In Praise of Cornish Ferries

 We regularly visit Cornwall and usually take a ferry trip as part of the holiday. This year was no exception. We stayed near the Lizard and took the foot ferry across the Helford River to Helford Passage (Glendurgan) and later when we stayed near Mevagissey we took the ferry to Fowey.

I think this was the first time we crossed the Helford River but the Mevagissey - Fowey ferry is an old favourite. 

Helford Ferry

I notice from our blog that in 2013 we took the same journey and our eldest granddaughter Amelia, then just three, “took the controls” of the boat on the journey. The sea state for this year’s trip was not so calm and on the way back from Fowey the side screens on the NB Bessie James had to be raised with a strong offshore wind and choppy waves creating spray.

Leaving Mevagissey

We can recommend the Helford River Ferry trip because both the villages of Helford and Helford Passage are delightful (with good pubs at either end). We spent a wonderful afternoon at Trebah Gardens which has developed into a must-see location for gardeners. I managed to cross the Helford River four times during our visit because Maggie left her newly purchased walking stick at the pub and I volunteered to go back to get it.

So just how many public ferries are there in Cornwall and how many have we, over the years, used? Well the Cornwall Council web site very usefully provides a definitive list as part of its public transport service remit.

Foot Ferries

Cawsand - Plymouth 

Falmouth - Flushing *

Falmouth - St Mawes *

Falmouth - Trelissick - Tolverne - Malpas/Truro *

Helford Passage - Helford Village *

Mevagissey - Fowey *

Mount Edgcumbe - Plymouth 

Padstow - Rock*

Penzance - Isles of Scilly 

Polruan - Fowey *

St Mawes - Place*

We have used all the foot ferries above with an asterisk. We have yet to visit the Isles of Scilly and haven’t had a vacation near Plymouth, so I suppose it’s safe to say that we have tried all those “local” to us - currently 8/12. I think my favourite is the Mevagissey to Fowey ferry, but the quaint and very short journey from St Mawes to Place is fun. It turns a 8 mile walk into a mile and a half boat ride (no contest unless you want the exercise).

Vehicle and Foot Passenger

Feock - Philleigh*

Fowey - Bodinnick Ferry *

Torpoint - Plymouth - Torpoint Ferry

Of the vehicle ferries, we have used the two in the west. Most notable is the wonderful, and popular, King Harry Ferry which takes you close to that jewel of a National Trust property, Trellisick.

When we visited Fowey this year we saw the Bodinnick car ferry operating and the Polruan Ferry foot ferry was very busy. The short trip across the river, the long journey around the estuary and the difficulty of parking in Fowey must help keep the foot ferry thriving.  

Bodnnick Car Ferry

Although going by boat in Cornwall is great fun, I don’t think I can leave this post without reporting on an incident that happened to us in the 1980s. We went for an afternoon trip to Falmouth from St Mawes with our family (four adults and two children). It was a warm summer Sunday. As we got near to Falmouth we casually asked the boat skipper when was his last journey of the day. “This is the last journey – I’m mooring up at Falmouth”. We had an expensive 30 mile round trip in taxi to get back to St Mawes and it was a squash getting us all in the car together. That’s probably why the Mevagissey to Fowey ferry take great care to tell you their running times and insist that if you book a particular time slot you stick to it. Pity the skipper in the 1980s didn’t do the same. Still, we learned a lesson about ferry travel.  

Cornwall - boats and ships

We spent last week on holiday with the family in Mevagissey, Cornwall. It was a great holiday, despite variable weather; being grandparents is a privilege and and a joy. We stayed in Mevagissey just under two years a ago and enjoyed the trawler racing. This year, being earlier in the year it was much quieter but we did manage to visit Charlestown and take a trip to Fowey on the Mevagissey - Fowey ferry.

Mevagissey Harbour

Charlestown is the base for the Square-Sail Company who run several tall ships. We have visited Charlestown a few times before, notably in 2003, 2009 and 2011. In summer 2011 we actually passed Phoenix, the  two masted barque owned by the company, while we were on our way to Sharpness on Albert. Phoenix was on its way to Gloucester for a Tall-Ships Festival.

Albert passing Phoenix near Saul Junction on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal in August 2011

This time the dock at Charlestown was relatively quiet. In the past we have found three sailing ships in port but this time only the Earl of Pembroke was at home and ship tours were not being offered. It appears that the Phoenix is due to arrive in Charlestown from Gloucester next Friday. It would be great to see her enter the tiny dock at Charlestown because the entrance is very tight and set at a sharp angle.

Earl of Pembroke at her home port

At the moment Charlestown dock and the ships are owned by the Square Sail Company but they were up for sale last year. I don't know what the latest position is regarding ownership but I hope this wonderful little port continues to be a sailing ship base after the current owner retires.

