The Barmouth Ferry provides a passenger service across the

River Mawddach The Afon Mawddach ( en, River Mawddach, italic=yes) is a river in Gwynedd, Wales, which has its source in a wide area north of Dduallt in Snowdonia. It is 28 miles (45 km) in length, and is much branched; many of the significant tri ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

county, north

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. There are currently two ferry operators on the harbour. The service usually operates from April to October. Barmouth Ferry Seren Wen

Route

The ferry connects the town of

Barmouth Barmouth ( cy, Abermaw (formal); ''Y Bermo'' (colloquial)) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in the county of Gwynedd, northwestern Wales, lying on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the Historic coun ...

with Penrhyn Point on the opposite bank of the estuary, and about two miles north of

Fairbourne Fairbourne is a seaside village in Gwynedd, Wales. Located on the coast of Barmouth, Barmouth Bay in Arthog Community (Wales), community, to the south of the estuary of the River Mawddach, it is surrounded by Snowdonia National Park. It is in an ...

. There is a direct interchange with

Barmouth Ferry railway station Barmouth ( cy, Abermaw (formal); ''Y Bermo'' (colloquial)) is a seaside town and community in the county of Gwynedd, northwestern Wales, lying on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the historic county of Merionet ...

, the northern terminus of the

Fairbourne Railway The Fairbourne Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd y Friog) is a gauge miniature railway running for from the village of Fairbourne on the Mid-Wales coast, alongside the beach to the end of a peninsula at Barmouth Ferry railway station, where there i ...

. The crossing takes approximately five minutes.

Barmouth Bridge Barmouth Bridge ( Welsh: ''Pont Abermaw''), or Barmouth Viaduct is a Grade II* listed single-track wooden railway viaduct across the estuary of the Afon Mawddach near Barmouth, Wales. It is long and carries the Cambrian Line. It is the longes ...

, which carries a railway and a foot/cycle path, also crosses the estuary.

History

The Barmouth Ferry is an ancient service. It was originally operated by local monks, until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

, when the service was taken over by local fishermen. In 1797 the Barmouth Harbour Trust was founded by

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

, as Barmouth had become the primary shipbuilding port in Wales, and the Trust was given responsibility for the ferry service. It franchised the operation of the ferry to various local operators.

Current operation

The Barmouth Ferry continues to operate under franchise. Today services operate from around Easter until the end of October. In general, ferries operate on all the days on which the

is operational, and ferries are timed, where possible, to connect with trains. The ferry boats are small open vessels, and are not suitable for operating in heavy seas or poor weather conditions.See detail
here

References

{{Reflist Ferry transport in Wales Tourism in Gwynedd Fairbourne Railway