The ferries in Suffolk are a series of local

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

services in the county of

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

Eastern England Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

. Most cross rivers within the county, and one connects Suffolk with

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

to the south.

Bawdsey Ferry

Bawdsey Ferry carries foot passengers and bicycles across the mouth of the

River Deben The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising to the west of Debenham, though a second, higher source runs south from the parish of Bedingfield. The river passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at ...

between Felixstowe Ferry and Bawdsey and provides continuity for the

Suffolk Coast Path The Suffolk Coast Path is a long-distance footpath along the Suffolk Heritage Coast in England. It is long. Previously known as the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Path after the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty through whi ...

and Regional Cycle Route 41. It operates from Easter weekend until the end of October on a varying timetable, and can also be used as a water taxi to moored yachts. Prior to 1894 the small passenger boats ran ferry trips. In 1894 Sir William Quilter, owner of Bawdsey Manor, established a steam-drawn

chain ferry A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

which the family owned until 1931. From 1931 until the start of WW2 Charlie Brinkley then operated a launch for passengers with his son Robert (senior). Bawdsey Manor was purchased by the RAF in 1936 to become

RAF Bawdsey Royal Air Force Bawdsey or more simply RAF Bawdsey is a former Royal Air Force station situated on the eastern coast in Suffolk, England. Also known as Bawdsey Research Station (BRS), the first Chain Home radar station was built there, charact ...

and the ferry was closed to the public during WW2. After the end of the war a daily service was operated until 1974 under contract to RAF Bawdsey and since 1974 it has operated on summer weekends only. The Bawdsey Ferry is mentioned in three acts of Parliament, the ( 50 & 51 Vict. c. xxvi), the ( 53 & 54 Vict. c. xxxv) and the ( 55 & 56 Vict. c. xvi)

Butley Ferry

A small ferry operates across the River Butley for foot passengers and for cyclists using Regional Cycle Route 41. It is operated by volunteers on weekends and bank holidays during the summer. It is the smallest licensed ferry in Europe.

Harwich Harbour Ferry

Operates across the River Stour and

River Orwell The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England from Ipswich to Felixstowe. Above Ipswich, the river is known as the River Gipping, but its name changes to the Orwell at Stoke Bridge, about half a mile below where the river beco ...

running between Harwich Quay and

Landguard Fort Landguard Fort is a fort at the mouth of the River Orwell outside Felixstowe, Suffolk, designed to guard the mouth of the river. It is now managed by the charity English Heritage and is open to the public. History Originally known as Langer ...

near to the

Port of Felixstowe The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk, is the United Kingdom's largest container port, dealing with 48% of Britain's containerised trade. In 2017, it was ranked as 43rd busiest container port in the world and 8th in Europe, with a ha ...

and also to Shotley Gate on the

Shotley Peninsula The Shotley Peninsula is a rural area east of the A137 Ipswich-Colchester road located between the rivers River Stour, Suffolk, Stour and River Orwell, Orwell in Suffolk, England. The peninsula is named after the settlements of Shotley and Sh ...

(summer only).

Southwold to Walberswick Ferry

The

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the North Sea, in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth, Suffolk, River Blyth in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths ...

Walberswick Walberswick is a village and civil parish on the Suffolk coast in England. It is at the mouth of the River Blyth on the south side of the river. The town of Southwold lies to the north of the river and is the nearest town to Walberswick, aroun ...

ferry across the River Blyth uses a traditional rowing boat. In 2017 it operated daily from the start of April to the first week of November, other than most of May and October when it ran on weekends only. Until 1885 a rowing ferry was used when a floating bridge

was started, initially hand-cranked ferry later being replaced by a steam ferry which ran until 1942 after improvements to the harbour made operation of the ferry too difficult. Frank Palmer then restarted the old rowing ferry and was succeeded by Bob Cross and David Church.

References

External links

Bawdsey Ferry

Suffolk Google Map

Butley Ferry

Google Map

Harwich Harbour Ferry

Official site for Harwich Harbour FerryGoogle Map
{{coord, 51, 56, 22, N, 1, 18, 17, E, name=Harwich Harbour Ferry

Southwold to Walberswick Ferry

Explore Walberswick - Ferry sailing times and pricesGoogle Map
Ferry transport in England Transport in Suffolk

Bawdsey Ferry

Butley Ferry

Harwich Harbour Ferry

Southwold to Walberswick Ferry

See also

References

External links

Bawdsey Ferry

Butley Ferry

Harwich Harbour Ferry

Southwold to Walberswick Ferry