The Mevagissey - Fowey ferry is a slick operation and very professionally run. The whole of our immediate family, daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren, went to Fowey for the day on the ferry. The trip takes around 50 minutes across St Austell Bay and on a a good day it provides good views of St Austell, Charlestown, Par, Polkerris and the Fowey Estuary. 

The Route of the Mevagissey - Fowey Ferry

On the trip over to Fowey it was calm and our granddaughter Amelia, aged three, took a turn steering MB Bessie James. Her Grandad watched on enviously.

MB Bessie James at Mevagissey Harbour

Amelia at the helm of MV Bessie James with an anxious skipper and Maggie watching on

Earlier in the week we had seen a cruise ship leave the Fowey estuary an travel towards Plymouth so it came as no surprise to see another cruise ship in port at Fowey - the MV Voyager. She stayed in port all day and we kept on spotting her crew around the town. There was quite tight security on the Town Wharf for passengers and crew with security guards using aircraft style scanners.   

Fowey Quay with MV Voyager

MV Voyager preparing to depart

We had a great day out around the town of Fowey and spent sometime on Readymoney Beach. The tide was out and sandcastle building was the order of the day. Just above the beach is the home of Dawn French.

Readymoney Beach and Poldrith Cove, Fowey

(Dawn French lives at the large house overlooking the cove)

Fishing Boat arriving at Fowey

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Fishermans Friends

We went back to the north coast Cornwall in 2010 and stayed at Port Quin. We spent one memorable night on the beach at Port Issac listening to the Fisherman's Friends. Earlier this week I played their album. How sad they have suffered a terrible tragic accident at Guilford.

Fishermans Friends appearing at Port Isaac in 2010

Trawler Racing

Yes, we've been away and not on Albert - that may happen next month. We spent the last week in July at a great holiday house that overlooks Mevagissey harbour. Unlike St Anthony, where we spent a week in 2009, the seas around St Austell and Mevagissey are relative quite for shipping. However, there is an active trawler fleet based in the harbour and the village still revolves around fish and the sea. It was pure coincidence that we chose the week we did, but we were very pleased to find that we had chosen Mevagissey Feast Week - a long established festival loosely based on the sea and originally set to celebrate the villages patron saint - St Peter.

Throughout the week there were numerous activities, including bands performing on a stage on the harbour, parades, food events, concerts, fish auctions and, of course, a floral dance.


Fish Festival stalls

However, the one event that really grabbed my attention was the trawler, or more accurately fishing boat racing. It consisted of a handicapped race around buoys placed in the bay. The local fishing boats were dressed overall and packed with friends and family all having a great time. There was the usual winners prize and also a prize for the "best dressed boat".


Dressed Overall


Complete with sponsorship

The weather whilst were in Cornwall was dry and bright, but the day of the boat racing a sea fret came in and visibility was very poor. The foghorn on the harbour wall sounded all morning. The race was postponed until the afternoon when the mist lifted.


Testing Visability

The racing was quite exciting even viewed from the land but being handicapped it was very difficult to establish who were the leaders. Turning around the buoys was a cut throat bussiness with nobody giving way without a fight. Amongst the entrants were the usual array of different size fishing boats and some visiting classic lifeboats. They looked particularly great. Apart from their design it was difficult to tell that they were not currently commissioned. A close examination by binoculars revealing the tell-tale "former RNLI lifeboat .." was the give away.


Waiting for the start


Negotiating a buoy


Not much freeboard! - note the classic lifeboat in the background.


Lots of flags

We had a great time over the week. We can recommend Mevagissey and its Feast Week. We shall try and come again, and if so, at the same time.

Forty-year old blog

No not really – I know blogs have only been around since 1999.

Maggie and I spent our honeymoon, 40 years ago, in a special location – Doyden Castle. Sometimes called a folly, this miniature castle was built in the 1830s as a drinking and gambling den for Samuel Symons of Wadebridge. It nestles on the cliffs above Port Quin in Cornwall and is a National Trust cottage that is rented to visitors. It used to sleep three but now is designed to sleep just two.


Doyden Castle, Port Quin, Cornwall

In 1970 we enjoyed two weeks in this isolated spot; this time we just spent a week. As soon as we had arrived on our second visit, this July, we realised that the visitor’s books from 1968 were still kept in the property. Originally there was an official National Trust visitor’s book in the property. This had the usual information – date, name and address, a small section for comments. This in itself is an interesting document covering a period from 1968 to date. Our 1970 entry was there, near the beginning of the book with our address in Loughborough.


