Cornwall boats

County advice overview

Ferries in Cornwall operate within the county and to Devon and the Isles of Scilly. They provide foot-passenger services or a combined foot-passenger and vehicle service.

Key tips

• It is advisable to book tickets and arrange any required travel assistance in advance. 
• At the time of booking, you may find it useful to enquire about disabled parking at the port and wheelchair access on board the ferry.
• Check your route at the docks is accessible if you have reduced mobility or are travelling with mobility equipment. This will ensure you arrive for your crossing in good time.

Operators

Foot-passenger ferries

Scillonian Ferry

Penzance – Isles of Scilly 

Polruan Ferry

Polruan – Fowey 

Cawsand Ferry

Cawsand – Plymouth 

Flushing Ferry

Falmouth – Flushing 

St Mawes Ferry

Falmouth – St Mawes 

Enterprise Boats

Falmouth – Trelissick – Tolverne – Malpas/Truro 

Helford River Boats

Helford Passage – Helford Village 

Mevagissey Ferries

Mevagissey – Fowey 

Cremyll Ferry

Mount Edgcumbe – Plymouth 

Padstow Harbour

Padstow – Rock 

Place Ferry

St Mawes – Place 

Vehicle and foot-passenger ferries

King Harry Ferry

One of only five chain ferries in England, it connects St Mawes and the Roseland with Feock, Truro and Falmouth. Departures are every 20 minutes from each side.

Bodinnick Car Ferry 

C Toms & Sons run the Bodinnick Car Ferry which provides a daily service across the river between Bodinnick and Fowey. (The same operator runs the passenger ferry service between Polruan and Fowey.)

Torpoint Ferry

Links Cornwall to Devon across the River Tamar between Torpoint (Cornwall) and Devonport (Plymouth).

The toll aboard the Torpoint Ferry is payable for vehicles one way, on the trip from Cornwall to Plymouth. There is no charge for pedestrians or pedal cyclists.

Help with cost

Check with individual providers to see if there is a travel free allowance for carers, or other concessionary travel schemes. It is recommended to check fares in advance.  

The Torpoint Ferry, which links Cornwall to Devon across the River Tamar, offers a Mobility Concession Smartcard to anyone in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance with mobility component at higher level
• PIP Benefits equivalent to the DLA allowances detailed above
• War Pension with mobility supplement
• Tax Exempt Vehicle Licence Disc
• Registered Blind Person

To apply, visit the Tamar Crossings website. 

A Tamar Tag can be purchased and topped up for regular users of the Torpoint Ferry, which reduces the price of the crossing. 

Special assistance

If you need assistance getting on or off a ferry or boat, or whilst onboard, then you should contact the provider in advance. You may wish to enquire whether there are steps or slipways to the boat and whether a tide difference will impact access.

Bodinnick Car Ferry and Polruan Ferry

All passengers are welcome including wheelchair users and people with limited mobility aboard the Bodinnick Car Ferry and Polruan Ferry for foot passengers. However, there are slipways to access the ferries on both sides of the river. If you require assistance, contact the ferry operator, C Toms & Sons, on 01726 870232 for more information before you travel.

Scillonian III Ferry (foot passengers)

If you require assistance due to disability or reduced mobility, contact Isles of Scilly Travel at least 48 hours in advance to discuss your requirements.

The ferry can be accessed by a manual wheelchair, although the slope of the gangway depends on the tide and can be steep at times. It is not suitable for powered wheelchairs; these can be loaded as freight, free of charge, which should be booked in advance.

Crew can assist passengers on and off the ship if pre-arranged, and provide a standard wheelchair for the journey, including through check-in at Penzance Quay.

When the ship is berthed, a Windrush platform chair lift can provide wheelchair users access between the Bridge Deck and Upper Deck, and can carry up to 250kg (39st 5lbs).

Contact: 01736 334220 or sales@islesofscilly-travel.co.uk 

King Harry Ferry, Flushing Ferry, St Mawes Ferry, Enterprise Boats, Helford River Boats, Place Ferry

Fal River Cornwall advise there are steps at all destinations. If you require assistance, contact 01326 741194 before you travel. 

Cawsend Ferry

This service, operated by Plymouth Boat Trips, is not wheelchair accessible. However, the crew are on hand to provide assistance to disabled and passengers with reduced mobility, while boarding and during the duration of the trip. Assistance dogs are welcome on board and water bowls can be provided on request.

Further information can be found on the Plymouth Boat Trips website.

Passport schemes

A Tamar Tag can be purchased and topped up for regular users of the Tamar Ferry, which reduces the price of the ferry crossing.

Travelling with mobility equipment

It is recommended you always check with the individual ferry provider if you are travelling with any mobility equipment or will require passenger assistance, in advance. 

There may be steps or slipways to access the boat and tide difference can also impact access.

Routes and timetable links

You can find information regarding routes and timetables on individual ferry operator’s websites. You can access all online links for operator’s websites on the Cornwall Council website.

Torpoint Ferry 

Torpoint Ferry timetable

Bodinnick Ferry

Bodinnick Ferry timetable

Scillonian Ferry III

Scillonian Ferry III timetable