Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
Oh so add that one to the list, and the Mountbatten Ferry and the Cawsand Ferry too.
Ferry land - which ferries have you taken and which do you wish to take before Charon rows you across the Styx.
- Thread starter tim
- Start date
philosophical
Well-Known Member
Don’t condemn me for this.
Back when I was a student I went out with a young woman from Torquay. We lived in London, and she had a car!
She was very nice, and very sweet innocent and trusting.
We got the Woolwich ferry and I persuaded her that the dividing line between the London Borough of Newham and the London Borough of Greenwich was down the middle of the Thames, and both boroughs were in dispute about funding the ferry, so the ferries would have to meet mid river and the vehicles transfer from one to the other. Extra persuasion came from seeing each ferry taking off from their side of the river at the same time.
Bless her she believed me until she saw the two ferries pass each other as they crossed.
Back when I was a student I went out with a young woman from Torquay. We lived in London, and she had a car!
She was very nice, and very sweet innocent and trusting.
We got the Woolwich ferry and I persuaded her that the dividing line between the London Borough of Newham and the London Borough of Greenwich was down the middle of the Thames, and both boroughs were in dispute about funding the ferry, so the ferries would have to meet mid river and the vehicles transfer from one to the other. Extra persuasion came from seeing each ferry taking off from their side of the river at the same time.
Bless her she believed me until she saw the two ferries pass each other as they crossed.
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
Possibly my most outstanding ferry was this beautiful 1920s ship. When I was very young and by which time it had been put on to excursion duty from Oban for its final years in service. Cruising to Staffa and Iona, where you were properly lightered ashore.
www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk
I still remember the soup moving to and fro in the plate in its grand dining room in pretty heavy seas and watching a medical evacuation by small boat, with the patient from a tiny, now completely uninhabited island winched on board in heavy seas, before the two very sturdy boatmen rowed themselves back to the island.
Ships Profile For: King George V
www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk
I still remember the soup moving to and fro in the plate in its grand dining room in pretty heavy seas and watching a medical evacuation by small boat, with the patient from a tiny, now completely uninhabited island winched on board in heavy seas, before the two very sturdy boatmen rowed themselves back to the island.
Sweet FA
✪ Three rounds Lord, in my .44 ✪
This happened to me too, sometime in the mid-70s I guess. I wonder if ships were worse or weather prediction's better. Or we were on the same boat
I love a ferry. I think most of the ones I've been on have been mentioned. I go from Portsmouth - France or Portsmouth - Spain at least once a year. Always means it's the start of the holiday; on the boat; dog in the kennel; bags in the cabin; lagers and 'entertainment' in the bar
Then a lovely swaying kip with no wake up (to Spain) or a disgusting non-switchoffable, ever increasing volume alarm at absolute bastard o clock (to France). But then you're on holiday so it doesn't matter.Used to go from Dover/Folkestone to France every year in the mid-70s to mid-80s, ("roll/-on/roll-off/rollover").
There are a couple of little ones fairly local to me: the Hythe Ferry (sadly not currently running due to issues with the pontoon). Has an added bonus: Arriving at Hythe Pier, board the World's Oldest Pier Train (official Guinness World Record) and after the short ride of 640 metres (2,100 feet) you will have travelled along one of the ten longest piers in the British Isles
Also the Hamble - Warsash ferries - "the pink ladies":
BBC - Hampshire - Places - Hamble's Pink Ladies
Between the two waterside villages of Hamble and Warsash, a little bright pink ferry plies back and forth. We take a look at its 500 year past and bright future with legendary ferryman Ray Sedgwick and current owner Mike Lindsell.
www.bbc.co.uk
Other great ferries I have loved:
La Ceiba - Utila, Honduras - saw flying fish!
Panajachel - San Pedro, Guatemala (I think Voley's done this one?)
Elpenor
Well-Known Member
One thing I used to love about car ferries was the intoxicating smell of diesel on the vehicle decks. And the blokes in their high vis overalls who’d tell you when to stop so your bumper was about an inch from the car in front. And whether or not you’d get lucky and be at the front or back of a deck to get off the other side.
And in the queue at the port before driving on to the ferry Dad was doing something or other with the headlights; putting some sort of yellow sticker on them as perhaps they used different colours in France.
One year, we overslept. We were meant to leave at 0600 from SE London for a ferry from Portsmouth to Brittany. The car would have been packed the night before so we just had to wake up and get in the car.
Anyway I woke up about 0700 and went to ask my parents why we hadn’t gone on holiday!
Apparently there was a lot of swearing from Dad - long car journeys were where I learned bad language - and we jumped in the car, apparently drove very fast (as fast as you could go in a Renault 5 anyway and almost certainly over the speed limit!) on a newly opened M25 (I think some sections were open by then ) and then I guess the A3 to get to the port
The way Mum told the story, we basically drove onto the ferry pretty much as it was leaving the port, the doors closing immediately behind us.