The Visitors Book, Doyden Castle

However, the really fascinating part was not the visitor’s book proper but the accompanying documents. In 1970 an earlier visitor had started a journal for the cottage in an exercise book. It gave useful details of where to buy vegetables, where to get milk, how to get post and importantly where to dine out and what beaches to visit. By the time of our 1970 entry it had moved on slightly from purely factual information to recording what visitors had done and some opinions on some local facilities. But by 2010 the one small exercise book had become ten books of a continuous log that covered everything that a modern blog does.


First of Ten Volumes, Doyden Castle Journal


The journals were stuffed with full factual information, some of which related the price of goods 40 years ago (pre-decimalisation) but they also contained opinions on everything from the government of the time, the weather, the wildlife spotted to, of course, the castle ghost – the ‘grey man’. Some visitors were enthused enough by the castle and its superb location to write poetry (of mixed quality). Some visitors came regularly from the USA and one family from London came every year for over 25 years.


Doyden Castle from Port Quin Harbour

There were some amusing entries about the behaviour of wildlife. The two woodlice that lived in the castle were called Wilfred and Wilhemina and the name stuck. There is a very amusing tale in the journals of how Wilhemina was rescued from drowning in the washing up bowl; how did they tell the sex of a woodlouse? There are also interesting entries related to the 1975 BBC TV series Poldark which featured the castle; it was Dr Dwight Enys' house in Series 1. Some entries described the filming of the series around Port Quin. One entry included a description of how the entry of a boat into Port Quin was simulated by moving a painted glass image of a boat in front of the camera whilst filming the harbour. No wonder a more modern entry described Poldark as having shaky camera work, shaky acting and even shakier scripts – obviously not a fan. The castle was also a location the 1989 treasure hunt style series – Interceptor which stared Sean O’Kane and Annabel Croft.


Evening View from Doyden Castle

One of the ten volumes even record tragedy. In June 1995 a resident in the castle noted a tall ship making its way along the coast towards The Rumps; a rocky outcrop near Pentire Point and close to the entrance to the Camel estuary and Padstow harbour. He wondered why it was running so close to the shore. The ship was the 137-year-old barque Maria Assumpta, then the oldest square-rigger afloat. She continued on a steady course across Lundy Bay and ran onto the rocks and was destroyed. Three people died and the Captain was jailed for 18 months for manslaughter. It appeared that she had just been refitted at Gloucester and he had been told not to hug the coast, and that the fuel for the auxiliary engines was contaminated. When they got into difficulties and tried vainly to use the engines they failed. Entries in the journals following the disaster recorded the search for bodies using helicopters and wreckage being washed ashore for weeks.


The Maria Asumpta


Doyden Castle with The Rumps across the bay

Maggie & I brought books to read on our holiday but we didn’t touch them – the visitor books were just too fascinating. Long may they survive and flourish. Maybe one day they will feature as an historic item in some local Cornish National Trust property, or just maybe they will be scanned and be placed on the web?

Bude Canal

You don't often connect Cornwall with canals.

Maggie & I recently celebrated our Ruby (40th) wedding anniversary by going to Cornwall and staying in the same National Trust cottage we stayed in 40 years ago this July - more of that later. With that and a family & friends party at home we haven't had much boat(ing) related activity recently.

However (there always should be a however), we did manage to visit the Bude Canal on our way down west. I had read recently The Bude Canal by Helen Harris & Monica Ellis which is part of the David & Charles series. It was published in 1972 so there is little of the recent renovations in the book.

The Bude Canal has a thriving restoration group the Bude Canal and Harbour Society that has an excellent exhibition at the visitors centre close to the sea lock at Bude. The canal was built between 1819 and 1825 mostly for the transportation of sand from Summerleaze Beach into the interior of Devon and Cornwall. The sand was used to fertilise the acid soil. It was a combination of barge canal near the coast and tub-boat canal elsewhere with a plethora of inclined planes powered by water - waterwheel and also "bucket in a well".

In the limited time available,we were just passing through, we only had time to explore the area around the sea lock. Having said that it is an impressive structure that has to stand up to the rigours of some fierce westerly storms. It has been seriously damaged a few times, the most recently in 2008.


Sea-lock, Bude Canal


Looking out to see from the lock, Bude


Sea-lock from the canal


Lock gates, Bude Sea Lock


Maggie couldn't resist try to move the lock beams (they are bolted shut!)

From the Bude tourist information and visitors centre (which is very good and has a sectiuon dealing with the canal) I purchased a book that brings up to date the Helen Harris book. It is Bude Canal - Past & Present by Bill Young and Bryan Dudley Stamp. Published by the local council (Bude-Stratton Town Council) in 1998, and revised in 2009, it is an excellent read and well illustrated. I certainly got more from this book than the much longer but more erudite Helen Harris book; maybe it's the heavy use of illustrations that modern books have. I certainly did not fully understand the mechanisms used to power the inclined planes until I read the newer book. It could be a great resource if you plan to walk along the course of the canal or investigate the sites of the inclined planes.


