Using my monthly Stockholm public transport season ticket, I can take a ferry from Gamla Stan, the Old Town of Stockholm, over to the Gröna Lund Funfair. The journey only takes about 15 minutes, but there is something rather magical about it, especially if I am making the journey in the early evening to see a gig.
And every summer they have some marvellous gigs.
Madness, Patti Smith, Lady Gaga, Veronica Maggio, Jimi Hendrix, Ry Cooder, Bob Marley and the Wailers… to name just a few past triumphs.
Leaving the stately buildings of the Old Town and sailing towards those flashing funfair lights with a boat full of people who are all psyched up for a great evening is a thrill.
Of course, I could take a far larger boat, sail eastwards all night and wake up in Helsinki. With the Stockholm archipelago to enjoy during the first part of the journey and its Finnish counterpart on the other side of the Baltic.
In this thread I would like to hear about ferry rides. Mundane, extraordinary, exotic, hilarious, terrifying…..
Journeys that you do every day. Trips that you did once that have left a great impression on you. Or voyages that you dream of doing once you have won the lottery.
The journey time can be anything from five minutes to five hours to five months.
Other than Greta Thunberg, there are not many people who take a boat across the Atlantic these days. Maybe that is about to change? Maybe there are some here who have sailed across the Atlantic?
Please also tell us about a favourite journey down a river. Or across a lake.
That @ColinH has got me seriously inspired! I just have to get hold of a ticket to Wrangel Island!
I was delighted to discover that Pat Metheny has done a Gerry ad the Pacemakers cover
Anyway, I did my homework after my Slow Boat thread. I discovered that I can take a ferry from Aberdeen and 12 hours later I can wake up as we sail into Lerwick on Shetland. Only to find DCI Jimmy Perez and DS Alison “Tosh” MacIntosh, waiting to ask me a few questions….
Speed bonnie car, like a bird on the wing,
Over the sea to Skye.
I remember taking the ferry across to the misty island of Skye, back in the day. So I was rather astonished and a little disappointed to hear that there is now a bridge. There are many stretches of water where a ferry is no longer needed., not least between Copenhagen and Malmö.
I mustn’t grumble. Without that bridge, we would never have got to know Saga Norén from Länskrim, Malmö
That bridge is astonishing, mind, starting a a tunnel, deep in Malmo train station, and diving under the sea, before popping up again, half way across, finishing the trip to Copenhagen as a bridge. The Danes also do a stonkingly long dramatic bridge between Funen and Zealand, 2 of the 3 main land masses of the country. After all that it is a delight to have an old fashioned ferry for part of the long journey home to Blighty, Rodby to Puttgarden.
I share your disappointment with the Skye bridge, even tho it is now free. However handy it is, I still prefer the 2 ferry options that exist to get across. I spent a memorable summer visiting as many of the Hebrides, inner and outer, as I could, some ferries carrying a bare handful of cars and others being as big as cross channel jobbies. Cal Mac (Caledonian MacBrayne) provide most of the services and oft get bad press but I think they do a generally grand job. They do great bacon rolls too.
Yes, I like to get this little ferry when going to Skye. A fun journey. Must try the one that goes from/to Fort William area some time, though – a longer journey, so could be a pleasure.
https://skyeferry.co.uk
Fort William you say?
I’ve never heard of a ferry sailing from Fort Bill and I’ve been there often enough.
Perhaps you meant Mallaig?
https://www.calmac.co.uk/mallaig-armadale-skye-ferry-summer-timetable
You have to go through Fort William to get there, it’s a bit of a trek but, as you probably know, both road and rail routes are scenic.
Yes, thanks, that’s what I meant by my vague “Fort William area”: I’ve spotted it after slogging through FW on the way back from Skye, a bit out of town. Couldn’t remember the exact embarkation point.
Have you been on it? Is it a scenic journey?
I tend to go via Dalwhinnie on way to Skye and through Glencoe on way back, for variation. As you say, all good in terms of scenic driving.
My son did a music course at the college (thingy) on Skye two summers in a row. Both times we drove him there(5 1/2 hours from central Scotland..phew), and both times he wanted to come back by train, because the Mallaig to Fort William train goes over the Glenfinnan Viaduct(Harry Potter bridge), and he got to travel on the ferry.
