Ferry over the Manchester ship canal

[andy990]

This might be of interest to some folks, some info on Thelwall's penny ferry near Warrington.

http://allthingswarrington.net/Places/Places/thelwallpennyferry.html

[Derek R.]

Fascinating - and a delightful video.

[andy990]

It's well worth a vist if you're ever in the area Derek. It's like stepping back in time!

[YamYam]

What a brilliant job. I would gladly pay more for that service. Does he get paid, anyone know? as I'm pretty sure 11p a trip wouldn't even get close to paying for insurance let alone anything else

[andy990]

Hi yam yam, my understanding is the ship canal company and government fund it. The MSCC were duty bound to keep it (the right of way across the canal) open as it replaced an ancient ferry across the River Mersey, plus the canal itself cut across some farmland.

[YamYam]

Hi yam yam, my understanding is the ship canal company and government fund it. The MSCC were duty bound to keep it (the right of way across the canal) open as it replaced an ancient ferry across the River Mersey, plus the canal itself cut across some farmland.

 

Thanks Andy, just sent my job application form in. Life's just not fair.....

[J R ALSOP]

On christmas day in 1962 with Peter Froud and Robert Aikman I crossed all the ferrys on the MSCanal just to proof a point.

[andy990]

Were they all open JR.? Out of interest can I ask how many ferries there were back then? I'm aware today of the Penny ferry at Thelwall, Bob's ferry at Cadishead and the Hulme Bridge ferry at Irlam but that's all.

[Mac of Cygnet]

This might be of interest to some folks, some info on Thelwall's penny ferry near Warrington.

http://allthingswarrington.net/Places/Places/thelwallpennyferry.html

Welcome to the forum, Andy, and I've given you your first greenie! A fascinating item - I wish we'd known about the ferry when we walked down to Thelwall from the Bridgewater.

[n-baj]

Hello, I thought I’d revive this thread as I made the effort to visit both the Hulme and Thelwall ferry in the spring as I was on the Bridgewater.

 

Hulme ferry

 

I was moored at Dunham Massey and walked down to Hulme. It was a good couple of hours walking however if walking isn’t for you then it is very accessible via a few bus routes from Manchester on the A57/Salford side. This is a free ferry as it always has been.

 

Thelwall ferry

 

20 minutes ish walk from the bridgewater, this is now free although they welcome donations for the RNLI. 
 

both ferries are now motorised so no rowing boats involved. Both ferries contracted out by peel to bilway marine, below link has the operation times which despite saying 2023 is the same this year, I doubt the times will drastically change but do double checkhttps://www.bilwaymarineltd.co.uk/ferry-service

 

As a keen walker who uses public right of ways often I found these ferry trips fascinating as it’s effectively a public footpath on a boat and the owners of the ship canal (peel) are still legally obliged to provide a public right of way across the ship canal for the past 140-odd years. I recommend a trip to keep this unique footpath in use 😃