Falcon Hotel and restored canal basin


Detail of display showing one type of mechanism used to power the inclined planes - "bucket & well"

I also bought a small pamphlet published by the BCHS - The Bude Canal some interesting facts. Designed for the casual visitor, it certainly helps flesh out some of the detail about the canal that actually isn't in other books. It costs about £2.00. There is a great drawing of the tub-boats (complete with wheels for negotiating the inclined planes) and some brilliant pictures showing how sand was transported by a narrow gauge horse drawn railway from the beach to the basin just above the sea lock where it was emptied into either sea going vessels for export or tub boats for farms inland.


Railway used to transport sand from the beach to the canal basin

The BCHS also do guided walks along the route of the canal during the summer.

Cruise Ships, Tall Ships and a link to Canals

We left St Anthony Head last Friday and travelled home to Northants.

Before we left we found that the cruise ship Albatros had arrived over night and was moored up at Carrick Roads near St Mawes castle.


Cruise ship Albatros

On our journey through St Austell we diverted to visit the historic port of Charlestown. Since we last visited the harbour in 2003 the area around the port has been developed. The tourist attraction is much bigger and there are several more restaurants.


Charlestown Harbour in 2003 with Kaskelot, Earl of Pembroke, and Phoenix


Earl of Pembroke and Phoenix in Charlestown Harbour in 2003

The port is the base for the Square Sail Company who operate their squared-rigged vessels from the port. They are mostly used for television and the movies. In 2003 all three of their vessels were in port but there was no explanantion of their history.


Kaskelot in Charlestown Harbour in 2009

This time just the three-masted barque Kaskelot was in port but she was open to visitors for a small fee. It was fascinating investigating her. She was laid down the year I was born, 1947, and spent her early life around Greenland. Her hull is in oak, but has some steel plating on her bows to protect her from ice. An interesting addition to her rigging are baggywrinkles. They are made from old frayed rope and are to protect the sails and movable rigging from rubbing against the fixed rigging.


Foremast of the Kaskelot (showing a baggywrinkle on the right of the picture)


Bows of the Kaskelot

What is the connection with canals? Well all the ships owned by square sail have all visited Gloucester Docks using the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.

Another Research Ship

This evening the Cefas Endeavour entered Falmouth harbour. She is another research ship but not sponsored by NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) as with the James Cook, but by Defra. Cefas is the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science and is an agency of Defra. It is effectively the fisheries arm of government sponsored science. Their main base is in Lowestoft which is where the Cefas Endeavour is registered.

Yesterday I spotted an unidentified tanker being bunkered (refuelled) in Falmouth Bay. My binoculars were not good enough tho make out her name. It appears she is the MV Tarnvik . Tomorrow she departs Falmouth Bay and so do we.


St Anthony Head

Ships in the landscape and at sea

Today the weather cleared and visibility from St Anthony Head was very good. This morning the six vessels waiting for orders are now down to five. The Methania appears to have gone, however the Falmouth Port website shows that she will be back on Friday. The MV Ormond is being bunkered in the bay.

We took a trip to Trelissick Gardens, the excellent National Trust Gardens close to King Harry Ferry on the River Fal. As always there were ships "mothballed" upstream of the ferry. Given the narrow nature of the channel, they appear to dwarf the surroundings.

The new King Harry Chain Ferry on the River Fal

The ferry is new with glass sides and glass observation panels so the moving chains can be seen.

Just some of the ships anchored by King Harry Ferry

The view of the ships from Trelissick is almost surreal.

Ships in the landscape, King Harry Ferry 

(Tregothnan estate is on the the hill)

In the evening, from our vantage point on St Anthony Head, we saw a UK Border Agency (formerly HM Customs) cutter race across Falmouth Bay and overhaul a former fishing boat heading for the Helford River. The Border Agency crew boarded the boat using an inflatable but she continued her journey. It appears that there are five similar Border Agency cutters operating around the UK. We also watched the coastguard ship Anglian Princess enter port. Appropriately enough she is registered in Lowestoft.

More ship movements in poor visibilty

Today the weather was not good with a sea fog and occasional light rain. The fog horn at the lighthouse on St Anthony head intermittently sounded and a couple of unidentified container ships were being bunkered.


St Anthony Head light house

In the afternnon we travelled to St Mawes and whilst watching the shipping at St Mawes Castle we saw the research ship RRS James Cook arrive from an expeditition exploring the mid-atlantic ridge. This time last year a friend of ours, who works on geology at the Open University, went on a similar expedition.


RRS James Cook arriving at Falmouth in poor visibility, Sept 8th, 2009

Onboard this year they had an extra passenger; the ship has rescued Peter Bray, a rower attempting a trans-atlantic crossing.