I’ve not done the crossing to Armadale but I expect that it can’t avoid being scenic (unless the clagg is down). However I have been from Mallaig to Eigg and back on a glorious sunny day and that was great, as was our yomp round as much of Eigg as we could manage.
Minor correction – Over the weekend I recalled that my day trip to Eigg was from Arisaig.
Do you mean this one?
Threaded this into a long bike ride about 10 years ago. The narrowness of the straits between Skye and mainland mean that the tides do dramatic things. The water was churning like a boiling broth when I crossed.
Number of memorable ones. The Mersey of course. One between Germany and Denmark when the whole train I was riding in went into a boat. WTF! One of the shortest in the world taking you to the downtown airport in Toronto on an island in Lake Ontario (great view of city) and also one in Mombassa, Kenya which seemed to have about 10,000 people on and 4 of us were white. Spot the tourists! Staten Island ferry In New York too, free and a great view of the Statue of Liberty.
In the world of rock music I like the photo on the cover of the Dylan No Direction Home album where he is in Aust nr Bristol having got the ferry over from Wales (no bridge then).
I haven’t used it for many years, but the Star Ferry connecting Hong Kong to Kowloon was always very enjoyable. At night the mix of light from the buildings, the warm and humid air (depending on the season) and Hong Kong’s thrilling mix of modern, old, Western and Chinese can be almost overwhelming.
One tip: it’s easy to take a wrong direction and end up in second class rather than first (the cost difference is negligible). My mother managed to do this, in her post business lunch finery. Surrounded by Chinese workers and street traders, with animals, bicycles and so on, she had a tense few minutes, emerged unscathed and didn’t make the same mistake again.
Circular Quay to Manly, passing by the Sydney Opera House and in front of the Harbour Bridge.
Last time I went to Oz, my best man was living in Manly and his 45-min ferry commute to the Central Business District (and mine to Red Eye Records) was breathtaking.
From Manly, you can pick up the A8 road to Palm Beach aka Home & Away’s Summer Bay.
Mention of a ferry brings this to my mind:
(Partly because I heard about someone somewhere who heard “fairy” and not “ferry”.)
“Don’t pay the ferryman
Don’t even fix a price
Don’t pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the otherside”
When I tried that with the man from Stena Sealink he looked at me askance. I didn’t even make it as far as the gangplank, let alone sail to Cherbourg.
Shows you what you know, so-called Chris de Burgh.
You dodged a bullet there, frankly. A ticket on a ferry ride hurts inside. Apparently.
Waiting at Pireaus for the ferry to Poros in the early hours of the morning as cockroaches scurried across our feet. Then the return journey two weeks later sat astern was a young man with his arm round his girlfriend.
As this was the eighties he had t
the shades (tick)
the jacket sleeves rolled up (tick)
the tan (tick)
Plus a somewhat over burned skin.
As we left port, the Greek flag flying behind he turned to take one last look and threw up over the back.
Two years later my girlfriend and I took the ferry from Naxos to Delos. August and the meltemi blew, we were told we could sail on to Mykynos if we wanted or return to Naxos. The Mykynos ferry was smaller so we thought we’d return to Naxos in the larger vessel. We watched as the Mykynos ferry disappeared behind large waves but luckily reappeared and continued on its journey.
We boarded ours and set off, the waves threw us up and down, an old Greek woman in black counted her rosary.
The sailors came round with a cry of ‘Sick bags anyone want a sick bag?’ These turned out to be transparent sandwich bags, so after a while you could see what the nauseous passengers had had for lunch. Not a great help.
I worked in the Isle Of Man for a year. The Irish Sea is rough. Sick bags were regularly required but at least they weren’t transparent.
Tried to get there from Blackpool (Fleetwood?) when I was a teenager with my parents. Ended up spending 7 hrs on the boat in a force 9 gale as it was too rough to dock. Never seen so much vomit in my life! And I still have never been to the Isle of Man …
How often did you travel back and forth? I checked and see that the journey time is 2 hours 45 minutes, so I resume you went home at the weekend.
Thanks for reminding us that ferries are not always fun. A journey in balmy summer weather is one thing. The same journey in the depths of winter when it is the only way to get to work, the shops, the hospital or the state liquor store is another kettle of fish altogether.
