Withdrawn/changed domestic ferry routes

[leshuttle]

I was reading the recent thread about old withdrawn international ferry routes, and it got me thinking about how many domestic ferry routes within the UK have also disappeared or changed their route over the last few decades. Some of them feel surprisingly recent, others already half‑forgotten. I’m sure there are plenty more. Off the top of my head, there were routes that have either been withdrawn entirely, replaced by different ports, or quietly faded away as operators consolidated services.

I'm most familiar with the North Channel routes to Northern Ireland, which saw significant changes during a brief high‑speed ferry boom in the 1990s and then slower larger tonnage in more recent years.

• Moved in 1995
  Stranraer to Larne (Stena Line); changed to Stranraer to Belfast Albert Quay.
• Withdrawn in 2000
  Campbeltown to Ballycastle car-ferry (Antrim Steam Packet Company); recently just a foot passenger service was revived
• Withdrawn in 2000
  Stranraer to Belfast Donegal Quay (Seacat).
• Withdrawn in 2002
  Heysham to Belfast Donegal Quay (Seacat).
• Withdrawn in 2004
  Troon to Belfast Donegal Quay (Seacat).
• Moved in 2008
  Stranraer to Belfast (Stena Line); changed Stranraer to Belfast Victoria Terminal 4.
• Moved in 2011
  Stranraer–Belfast (Stena Line); changed Cairnryan to Belfast Victoria Terminal 4.
• Withdrawn in 2016
  Troon to Larne (P&0)

Elsewhere:

• Withdrawn in 2024
  Foot-passenger Gravesend–Tilbury (Jetstream Tours); Uber seems to be running something seasonal to London via both now

 

[adc82140]

Withdrawn in the 1970s: The Itchen ferry in Southampton, after the bridge opened.

 

[EYFanatic]

Hull Victoria Pier to New Holland - withdrawn on the opening of the Humber Bridge on June 24, 1981

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The Calmac vehicle ferry from Kyle of Lochalsh to/from Kyleakin (Isle of Skye) was withdrawn on or around Monday 16th October 1995 when the new Skye road bridge opened. 30 years ago now!

 

[A S Leib]

As far as I can find, the 1950s was when there was last a regular north Devon to Swansea or south Wales ferry.

 

[jp4712]

Does Bob’s Lane Ferry on the Manchester Ship Canal count? That closed in July 1993.

 

[DIW]

Stokes Bay (Gosport) to Ryde (Isle of Wight) from 1856 to 1915 (with interruptions). Started with extension of Gosport railway to Stokes Bay Pier, operated by various operators over the years (including LSWR for a while).

 

[Gloster]

If you are going to go that far back you have the train ferry from Langstone Harbour to St Helens that ran from 1885 to 1888. There were also services from Granton to Burntisland and Ferryport-on-Craig to Broughty Ferry in the late nineteenth century.

 

[Lloyds siding]

We could be here a long time! The list must be immense.
I'll add some obvious ones:
Liverpool- New Brighton,
Liverpool- Seacombe,
Liverpool-Eastham,
Liverpool-Egremont,
Liverpool-Rock Ferry

Fleetwood-Douglas

Fleetwood-Larne

Douglas-Silloth,
Douglas-Whitehaven,
Douglas-Belfast,
Douglas-Ardrossan
(Should these be in the international ferries thread?)

 

[Flying Snail]

Douglas-Belfast,

That's not quite in the past yet, still a few more sailings this month.

 

[Djgr]

We could be here a long time! The list must be immense.
I'll add some obvious ones:
Liverpool- New Brighton,
Liverpool- Seacombe,
Liverpool-Eastham,
Liverpool-Egremont,
Liverpool-Rock Ferry

Fleetwood-Douglas

Fleetwood-Larne

Douglas-Silloth,
Douglas-Whitehaven,
Douglas-Belfast,
Douglas-Ardrossan
(Should these be in the international ferries thread?)

Liverpool- Monks Ferry
Liverpool- New Ferry

There was a short-lived hovercraft from Moreton to Rhyl in the 1960s.

 

[Lloyds siding]

Liverpool- Monks Ferry
Liverpool- New Ferry

There was a short-lived hovercraft from Moreton to Rhyl in the 1960s.

The first passenger hovercraft service in the world! I do remember seeing it.

Also there were short-lived hovercraft services between Southport and Blackpool in the 1970s and again in the early 2000s.

 

[morrisobrien]

As far as I can find, the 1950s was when there was last a regular north Devon to Swansea or south Wales ferry.

Never regular, only seasonal, and passenger only at that.Operated by the famous white funnel fleet paddle steamers of P.&A. Campbell Ltd.

 

[The exile]

The Granton - Burntisland ferry (withdrawn presumably 1890) - wasn’t it the world’s first train ferry? Briefly reinstated (though not as a train ferry!) sometime within the last 30-odd years. And of course the “Queen’s Ferry” - linking the 2 Queensferries!. Whilst in the area, I have fond memories of the rowing boat ferry from Cramond to the Dalmeny Estate (or rather worrying whether the ferryman would actually be there if coming from the estate!).
But as someone has already said, there must be 100s if not 1000s of historic ferry crossings no longer in use.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Dec 2025 ==

Never regular, only seasonal, and passenger only at that.Operated by the famous white funnel fleet paddle steamers of P.&A. Campbell Ltd.

