The Crossing Is the Point: Five Small Car Ferries Worth Building a Day Around

There is a particular satisfaction in a ferry you did not strictly need. The bridge is fifteen minutes up the road, the long way round is free, and yet here you are: engine off, handbrake on, watching someone in a hi-vis take your money while a heron lifts off the mud and a dog in the next car loses its mind.

That is the brief for this lot. Five small vehicle crossings where the water is the attraction and the far bank is a bonus. All of them take cars, all of them are better done as a loop than a there-and-back, and none of them should be attempted on a tight schedule.

Fares and running times change, so treat any figures here as a nudge rather than a quote — check the operator's own page the week you go.

1. King Harry Ferry, Cornwall

A chain ferry across the River Fal between Feock and Philleigh, and the reason the Roseland Peninsula has never felt quite as remote as it looks on the map. Without it you are driving up to Truro and back down again; with it, you get ten minutes of grey river water, oak woods on both banks and the distinct sense of having slipped through a side door.

The loop: cross from the Truro side, take the lanes down to St Mawes for a walk out along the coast path towards St Anthony Head, then come back on the King Harry again or carry on round via Veryan. On the near side, Trelissick's gardens are a decent place to burn an hour and its cafe does a reliable sandwich.

Watch out for: summer queues, especially on a Saturday morning. The ferry runs frequently but the queue does not care about your plans. Also note that the crossing is not cheap for a car — it is a toll, not a public service, and the price is per vehicle rather than per person.

2. Sandbanks to Shell Bay, Dorset

Three minutes of water, if that. The Poole Harbour chain ferry is the shortest crossing on this list and arguably the most dramatic, because you are being dragged across the mouth of one of Europe's largest natural harbours with the tide ripping through underneath you.

The loop: come down through Canford Cliffs or Bournemouth, cross to Shell Bay, then pootle through Studland and out towards Wareham or Corfe. A walk from Shell Bay along the South West Coast Path towards Old Harry Rocks is short, flat-ish and hands you the best view in Dorset within twenty minutes. The Bankes Arms at Studland does a proper lunch; the National Trust cafe at Shell Bay does a proper ice cream.

Watch out for: this one is genuinely busy in July and August, and the queue can back up onto the approach road. It is also one of the crossings most affected by wind and swell — a stiff south-westerly can stop it, and then everyone has to go the long way round via Wareham. Keep an eye on vehicle length and height limits if you are in a van or towing.

3. Reedham Ferry, Norfolk

A tiny chain ferry over the River Yare, one of the last of its kind in the Broads, and a genuinely lovely thing to watch work: a flat platform, a couple of chains, and a pub roughly nine paces from the slipway on the north bank.

The loop: approach from Reedham village, cross, and take the marsh lanes towards Haddiscoe and St Olaves before looping back through the Yare valley. The walk along the riverbank from the ferry is level, quiet and full of things that fly — marsh harriers, the odd bittern if you are very lucky and very patient. The Reedham Ferry Inn is right there, which removes all the usual logistics of a pub walk.

Watch out for: the ferry is small and can be out of action for maintenance or high water. It does not run around the clock, so the last crossing of the day matters far more than the first. If it is off, the drive round via Reedham bridge is not the end of the world — just plan for it.

4. Windermere Ferry, Cumbria

The chain ferry across Windermere from Mallam Tarn to Far Sawrey is almost a public utility, but it does not feel like one. The crossing is short, the deck is open, and the view back up the lake towards the fells is worth the fare on its own.

The loop: come in from Bowness or Hawkshead, cross to Far Sawrey, then wander up to Hill Top (Beatrix Potter's house, book ahead) and stop at the Cuckoo Brow Inn for something warm. A short walk to Moss Eccles Tarn is a good leg-stretch if you have not been in the car long enough to deserve the pub.

Watch out for: school holidays. This is a commuter crossing for people who live on the western shore as well as a tourist attraction, and queues build fast. There are vehicle weight and length limits, and the ferry can be suspended in high winds or, occasionally, very low water. It also stops in the evening, which catches people out after a long day on the fells.

5. Glenelg to Kylerhea, Highland

The odd one out, and the best one. A turntable ferry — the last of its kind in Scotland, community-run — bobbing across the Kylerhea narrows to Skye, the way people used to cross before the bridge was built. The deck holds a handful of cars. The crossing takes minutes. You will remember it for considerably longer than that.

The loop: down the single-track road from Glenelg to the slipway, across the water, then the steep climb up to the Broadford road. From there you can return over the Skye Bridge and back round via Kyle and the coast road to Glenelg, which makes a genuinely excellent half-day. At the Glenelg end, the Iron Age brochs of Dun Telve and Dun Troddan are a short walk from the road. At the Kylerhea end there is a wildlife hide above the narrows where you may see seals, otters or, if fortune is on your side, a sea eagle.

Watch out for: season and weather. This is a seasonal crossing, generally running from spring to autumn, and it does not sail in poor conditions or at certain states of tide. It is also tiny — booking is sensible in summer and essential if you are in anything larger than a hatchback. The approach roads are single-track with passing places, so add real time to your schedule and resist the urge to hurry.

Before you set off

• Carry a little cash. Most of these take cards now, but small crossings and rural signal do not always agree.
• Check the last crossing, not the first. Almost every ferry-related disappointment is an evening one.
• Weather beats timetables. Chain ferries stop for wind, high water, low water and a bloke with a spanner. Build slack in.
• Know your length. Six-metre limits are common on the little ones, and a roof box or bike rack can tip you into a different category.
• Turn the engine off in the queue. You will be sitting there a while, and the person behind you will thank you.

None of these crossings will get you anywhere faster. That is not what they are for. Take the loop, take the walk, take the pint — and let the water do the rest.