Calstock has had a quay since Saxon times, and probably a ferry, too. It has certainly been running since the 19^th 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 20^th 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.

 

The establishment of the Tamara Way, a walking trail along the full length of the River Tamar, and the interest this has generated, has created the opportunity to bring back the ferry service, using a modern low-carbon low-impact easy-access electric vessel, compatible with modern priorities.