses the lake at about its midpoint, from Ferry Nab in Bowness-on-Windermere to Ferry House at Far Sawrey, a distance of some 490 metres (540 yd). The ferry is owned and operated by Westmorland and Furness Council.
The ferry operates all year, with services every 20 minutes from early morning to mid-evening. Each crossing can carry up to 18 cars and over 100 passengers and takes less than 10 minutes. A toll is charged. If the ferry is not operating, the alternative is a road journey of approximately 15 miles (24 km) around either the head or foot of the lake.
There has been a ferry at the site of the current Windermere Ferry for more than 500 years, with the earliest craft being rowed across the lake. During this period there was one recorded disaster, in 1635, when the ferry capsized and forty-seven people perished. The first cable ferry, powered by steam, commenced operation in 1870. New ferry boats were introduced to the route in 1915 and 1954, when a boat named Drake was introduced. [1] [2]
The current ferry boat, named Mallard, was built in 1990 and can carry up to 18 cars and over 100 passengers. The ferry underwent its most recent five-yearly refit and full inspection in March 2019. The previous refit in 2014 cost £300,000 and involved rebuilding the engines and servicing all hydraulic, mechanical and electrical systems on the ferry, together with a full repaint. [3]
On 26 May 2018, the Mallard suffered an engine room fire which disabled the ferry during a crossing. One of the local cruise boats provided emergency assistance and took the passengers on board. Whilst the ferry was out of action, Cumbria County Council arranged for Windermere Lake Cruises to continue a reduced pedestrian crossing over the lake. The Mallard returned to service on 27 October after having been repaired and fitted with a new engine. [4] [5]
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi.
Cumbria is a ceremonial county in North West England, bordering Scotland. It came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. In April 2023, its county council was abolished and all of its administrative functions were taken over by Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland. Cumbria's largest settlement is Carlisle and other major settlements include Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal, Whitehaven and Workington.
The Mersey Ferry is a ferry service operating on the River Mersey in north west England, between Liverpool to the east and Birkenhead and Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula to the west. Ferries have been used on this route since at least the 12th century, and continue to be popular for both local people and visitors.
Ambleside is a town and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, The town was historically in Westmorland. Located in the Lake District National Park, the town sits at the head of Windermere, England's largest natural lake. In 2020 it had an estimated population of 2596.
Westmorland (, formerly also spelt Westmoreland; is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. Between 1974 and 2023 Westmorland lay within the administrative county of Cumbria. In April 2023, Cumbria County Council was abolished and replaced with two unitary authorities, one of which, Westmorland and Furness, covers all of Westmorland, thereby restoring the Westmorland name to a top-tier administrative entity. The people of Westmorland are known as Westmerians.
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. Approximately 11 miles (18 km) in length, and 1 mile (1.5 km) at its widest, it is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial period. It has been one of the country's most popular places for holidays and summer homes since the arrival of the Kendal and Windermere Railway's branch line in 1847. Forming part of the border between the historic counties of Lancashire and Westmorland, Windermere is today within the administrative county of Westmorland and Furness and the Lake District National Park.
Windermere is a town in Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the civil parish of Windermere and Bowness had a population of 8,245, increasing at the 2011 census to 8,359. The town lies about half a mile (1 km) east of the lake Windermere, from which it takes its name.
South Lakeland was a local government district in Cumbria, England, from 1974 to 2023. In April 2023, Cumbria was reorganised into two unitary authorities. South Lakeland District Council was abolished and its functions were transferred to the Westmorland and Furness unitary authority. The population of the non-metropolitan district was 102,301 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 103,658 at the 2011 Census. Its council was based in Kendal. It included much of the Lake District as well as northwestern parts of the Yorkshire Dales.
Bowness-on-Windermere is a town in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. It lies next to Windermere lake and the town of Windermere to the north east with which it forms the civil parish of Windermere and Bowness. The town was historically part of the county of Westmorland and is also forms an urban area with Windermere. The town had a population of 3,814 in the 2011 Census.
Windermere railway station serves Windermere in Cumbria, England. It is just south of the A591, about 25 min walk or a short bus ride from the lake. The station is located behind a branch of the Booths supermarket chain, which occupies the site of the original station building, in front of the Lakeland store. It is the terminus of the former Kendal and Windermere Railway single-track Windermere Branch Line, with a single platform serving one terminal track.
Staveley railway station is a railway station in Staveley in Cumbria, England. The station is on the Windermere Branch Line connecting Oxenholme and Windermere. The station is owned by Network Rail and is operated by Northern Trains who provide all passenger train services, Staveley was a request stop until December 2012.
Coniston is a village and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,058, decreasing at the 2011 census to 928. Historically part of Lancashire, it is in the southern part of the Lake District National Park, between Coniston Water, the third longest lake in the Lake District, and Coniston Old Man.
Fell Foot Park is a country park, formerly the grounds of a Victorian house, situated beside Windermere, a lake in Cumbria, England, and in the ownership of the National Trust. It is just north of Newby Bridge on the A592 road in the civil parish of Staveley-in-Cartmel in South Lakeland district.
Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic building at Claife in the English county of Cumbria. The house and grounds have belonged to the National Trust since 1929, and house has opened to the public on a regular basis since 2013. The grounds, which include part of the shoreline of Windermere, are open all year round and are renowned for their selection of specimen trees – Wellingtonia, redwood, Ginkgo biloba, weeping lime and varieties of beech.
The steam yacht Gondola is a rebuilt Victorian, screw-propelled, steam-powered passenger vessel on Coniston Water, England. Originally launched in 1859, she was built for the steamer service carrying passengers from the Furness Railway and from the Coniston Railway. She was in commercial service until 1936 when she was retired, being converted to a houseboat in 1946. In 1979, by now derelict, she was given a new hull, engine, boiler and most of the superstructure. She is back in service as a passenger boat, still powered by steam and now operated by the National Trust.
Lakeside railway station is on the heritage Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway in England. It was previously the terminus of the Furness Railway Ulverston to Lakeside Line, which was closed as part of the Beeching Axe in 1965. It serves the village of Lakeside in Cumbria, as well as the tourist attractions located there.
The Lakes School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Troutbeck Bridge, Windermere, in the English county of Cumbria.
Windermere Lake Cruises is a boat company which provides leisure trips on Windermere in the central part of the English Lake District. It is based in Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria.
SY Tern, now operating as MY Tern, is a passenger vessel on Windermere, England. Launched in 1891 she was built for the steamer service carrying passengers from the Furness Railway. She underwent several changes in owner as companies were merged throughout the twentieth century, and spent time as a sea cadet training ship during the Second World War. Refitted several times, her original steam engines have been replaced with diesel engines. Tern is the oldest vessel operating on Windermere, and is a member of the National Historic Fleet. She is currently operated by Windermere Lake Cruises as the flagship of their fleet.