Windermere Ferry

Windermere Ferry
The ferry Mallard setting out from the ramp at Far Sawry for the east shore at Bowness in October 2016
Transit type Cable ferry
Carries 18 cars / 100 passengers
Operator Cumbria County Council
Travel time 10 minutes
Frequency Every 20 minutes
No. of vessels 1 (Mallard)

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 Cumbria County Council.[1][2]

There has been a ferry at the site of the current Windermere Ferry for more than 500 years. The earliest craft were rowed across the lake, whilst later ferries were steam powered and, more recently, diesel powered. There was one recorded disaster, in 1635, when the ferry capsized and forty-seven people perished.[3] 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 quinquennial inspection and refit in April/May 2014.[1][2][4]

The ferry operates all year, with services every 20 minutes from early morning to mid-evening. The crossing takes less than 10 minutes and 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.[2]

On 26 May 2018, the Mallard suffered an engine room fire which disabled the ferry mid crossing. One of the Lakeside cruise boats came alongside to provide emergency assistance to the passengers of the ferry, taking passengers onboard. Cumbria County Council have since taken the assistance of Windermere Lake Cruises to continue a reduced pedestrian crossing across the lake, although there is no vehicular provision. Cumbria County Council have announced that it is unlikely that a full service will be resumed until October 2018 [2][5].

References

  1. 1 2 Hall, Nick (November 2006). "Chained links". Ships Monthly. IPC Country & Leisure Media. pp. 17–21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Windermere ferry". Cumbria County Council. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  3. ↑ Hunt, Irvine (1975). Fenty's Album. Windermere: Pinewood Publications. p. 72. ISBN 090435802X.
  4. ↑ "Windermere ferry set for refit". Cumbria County Council. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Windermere ferry". Cumbria County Council. n.d. Retrieved 7 July 2018.


Coordinates: 54°21′12″N 2°56′04″W / 54.353355°N 2.934551°W / 54.353355; -2.934551

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