The best ferry trips in Britain

There is a sense of adventure to get on board a boat. Boats can go places – hidden coves, odd marshes – that other modes of transport cannot.

Before motorized transport, sailing boats and, later, steamships were the fastest means of travel between coastal communities in the UK (as well as transporting goods across the country).

As seaside resorts grew in the 19^th century, pleasure steamers became a popular diversion. In the 1820s, steam packet companies ran trips from Liverpool to resorts in north Wales, and Southampton Royal Quay was opened in 1833 to accommodate steamboats offering trips to the Isle of Wight or along the Hampshire coast.

Ferries also have a long history of being the fastest means of exploring the British coastline. The crossing of the River Helford, near Falmouth, in Cornwall, for example, is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

If you’re looking for a way to combine coastal walks or a trip away from the crowds, we’ve picked some of the best ferry routes to consider.

Plymouth to Cawsand, Kingsand and Rame peninsula, Devon

The Cawsand Ferry takes you across the border – and, some might argue, back in time – from busy Plymouth in Devon, with its boat-packed harbour, to the quiet fishing villages of Cawsand and Kingsand in Cornwall.

Both lie a half-hour ferry ride across Plymouth Sound and offer small shingle and sand beaches, rock pools and simple amenities. As you explore its narrow narrow lanes and wooded hillsides, you can imagine the shenanigans that might have taken place in the 18th century.^th and 19^th centuries when smugglers would often come to these shores. Cawsand and Kingsand are good starting points for a walk, to explore the gardens and grounds of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, or, along the South West Coast Path around Penlee Point and Kinrath with its commanding views across Plymouth Sound and the English Channel .

Do you want to stay overnight? Doubles are from £146 at Residence One, Plymouth (01752 262318; bistrotpierre.co.uk), including breakfast.

Cawsand Ferry (01752 253153; plymouthboattrips.co.uk) operates from 29^th until March 31^St October from Plymouth to Cawsand and Kingsand and costs £6 for a single adult and £3 for a child.

Helford Passage, near Falmouth, to the village of Helford, Cornwall

Many public transport services in Britain cannot truly claim to be ‘on demand’. But drop down to Helford Passage on the River Helford, in Cornwall, and the red and white ferry will whisk you across the water immediately, if possible. If you come to the village of Helford on the south bank of the river, simply ‘open’ the bright yellow circular sign to show you are waiting. A ferry of some sort has operated this mile-long crossing since at least the 11th^th century, saving travelers a 40-minute diversion by car around the bay.

This is the Cornish countryside of Daphne du Maurier; narrow lanes, ancient oak woodland and smugglers’ bars. The ferry, which takes foot and bicycle passengers, leaves from below the Ferry Boat Inn in tiny Helford Passage and arrives, by hand, close to the 16^th– Arms of the Shipwrights of the century in Helford. Both villages are full of thatched Cornish delight and Helford Pass has a tiny beach. Both sites are on the South West Coastal Path.

Located off Helford Passage, Budock Vean (01326 250288) has doubles from £198, including breakfast.

Helford Ferry (01326 250770; helfordriverboats.co.uk) operates 1^St April to 31 April^St October from Helford Passage to Helford Village and costs £7/£9 (single/return) for an adult and £4/£6 for a child.

Glenelg to Skye, Scotland

“A bonnie boat sailed, like a bird on the wing … Over the sea to Skye”. The 19^th This unusual ferry was probably not remembered by the folk song of the time, but it is certainly one of the best ways to reach the island. Turn off the main road to Kyle of Loch – the traditional crossing point to Skye – at Sea Bridge and follow the narrow road past Mam Ratagan, with a view of Skye’s Culling Hill. Drive 11 miles just north of tiny Glenelg on the shores of Kinreath and you’ve done it.

From here the MV Glenachulish, the last manually operated paddle board ferry in the world, transports you across the narrow passage to Cairns on Skye. The ingenuity of the turntable, on which the cars sit, means that the ferry can be positioned alongside the slope regardless of the height of the tide and the strength of the current (strong here). From Chalreath, it’s a five-mile drive up lonely Glenarroch to the main road to Portree; better yet, head south to enjoy the under-the-radar wildlife of the Slæte Peninsula.

Skye Ferry (01599 522700; skyeferry.co.uk) operates 28^th March to mid-October from near Glenelg to Keelreath and costs £20/£30 for a car (one way/return) and £3/£5 for foot passengers.