Surely historically the majority of ferries were passenger only?

 

[signed]

Douglas-Belfast,

It (along with the Dublin route) seasonal between April and August, along with the 2 weekends of December and planned to run, according to the published timetables, at least up to 2027

 

[Jon_jpwh]

Neyland to Hobbs Point ferry withdrawn when the Cleddau Bridge opened in March 1975.

 

[Lloyds siding]

It (along with the Dublin route) seasonal between April and August, along with the 2 weekends of December and planned to run, according to the published timetables, at least up to 2027

Didn't know about the December sailings. From 2026 the sailings will be to Larne rather than Belfast.

 

[signed]

From 2026 the sailings will be to Larne rather than Belfast.

Interesting

 

[DIW]

Since one contributor raised his eyebrows at the early date of withdrawal of the ferry I mentioned upthread, here's something rather recent.
Currently the Hythe Ferry (Hythe to Southampton) is suspended until further notice. Last update was 18th August 2025 (link). It connects to Hythe via the Hythe Pier Railway.

 

[Gloster]

The Granton - Burntisland ferry (withdrawn presumably 1890) - wasn’t it the world’s first train ferry? Briefly reinstated (though not as a train ferry!) sometime within the last 30-odd years. And of course the “Queen’s Ferry” - linking the 2 Queensferries!. Whilst in the area, I have fond memories of the rowing boat ferry from Cramond to the Dalmeny Estate (or rather worrying whether the ferryman would actually be there if coming from the estate!).
But as someone has already said, there must be 100s if not 1000s of historic ferry crossings no longer in use.

The Granton-Burntisland ferry was opened in 1844 under the ownership of the Duke of Buccleugh, but only carried passengers; presumably there had been all sorts of crossings before, but this was the first one connecting with trains. The Edinburgh & Northern Railway bought it in 1847 and started to also carry goods traffic, which had to be transhipped from wagons to ship and then back again. As the same situation applied to the Tay crossing, traffic was being lost to the longer route via Stirling.

A ship called Leviathan designed by Robert Napier & Sons was completed in 1849, as were loading ramps designed by the Edinburgh & Northern’s engineer Thomas Bouch (whose connection to one of the rivers was later to be less happy). The service ran until the Forth Bridge opened in March 1890. The Tay train ferry from Tayport (previously Ferry-port-on-Craig) to Broughty Ferry ran from February 1851 to May 1878 and then from February 1880 to June 1887.

Main source: Train Ferries of Western Europe (Ransome-Wallis, Ian Allan, 1968), with some additional information from Quick’s Chronology.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The Kessock, Cromarty and Dornoch Firth Bridges on the A9 north of Inverness replaced car ferries - although not exactly in the same locations.

 

[High Dyke]

Aust Ferry between Aust and Beachley, across the River Severn. The last ferry crossing occurred on 8 September 1966, the day before the first Severn Bridge opened.

The Martin Scorsese film No Direction Home, about the life of Bob Dylan, uses the Barry Feinstein photograph of Dylan standing in front of the Aust ferry terminal in May 1966.

 

[AY1975]

Fleetwood-Douglas

What about Llandudno-Douglas? I seem to remember seeing the last crossing set sail from Llandudno when I was on holiday there as a child in I think 1982.

 

[matchmaker]

There are now none across the Clyde from Erskine upstream. There used to be many! Last one I used was the vehicular Renfrew Ferry and that nust have been getting on for 50 years ago.

 

[Lloyds siding]

What about Llandudno-Douglas? I seem to remember seeing the last crossing set sail from Llandudno when I was on holiday there as a child in I think 1982.

I think this route was really just for 'pleasure trips', on a few days in summer. I went on several day trips to the Isle of Man from Llandudno pier in the sixties and seventies.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

I haven't seen Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire mentioned yet? Ended around 2014 ish

 

[Lloyds siding]

I haven't seen Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire mentioned yet? Ended around 2014 ish

It's in pst #1 in withdrawn international ferry routes

 

[Woolos 22]

Before the severn tunnel was open there was a ferry between Portskewett and New Passage Pier ferry with s

 

[AY1975]

Before the severn tunnel was open there was a ferry between Portskewett and New Passage Pier ferry with s

And before the Severn Bridge opened there was a ferry between Cardiff and Weston-super-Mare. Similarly, I believe that there was a ferry across the Tamar between Devon and Cornwall before the Tamar road bridge opened.

 

[matchmaker]

Ballachulish Ferry - ceased operation in 1975 when the Ballachulish Bridge opened. I seem to remember that the queues for the ferries in high summer could be epic! The alternative was to drive round the head of Loch Leven through Kinlochleven.

Ballachulish Ferry from Sabre