The MV ''Western Belle'' is a twin

screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to f ...

passenger vessel. She is owned by

Ullswater 'Steamers' Ullswater 'Steamers' is a boat company which provides leisure trips on Ullswater in the north-eastern part of the English Lake District. It is based in Glenridding, Cumbria. Founded in 1855, it currently operates five diesel powered vessels bet ...

, who refitted her and launched her on

Ullswater Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being about long and wide, with a maximum depth a little over . It was scooped out by a glacier in the Last Ice Age. Geography It is a typical Lake District "ribbon lake", ...

in Autumn 2010.Irish Sea Shipping News,

History

Built in 1935 by Fellows & Co of Great Yarmouth in East Anglia for Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Co Ltd. She was used principally on excursion services from Plymouth, and also on the Plymouth - Millbrook ferry. Her excursion routes were varied, covering the whole of the

River Tamar The Tamar (; kw, Dowr Tamar) is a river in south west England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). A part of the Tamar Valley is a World Heritage Site due to its historic mining activities. T ...

, to the

River Yealm The Yealm is a river in Devon in England that rises above sea level on the Stall Moor mires of south Dartmoor and travels to the sea, passing through Cornwood, Lee Mill and Yealmpton, a mid-sized village with a population of c.2,000 which is ...

, and coastal cruises as far as

Looe Looe (; kw, Logh, ) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census. Looe is west of Plymouth and south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe ( kw, links ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

she continued to run the Millbrook ferry, and was very busy carrying people from the city to the countryside each night, to avoid the

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...

. In 1955 she was briefly charter to British Railways for use on their Dartmouth - Kingswear Passenger Ferry, afterwards she resumed service from Plymouth. In 1985 The Millbrook company, by this point owned by Dart Pleasure Craft Ltd of Dartmouth, abandoned its services in Plymouth, mainly due to competition with

Plymouth Boat Cruises The Plymouth Boat Cruises was an excursion boat operator on the River Tamar in South Devon. It was started in 1981, in competition with Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Co Ltd. In 1985 the Millbrook company withdrew from the Tamar, and several of i ...

, and the MV ''Western Belle'' was transferred to the

River Dart The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for to the sea at Dartmouth. Name Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive fr ...

. . She operated on all of the 'River Link' services of Dart Pleasure craft, including Dartmouth-

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and abo ...

, the Dartmouth-Kingswear Ferry and circular cruises from Dartmouth. In 2000 Dart Pleasure Craft took over G.H. Riddalls and Sons, their main competitor on River Dart services. With the increase in size of the fleet, the MV ''Western Belle'' was surplus to requirements and she was sold to Chris Cruises of

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, where she was used for charters. In 2008, she was sold to Ullswater 'Steamers' and laid up at Maryport in Cumbria. She was then transported to lake Ullswater in July 2010 to start service on the lake in Autumn 2010. The MV ''Totnes Castle'' was also bought by this operator. She was transported overland to Ullswater, and became the MV ''Lady Wakefield'' in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Western Belle Ferries of England Ferries of South West England Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels Transport in Cumbria 1935 ships