Thelwell Ferry

The south side ferry terminal

I first came across this interesting ferry while researching a trip to Liverpool last April. Due to the weather, I never made it here. Today I finally did, it’s well worth the visit.

The ferry has been there since the Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894. The ship canal company had to maintain all public rights of way. Most of the time a bridge was built, either high level or swing. At the Thelwell ferry location there was a public footpath, rather than building a bridge they decided on a small ferryboat service. It’s been in operation since the canal opened and needs to be maintained in future years.

It was originally known as the penny ferry, the charge for using it (in old money).

It’s now called the Thelwell Ferry and it’s free.

Until recently it was operated by a small rowboat, it’s now operated by a small propellor operated boat.

The ferry man’s hut

South Terminus

The South terminus is easily accessible by bus (which is what I did, see below).

At the south terminus there’s a landing stage and the ferryman’s hut. I never managed to see the inside of the hut, but it reveals a lot about the ferrymen. It contains a small wooden box where the ferrymen have carved messages over the years. The ferry boat is parked here when not in use.

There’s a pub nearby, The Pickering Arms. I never visited it, it’s not my sort of pub and it looks expensive. According to the website describing the pub, there are issues with type of dispense for real ales.

Easterly view along the canal, towards Thelwell Viaduct

Westerly view along the canal, towards Latchford Viaduct

Westerly view along the canal, towards Latchford Viaduct

People waiting for the ferry on the north bank

North Terminus

There’s no public transport at the north terminus.

There is little to see at the landing stage, most of it has been fenced off, as you can see in the above photo.

If you catch the ferry over from the south, there are two options for onward travel, and both require you to walk. The first is to walk along the track behind the terminal to the Latchford Locks (turn left). You can then cross the lock to the south side and catch the bus back to Warrington. Because I like engineering, this is the one I chose.

The track was an old railway used during the construction of the canal, and then for the transport of goods.

The other option is to walk through the Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve and catch a bus on the far side. If you are going to do this, you need a map showing the paths, and more importantly the bridges over the river Mersey, there are not many. This looks interesting, one day I’ll return to try it.

If you’re hoping to catch the ferry from the north terminal, you may be disappointed. If it’s not running, you will need to walk to Latchford to catch a bus.

Ferry crossing back to the south bank

Ferry back at the south bank

South bank terminus

View towards the Thelwell Viaduct from Latchford Locks

Ferry Times and Getting There

The ferry runs between 7:00 and 9:00; 12:00 and 14:00; and 16:00 and 18:00 Monday to Saturday. On Sunday and Bank Holidays, it doesn’t run between 07:00 and 09:00. It takes about four minutes to cross, direct. When I caught it, the ferry man didn’t go directly across, he went towards Latchford for a bit to allow me to take some photos.

If the weather is windy, it may be cancelled. The operators Bilway Marine Services Ltd, publish a phone number on their website, which you can phone it to see if the service is operating. I took a chance; the sun was shining and there was no wind, so I reckoned I’d be ok.

I caught the bus to the south terminal from the Warrington Interchange. The 5 or 5A (the fastest) will get you there, one each per hour. The journey takes around thirty minutes. You need to get off at the Pickering Arms stop and then walk down Ferry Lane. There are announcements on the bus to tell you when you get there. There are also screens showing you the next few stops along the way.

There’s no public transport close to the north terminus.

From the north terminus the nearest bus is also the 5/5A. To catch it you need to follow the track to the Latchford Lock and then cross it. Once you reach the road, the bus stop is outside the shop just up the road, turn left. I’d allow 20/30 minutes depending on how fit you are.

If you come in a car there is no parking. On the south side there is some on-street parking nearby. On the north side the nearest parking is ten minutes away. If the ferry is not running when you come back, it’s a long walk back to your car from the north terminal, beware.

Hulme Free Ferry

There is one other ferry across the canal, The Hulme Free Ferry. Sometime this year I hope to investigate it.