Butley River Ferries, Suffolk

Amongst the marshlands and heathlands of east Suffolk, home to marsh humps, waders and wildfowl, and home to names such as Shingle Street and Duck Corner, is perhaps the smallest ferry in Europe. With a maximum capacity of four people (or two adults and two bikes), it is one of only two human-powered ferries in Britain. The oarsman carries passengers across the River Butley, which flows into the Alde and then out to sea around the southern tip of Orford Ness.

A ferry has been operating here since the 14th^th century, when the riverside farmland belonged to Butley Priory, until the 1930s. Revived in 1993 and run by volunteers, it offers a welcoming service to walkers, cyclists and nature lovers who enjoy the peace, the seals seen on the river banks as well as the bird life – and the welcoming pubs in nearby Orford (with 12).^th-century castle) and Chillesford.

Looking for somewhere to stay? Check out The Crown and Castle, Orford (01394 450205) Doubles from £140, including breakfast.

Butley Ferry (07913 672499; aldeandore.org) operates on weekends and bank holidays from 30^th until March 13th^th October across the river Butley near Orford and costs £2.50 for a single adult and £1.50 for a child.

Sea houses to Holy Island, Northumberland

Holy Island, or Lindisfarne as it was known, can be reached via a twice-daily causeway from mainland Northumbria when tides permit. But to get a true sense of its remoteness – and one that its first Anglo-Saxon settlers, including St Aidan and St Cuthbert – would have experienced by boat. Billy Shiel boats have been operating out of Seahouses since 1918, and are famous for their trips to the Isle of Wight (of Grace Darling’s puffin and seal fame).

In the warmer months, they also offer a four and a half hour round trip to Holy Island. The route includes a tour of the Farneagh, as well as chances to see porpoises and dolphins, before landing on Holy Island for two hours. Boats land at high tide, so you can experience the ‘secluded’ tranquility of the island with its towering castle, Norman Priory, small museum and cafes offering locally caught crab sandwiches.

Billy Shiel’s Boat Trips (01665 720308; farne-islands.com) operate in the Easter holidays, then from May to October from Seahouses to Holy Island and cost £45 round trip for adults and £25 for a child.

Bardsey Island, Wales

Follow in the footsteps of the pilgrims on the boat trip to Enlli Island two miles from the end of the Llyn Peninsula in north west Wales. Settled by Celtic Christians in the 6th century^th century, the remote island is a mile and a half long and half a mile wide and was chosen by the Augustinian Canons in the 13th century.^th century (remains of Mary’s Abbey can be seen) before it was taken over by a farming and fishing community.

Today it is farmed but perhaps better known for its protected wildlife status – a National Nature Reserve, among other things – with Manx shearwaters, puffins, plovers, green seals and dolphins to be found. looking out for them. The 30-minute boat trip from Porth Meudwy near Aberdaron allows four hours to explore the island before the return trip. Looking for somewhere to stay? Porth Tocyn (01758 713303) in Abersoch has doubles from £160.

Bardsey Boat Trips (07971 769895; bardseyboattrips.com) operates from March to October from Port Meudwy, near Aberdeen, to Bardsey Island and costs £50 for a round trip for adults and £25 for a child.

Brightlingsea to East Mersea and Point Clear, Essex

Brightlingsea, around the corner from brassy Essex Clacton-on-Sea and down the river from Roman Colchester, may not be on your summer holiday bucket-list, but it works its charm hard. There is a simple beach, a long line of wonderful beach huts and a very busy harbor of power boats and yachts.

Among them, the 12-passenger foot ferry zips around the mouth of the Colne calling at Point Clear, with its walk along St Osyth’s sea wall and aircraft museum in the former Martello Tower, then across the estuary to East Mersea on Mersea Island. . At the latter, you can enjoy the sandy beach at Cudmore Grove Country Park. It beats road traffic hands down: Brightlingsea to Point Clear is 20 miles, and three minutes by ferry; to Mersea Island is about 40 miles, but 10 minutes by ferry.

Brightlingsea Harbor Commissioners Ferry (01206 302200; brightlingseaharbour.org) operates 1^St April to 22^n.d September, from Brightlingsea to Point Clear and East Mersea and costs £4.50 for a single adult and £3.50 for a child.