CALSTOCK FERRY

About the Calstock Ferry

The Calstock Ferry runs on the upper navigable reaches of the River Tamar, between the village pontoon at Calstock in Cornwall, and the landing stage at Ferry Farm, on the Devon side of the river. It links the Tamara Coast to Coast Way walking route where it crosses the river, below the impressive rail viaduct at Calstock. This avoids a long diversion for trail walkers, up to Bere Alston rail station.

The ferry also runs daily trips on the river, depending on demand, either upstream towards Gunnislake, and the hidden steep valleys of the Tamar, or downstream towards the National Trust’s  Cotehele. These round-trips take about an hour, with the option to stop at Cotehele, or walk one way, then take the ferry for the return journey.

The ferry also operates special trips, depending on the tide, to experience the river at dawn or dusk, or to explore and photograph the natural environment, and industrial heritage. The ferry can be chartered for special occasions, either for pleasure, or for research or commercial uses, for example, deliveries by water.

Calstock Ferry skipper Will Mattos

PRICING

CALSTOCK QUAY < > FERRY FARM

ADULT £3.50 single/day return
CHILD £2.50 single/day return

Bicycles/pushchairs/wheelchairs etc.
FREE of CHARGE


CALSTOCK QUAY or FERRY FARM
< > COTEHELE QUAY

ADULT £5 each way
CHILD £3 each way

Bicycles/pushchairs/wheelchairs etc.
FREE of CHARGE

WELL BEHAVED DOGS WELCOME

ACCEPTED PAYMENT

CASH , CARD OR PAYPAL

If you want to avoid waiting for the ferry, then call the ferryman on 07783 432280 to ensure prompt attention

PROGRAMME

RIVER
CROSSING

The ferry will be available on-demand for crossing between the Calstock village pontoon, and the historic slipway on the opposite bank at Ferry Farm, near to the railway viaduct.
Please note, there is no parking available at Ferry Farm
This allows walkers on the Tamara Way to follow the path as it crosses the river from Devon to Cornwall. The ferry will be available each day for around 2 to 3 hours either side of high tide.

River Trip
to Cotehele

The ferry will travel regularly between Cotehele and Calstock/Ferry Farm. Passengers can stay onboard for the return trip, or may wish to walk either way, and take the ferry for the other half of their travel. This trip follows the waterfront of Calstock village, past the boatyard and former Danescombe Hotel, and along the reed banks of the nature reserve near Cotehele, as the river and its valley widens.

River Trip
towards Gunnislake

On selected days, including evenings, the ferry will make the trip upstream, passing the nature reserve at Calstock, and entering a part of the river which is seldom seen, as it has no road access, and often no footpath either. The banks become very steep and dramatic, as the river twists and becomes narrower, passing Morwhellham Quay and other remains of an industrial past. Wildlife, tranquility and natural beauty are now the main attractions.

 

FERRY TIMES

The ferry will operate from three hours before until three hours after high tide each day, daylight and weather permitting.
The following list indicates the proposed operating times for 2025, but please note that these are subject to change.
Please phone or email the ferryman to confirm.

HISTORY

Calstock has had a quay since Saxon times, and probably a ferry, too. It has certainly been running since the 19th century, when there was a large boatyard on the Devon bank, but only the yard’s slipway still exists now, where the new ferry will dock, as it always has. In the early 20th century, at the time when Calstock viaduct was being built, a small wooden ferry boat was sculled across the river, probably serving the workers at the boatyard. Up until the late 1960s, the ferry operated from a small section of unimproved river bank on the Calstock side, which could be found down a track from the main village road, overhung with trees. It’s believed that the ferryman lived in the simple stone building which still exists there, although the concrete quay around it now is relatively modern. The house near the former boatyard site, now called Ferry Farm, was once the Passage Inn, and a popular destination for ferry passengers. At the very end of the 20th century, the ferry was reinstated by the Calstock Ferry and Motor Launch Co., but this time using a larger motorised vessel, built at Beer in Devon by H.J.Mears. The ferry schedule included river trips to the National Trust property at Cotehele. This service continued into the 21st century, but a few years ago, after a couple of changes of operators, and a change of boat, it went into hiatus.
 

Thanks to the Tamara Landscape Partnership Scheme a Tamar Valley National Landscape project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and grants from Defra, the ferry is once again carrying passengers across the river.

A brand new aluminium electric landing craft – powered entirely by solar energy – now provides a sustainable way to travel. Solar panels are installed on both the ferry and the newly refurbished historic ferry boat store, where the original ferryman lived and worked in the early 1900s.

The boat store, once in disrepair, has been carefully restored with new windows, doors, and a solar-equipped roof. It now serves as the operational base for the ferry service, and as a store and workshop space for the local community.

REVIEWS & FEEDBACK

Tide Times

Weather

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