Not all commuter journeys are crowded and stressful.

Workers commuting to Plymouth each day from the beautiful Rame Peninsula area,

just across the River Tamar in Cornwall, have a ten minute ferry ride from Cremyll to Plymouth

to relax and enjoy the view. 

However, I suspect that during some of this winter's storms this section of their journey to work became a bit of a "white knuckle ride".

The ferry between England and Cornwall

Looking out from Mount Wise as a ferry crosses from Plymouth to Mount Edgecumbe.

Beyond the ferry lies Plymouth Sound with its Breakwater, 

which helps to protect the city's waterfront from the worst ravages of winter storms. 

 

A cold, blustery afternoon on the River Tamar

The ferry from the beautiful hamlet of Cremyll, on the Cornish bank of the river,

makes it way back to Admiral's Hard, its terminus in Stonehouse, on the Plymouth shore.

The river frontage of the Stonehouse district of Plymouth, 

like all the other "waterside" areas of the city,is under constant redevelopment.

 Many of the once prestigious but now shabby, older properties are being expensively
 renovated and returned to their original state.
While other sites are being cleared so that new apartment developments can rise in their place.  

A few hundred metres along the shoreline from the area above,
is the first phase of a major residential development in Millbay Dock, in Stonehouse.

The Mount Batten Ferry

Plymouth Sound is criss-crossed by ferries and pleasure boats.

Here we see the yellow Mount Batten Ferry crossing the Cattewater, 

from the Barbican Ferry Terminal to the Mount Batten Peninsula.

Early morning

Looking down from Mount Wise on to the River Tamar where it flows into Plymouth Sound.

The early morning ferry crossing from Plymouth to Cremyll,

to pick up commuters on their way to work in the city.

Deserted.

The Barbican Landing Stage has seen virtually no passengers, coming or going, for many days now.

The small ferry boats that normally criss cross Plymouth Sound have all suspended their services 

due to the continuing gale force winds.

The daily Cross Channel link, from Plymouth to Roscoff, in France, 

is also stormbound, and has not run for days.

Only those craft which operate in the relative calm of the River Tamar are running normally.

If video killed the radio star .....

....... then the road and rail bridges across the Tamar, 

between Plymouth and Saltash, put paid to the ferryman.

This sculpture commemorates the ferry service, dating back over 900 years, 

which finally ceased in October 1961 when the Tamar Road Bridge opened.

The Ferryman is looking across the river to the Plymouth shore, from the slipway in Cornwall  to the slipway in Devon, which was in front of the blue building on the right of the picture. 

Walking the plank.

There are always small ferryboats plying their regular routes in and around Plymouth Sound.

But in Summer the number increases dramatically.

This one is landing on the beach at Cawsand, on the Cornish shore of the Sound.

There was no need for this little

"waiting room" on this beautiful day, waiting passengers enjoyed sitting on the beach in the sun.

Come back tomorrow and have a look around Cawsand.

Cremyll

Yesterday I took the ferry, from Stonehouse to Cremyll, across the Tamar to visit the daffodil fields.The service keeps to a strict year round timetable, as it is an important commuter link. The weather was superb.

The first child was already busy on the beach, early visitors were entering the 865 acres Mt. Edgecumbe Country Park, the first customers were enjoying coffee by the river, outside the the Edgecumbe Arms and the water sparkled as they looked back to Plymouth.

Crossing the Tamar

Looking down from Mount Wise to the mouth of the Tamar, to the narrows between Devils Point and Mt Edgecumbe Park, where the river enters Plymouth Sound.

The ferry from Stonehouse is crossing to Cremyll, having just passed the Royal William Yard.

This was once the victualling base for the Royal Navy but is now being redeveloped with apartments, restaurants, galleries, etc. We'll take a look inside tomorrow.

Crossing the Tamar

The River Tamar marks the frontier between England and the Celtic nation of Kernow (Cornwall).

The rail bridge and the road bridge were built a hundred years apart linking Plymouth to Saltash.

Today the road bridge is the busiest of all the crossings.

3 Large ferries, each capable of carrying 70 cars, ply between Plymouth and Torpoint on the Cornish side providing a service 24/7.

The smallest year round service sails from Stonehouse, on the Plymouth side to the Cornish village of Cremyll. This gives access to Mount Edgecombe Park and the Rame Peninsula. This is a very popular summer route for walkers who follow the coastline of Plymouth Sound to the village of Cawsand. Take a stroll around Cawsand and see why it is such a popular destination.