In the early 1980s, I was lucky enough to sail with the Hurtigrute, the ferry service which sails along the Norwegian coast, all the way up to Nordkapp, the Northernmost point in Europe,
http://www.borgos.nndata.no/Hurtigruter.htm
As that article explains, what began as a vital service for remote coastal communities, has morphed into a tourist cruise. But don’t let that put you off. It is a remarkable trip.
One of the ports of call is the Lofoten Islands which are extremely beautiful and famed for their birdlife.
The Stockholm garden suburb where I grew up had its own landing bridge for the ferry route between the inner city and the archipelago, and the signs on the bridges had (still has, I guess) a red arrow that you would pull a string to hoist as a signal to the steam ferry that you wanted to be picked up. Which we would, on nice summer days when we didn’t feel like taking the metro into town, or wanted to go to an island further out for a picnic.
The Theater Boat (“Arena Teaterbåten”) would also land there, a floating stage that played all over the archipelago until the mid 80s.
We visited Gotland several summers in a row, but I have zero recollections of the ferry ride to get there, so it can’t have been very interesting…but I remember that you had to show ID to prove that you were a Swedish citizen to get on the ferry to Fårö back then (it used to be an important military area).
Earlier this summer my wife and I went to Romania with two friends and drove extensively round this beautiful country.
Down near the Black Sea we had to take this short ferry ride across a river.
We drove the car onto the ferry. Our friend and I both needed to take a comfort break. I went first into a cubicle euphemistically called a toilet.
There was no toilet paper, no tap or running water and a hole that went straight into the river.
Putting it mildly the smell was horrendous.
Less about you, please, @stevet 😍
Utterly disgusting Romanian toilets, gale force winds, vomit by the bucketload….this thread is puling no punches.
So I was delighted read about summers in the Stockholm archipelago with the Arena Theatre Boat. You always come up with interesting stuff, Locust.
Here’s a picture.
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_teaterbåten
The boat was called Nyttig and Per Simon Edström was the mastermind of the project.
Here is a more recent photo from a site about used cars!
You might enjoy this memory of the boat, Lo.
http://bastmattan.blogspot.com/2011/08/kultur-for-alla.html
http://perhilding.se/2cv/oj/dag5.html
The first time we were in New York Mrs.T and I took the Staten Island ferry for the views of the Statue of Liberty – we spent the whole trip feeling like we were in a movie.
I also took the ferry across the Mersey as a nipper. ** Hums tune**
Hope to be on the Windermere ferry in about 3 weeks time. Possibly at Broughty Ferry the week before but uncertain whether there is still one since they bridged the Tay. Funny wee toun tho’
Among my passions is one for old OS maps. These show how the great rivers of England were traced with ferries until well into the mid 20th century, well inland. Now they are remembered only by placenames, occasional staithes and slipways and improbably substantial pubs.
But deep in the heart of the Shropshire countryside survives this little beauty.
I asked for tips for an old mate’s birthday back in early summer and someone suggested old maps. I found old OS maps of where he lived when we met at college, of Oxford itself, and one of where he lives now – all very old but in great condition and quite beautiful. He was delighted, of course.
Doing the West Highland Way a few years back, you walk the wrong side of Loch Lomond from civilisation, but there is one spot where, if you ring a bell, a ferry comes across from the hotel on the opposite shore. A wonderful, if expensive, pint.
The ferry to Penang is only a short journey, and they’ve recently built a bridge. Though only those in a hurry would deprive themselves of the relief offered by the cooling breeze, the sense of anticipation as the throng mass to their chosen locations, cameras clicking and Georgetown looming on the horizon; to use the bridge.
With all the progress made in the art of bridge-buildig, I suspecty there are many ferries that have vanished in the past 100 years.
When we cross over to the island of Öland to visit family or have a holiday, the first small town we reach is Färjestaden (Ferry Town). Until 1972, that was a good description. But when the Öland Bridge opened in September 1972, the ferries rapidly closed down..
At 6072 m, the bridge is still the longest only in Sweden.
I found this film about the building of the bridge quite fascinating. I do not expect you to share my interest.