So perhaps this was pre Townsend thoresen which was March 1987 so I reckon summer 1986, I would have been 4 years old, turning 5 in November? This tale was always related by Mum and Dad in the vein of “wasn’t Elpenor so precociously clever at his young age to tell the time and recognise that we were late and save the holiday” so I guess I must have been quite young?
And in the queue at the port before driving on to the ferry Dad was doing something or other with the headlights; putting some sort of yellow sticker on them as perhaps they used different colours in France.
One year, we overslept. We were meant to leave at 0600 from SE London for a ferry from Portsmouth to Brittany. The car would have been packed the night before so we just had to wake up and get in the car.
Anyway I woke up about 0700 and went to ask my parents why we hadn’t gone on holiday!
Apparently there was a lot of swearing from Dad - long car journeys were where I learned bad language - and we jumped in the car, apparently drove very fast (as fast as you could go in a Renault 5 anyway and almost certainly over the speed limit!) on a newly opened M25 (I think some sections were open by then ) and then I guess the A3 to get to the port
The way Mum told the story, we basically drove onto the ferry pretty much as it was leaving the port, the doors closing immediately behind us.
So perhaps this was pre Townsend thoresen which was March 1987 so I reckon summer 1986, I would have been 4 years old, turning 5 in November? This tale was always related by Mum and Dad in the vein of “wasn’t Elpenor so precociously clever at his young age to tell the time and recognise that we were late and save the holiday” so I guess I must have been quite young?
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pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
This guy, Steve Marsh has lots of great ferry videos:
www.youtube.com
SteveMarsh
Travel. As It Is. See video descriptions for more information and FAQs. How can I support the channel? Watching my videos is of course support enough, but if you'd like to support further, I'll pop links below for Paypal and Patreon. All kind donations are super-appreciated and will ALWAYS go...
www.youtube.com
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
I've done that but in reverse. Certainly a lot calmer than the 'taxi' we got to San Pedro, which was a mini bus with just us two and one pissed off driver who decided to do the whole thing at maximum speed. Including all those downhill switchbacks into San Pedro.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
Done portsmouth bilboa twice as work thing. There was a massive bronze? sveltre painted?? steel? bull in the middle of the ship, Climbed on it at silly oclock when everyone else was asleep or vomiting.
Second run was stormy enough to throw us out of our beds, chuffed to find my stomach is complete iron and my ability to walk with the roll comes v quick. Takes ages to stop walking like that once on land.
Second run was stormy enough to throw us out of our beds, chuffed to find my stomach is complete iron and my ability to walk with the roll comes v quick. Takes ages to stop walking like that once on land.
There's one I had completely forgotten about to add to my list. Lol at the story!
The thought of that ferry route and the Santander one has always scared the shit out of me re the weather and the sea. Bay of Biscay on a boat, just say no.
isvicthere?
a.k.a. floppybollocks
Have crossed the Channel by ferry on many occasions (and Southampton to Isle of Wight a few times), but my longest trip was definitely Piraeus (port of Athens) to Iraklion (Crete) which took about eight hours.
My uncle, who lived all his life in Southampton, was in the Merchant Navy and went all round the world in his youth. However, he never went to the Isle of Wight until he was 35, when he got a job driving a van there, after which he made the ferry crossing every day.
My uncle, who lived all his life in Southampton, was in the Merchant Navy and went all round the world in his youth. However, he never went to the Isle of Wight until he was 35, when he got a job driving a van there, after which he made the ferry crossing every day.
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BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
We've got a couple of ferry trips planned for later in the year.
Scotland in May where we'll definitely do Gourock-Dunoon-Gourock and might go over to Arran.
Guernsey in July from Poole.
Mr B won't fly, but he loves a ferry!
Scotland in May where we'll definitely do Gourock-Dunoon-Gourock and might go over to Arran.
Guernsey in July from Poole.
Mr B won't fly, but he loves a ferry!
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
None of us are astonished that you have definitely been on one particular ferry more times than we decent people have been of all the other ferries combined . And don’t think we don’t know what you get up to in your cabin. Eugh.
smmudge
i know the smudge is true
Oh nice where are you staying? Feel free to give me a shout when you're over if you like
MrsArcanum
Happy Year of The Luminous Lemur 2025
Did the Bablock Hythe ferry in the 1960s with my Dad.
Sadly no longer exists.
Bablock Hythe - WHERE THAMES SMOOTH WATERS GLIDE
Boating Guide to Bablock Hythe and the Ferryman Inn on the River Thames,UK
thames.me.uk
Sadly no longer exists.
BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
Oh nice where are you staying? Feel free to give me a shout when you're over if you like
Thank you!
Not booked anything yet, but probably in St Peter Port.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
The only ferry I have been on is the Dover Calais ferry. When the tunnel was completed, I continued using the ferry because it is civilised, you can eat a sit down meal and relax while you meaningfully break your journey.
I did once try the tunnel, what a shameful excuse for transport.
I did once try the tunnel, what a shameful excuse for transport.
ouirdeaux
Caring, Understanding, Non-judgemental Type
I feel terribly sad now.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
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