Torpoint Ferry

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One of the new ferries in 2005

Lynher in 2005

The Torpoint Ferry is a car and pedestrian chain ferry crossing the Hamoaze, a stretch of water at the mouth of the River Tamar, between Devonport in Plymouth and Torpoint in Cornwall.

The service was first introduced by James Meadows Rendel between 1832 and 1834.

The route is served by three pontoon ferries, named after the three tributaries of Plymouth Sound, Plym II, Tamar II, and Lynher II. Each ferry carries 73 cars and operates using its own set of parallel chains and slipways. With all three ferries in use a 10 minute interval service is provided. The three current ferries, launched in 2004 and 2005, replaced earlier ones, Plym, Tamar, and Lynher, dating from the 1960s.^[1]

The ferries, along with the nearby Tamar Bridge, are operated by the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee, which is jointly owned by Plymouth City Council and Cornwall County Council.

As of May 2007 the toll is £1 for cars on the Torpoint to Devonport direction. There is no reciprocal charge for journeys the other way. Motorcycle riders are charged 20 pence on the Devonport to Torpoint direction, there is no additional charge for a pillion passenger. .Frequent users can reduce the fare by half by purchasing top ups online for a machine readable windscreen mounted digital payment tag also usable on the bridge.