Any other place names which celebrate now redundant ferries?
Queensferry in Scotland perhaps?
There are quite a few other place names recalling something now gone. Not much of a ford at Oxford. these days.
Yebbut, what’s Michael Caine doing there?
Ferry Lane in Tottenham Hale. Presumably there was a ferry across the river Lea or Lee (it gets called both) here before the current road bridge.
Presumably there used to be a ferry across the Thames between Ferry Lane SW13 (now a cul-de-sac) on the south side and Chiswick, just a little south of Chiswick Eyot.
Similarly Ferry Lane and Ferry Road, Castelnau, just a little to the west of Hammersmith Bridge on the south side of the river, must have once had a ferry to Brentford and the north side, until Hammersmith bridge was built.
A bit further west on the north side is another Ferry Lane with Ferry Quays nearby. Perhaps this is where the ferry from the Richmond side went to, after passing Brentford Ait and another couple of small islands in the river.
Ferry Lane in Rainham must once have led to a ferry south across the Thames to Belvedere and Erith.
Ferry Road in Teddington presumably once led to a ferry north east across the river to Ham. Now replaced by a small bridge.
Ferry Road, about half way between Thames Ditton and Seething Wells must have led to a ferry north across the Thames to Hampton Court Park.
Ferry Road in Twickenham looks like it led to a Thames crossing just by the eastern end of Eel Pie Island.
Signs of other Thames crossings at West Molesey, Shepperton and Cubitt Town.
This has Notes and Queries all over it.
That is a real compliment!
What a remarkable and comprehensive list, Mike. The fruit of many years driving around Greater London.
It makes me think of Ben Aaronvitch’s excellent Rivers of London novels
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_London_(novel)
One of the great joys of reading them is his expert knowledge of arcane London history.
Rivers, lakes and seas were a means of transport long before roads were constructed..
You want comprehensive lists? My OS map scholar mates at The Charles Close Society have got those in spades.
https://www.charlesclosesociety.org/ferries
When set this challenge, no individual managed to get them all (several missed the Hampton Loade ferry that I posted above), but collectively, it’s impressive. My long term project walking the South West Coast Path takes me over many foot ferries, and cycling has found me at St Osyth waiting for the Brightlingsea ferry on a mudflat feeling like the joke is on you.
I love the scattering of villages just east of Norwich (x-ref Twang’s where would you live thread) and take my bike over when I can. I am particularly fond of the Reedham chain ferry across the Yare, and of course it’s got a pub.
Chris be Burgh makes a reference to Charon, the most famous ferryman of all. We ought to giver him a mention. Most likely to turn up these days in video games or reboots of mythology.
I enjoyed the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan but this scene from the movie is rather weak.
Young Hercules has much more fun with the reboot.
Long ago (1994?) I used the Swansea – Cork ferry to get across Eire for a week of hill walking.
At that time the vessel in use had started out serving routes in Aegean. In some parts this still showed in the decor which seemed incongruous during a grey crossing of the Irish Sea.
I’ve remembered a curious encounter at the Arran ferry.
I’d taken a party of geology students for a week to Arran in the school minibus, on the return journey we had to wait to board the ferry I asked the young ferry chap if we were alright to stop where we were. ‘Of course, I see you’re from Heckmondwike’
‘You’ve heard of it, I’m surprised very few people have’
‘Oh I used to live in the next town’
After further conversation I found that not only had he been at the same school as my son but that he’d been in the same form, and had then subsequently moved back to Arran from Yorkshire.
I am tempted to put forward a theory, Hubert, that ferry journeys for some strange reason bring about conversations like this. When I was on the Hurtigrute I got chatting to a British couple. They asked me where I was from and I told them I hailed from Pinner. Would you believe it They lived in the same, rather short street, as my parents!
The Wikipedia page on the Ferry is a quite fascinating read.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferry
Ferries across lakes in Africa and Canada.
Chain ferries over small distances.
Öresund – still the busiest route in Europe for ferries, despite the bridge.
Cruiseferries – a combination of a ferry service with a luxury cruise. The Finland ferries are a classic example of this. The essence of a ferry is that it provides a vital service in terms of goods or personal travel. Those wacking great cruise ships are NOT ferries.