There is a sense of adventure when you board a boat. Boats can reach places - hidden coves, winding swamps - where other modes of transportation cannot.
Before motorized transport, sailboats and later steamships provided the fastest way to travel between coastal communities in Britain (and to transport goods across the country)
While the seaside resorts grew in the 19th century e century, pleasure steamboats became a popular diversion. In the 1820s steam packet companies ran excursions from Liverpool to the resorts of North Wales, while Southampton's Royal Pier opened in 1833 to cater for steamboats offering trips to the Isle of Wight or along the Hampshire coast.
Ferries also have a long history of providing the fastest means of exploring the British coastline. For example, the crossing of the Helford River, near Falmouth, in Cornwall, is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
If you're looking for a way to combine coastal walks with a trip away from the crowds, we've picked out some of the best ferry routes for you to consider.
Plymouth to Cawsand, Kingsand and the Rame Peninsula, Devon
The Cawsand Ferry takes you across the border - and, some claim, back in time - from busy Plymouth in Devon, with its boat-filled harbour, to the quiet former fishing villages of Cawsand and Kingsand in Cornwall.
Both are half an hour's ferry ride across Plymouth Sound and offer small pebble and sandy beaches, rock pools and basic amenities. As you explore the narrow winding streets and wooded hillsides, imagine the deception that took place in the 18th century. e and 19 e centuries in which smugglers visited these shores. Both Cawsand and Kingsand are good starting points for a walk, to explore the gardens and parkland of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, or along the South West Coast Path around Penlee Point and Rame Head with their impressive views over Plymouth Sound and the Channel.
Fancy an overnight stay? Residence One, Plymouth (01752 262318; bistrotpierre.co.uk) has double prices from £146, including breakfast.
Cawsand Ferry (01752 253153; plymouthboattrips.co.uk) runs from 29 e March to 31 st October from Plymouth to Cawsand and Kingsand and costs £6 for an adult single person and £3 for a child.
Helford Passage, near Falmouth, to the village of Helford, Cornwall
There aren't many public transport services in Britain that can truly declare that they are 'on demand'. But head to Helford Passage on the Helford River, in Cornwall, and the cheerful red and white ferry will take you immediately across the water, tides permitting. When you arrive at the village of Helford on the south riverbank, simply 'open' the bright yellow circular sign to indicate you are waiting. Some sort of ferry has been operating on this mile-long crossing since the 11th e century, saving travelers a 40-minute detour by car around the inlet.
This is Daphne du Maurier's Cornish countryside; narrow streets, centuries-old oak forests and smugglers' coves. The ferry, which takes pedestrians and bicycles, departs from beneath the Ferry Boat Inn in the little Helford Passage, arriving conveniently close to the 16 e century Shipwrights Arms in Helford. Both villages have Cornish charm with thatched roofs and there is a small beach at Helford Passage. Both locations are on the South West Coast Path.
Budock Vean (01326 250288), located near Helford Passage, has double prices from £198, including breakfast.
Helford Ferry (01326 250770; helfordriverboats.co.uk) operates 1 st until April 31 st October from Helford Passage to Helford Village and costs £7/£9 (single/return) for an adult and £4/£6 for a child.
Glenelg to Skye, Scotland
"Speed Bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing...Across the sea to Skye". The 19 e century folk songs probably didn't have this extraordinary ferry in mind, yet it's certainly one of the best ways to arrive on the island. Leave the main road to Kyle of Lochalsh - the traditional crossing point to Skye - at Shiel Bridge and follow the narrow road over Mam Ratagan, with glimpses of Skye's Cuillin Hills. Drive 11 miles to just north of tiny Glenelg on the banks of the Kylerhea Narrows and you've made it.
From here the MV Glenachulish, the world's last manually operated turntable ferry, takes you across the narrow passage to Kylerhea on Skye. Thanks to the ingenuity of the turntable holding the cars, the ferry can dock along the slipway regardless of the tide height and the strength of the current (strong, around here). From Kylerhea it is a five-mile drive via the lonely Glen Arroch to the main road to Portree; better yet, head south to enjoy the wildness of the under-the-radar Sleat Peninsula.
Skye Ferry (01599 522700; skyeferry.co.uk) operates 28 e March to mid-October from near Glenelg to Kylerhea and costs £20/£30 for a car (single/return) and £3/£5 for foot passengers.
Butley River Ferry, Suffolk
Among the marshes and heathlands of the far reaches of east Suffolk, home to marsh harriers, waders and wild birds, and where hamlets have names like Shingle Street and Duck Corner, lies possibly Europe's smallest ferry. With a maximum capacity of four (or two adults and two bicycles) it is one of only two ferries in Britain that rely on human power. The rower transports passengers along the Butley River, which flows into the Alde and then out to sea around the southern tip of Orford Ness.
A ferry has been sailing here since the 14th century e century, when the riverside farmlands belonged to Butley Priory until the 1930s. It was revived in 1993 and is run by volunteers. It offers a welcome service to walkers, cyclists and nature lovers who enjoy the tranquility, the sightings of seals moving along the river banks, as well as the bird life - and the welcome pubs in nearby Orford (with 12 e century castle) and Chillesford.
Looking for a place to stay? View The Crown and Castle, Orford (01394 450205) has double prices from £140, including breakfast.
Butley Ferry (07913 672499; aldeandore.org) runs from 30am on weekends and public holidays e March to 13 e October across the Butley River near Orford and costs £2.50 for an adult single person and £1.50 for a child.
Sea Houses to Holy Island, Northumberland
Holy Island, or Lindisfarne to give it its Celtic name, can be reached via the causeway from the Northumbrian mainland twice a day, tides permitting. But to get a real sense of the isolation - and that of the first Anglo-Saxon settlers, including St Aidan and St Cuthbert - they arrive by boat. Billy Shiel's boats have been operating from Seahouses since 1918 and are renowned for their voyages to the Farne Islands (famous for Grace Darling, puffins and seals).
In the warmer months they also offer a four and a half hour return flight to Holy Island. The itinerary includes a guided tour around the Farnes, plus chances to spot porpoises and dolphins, before landing on Holy Island for a two-hour visit. Boats land at high tide so you can experience the 'cut off' tranquility of the island with its lofty castle, Norman priory, small museum and cafes serving locally caught crab sandwiches.
Billy Shiel's Boat Trips (01665 720308; farne-islands.com) runs the Easter holidays and then from Seahouses to Holy Island from May to October, costing £45 return for adults and £25 for a child.
Bardsey Island, Wales
Follow in the footsteps of pilgrims on the boat trip to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), two miles from the tip of the Llyn Peninsula in north-west Wales. Settled by Celtic Christians in the 6 e century, the remote island is a mile and a half long and half a mile at its widest and was chosen by Augustinian canons in the 13th century. e century (remains of St. Mary's Abbey can be seen) before a farming and fishing community took over.
Today it is still farmed, but it is perhaps better known for its protected wildlife status - including a national nature reserve - with shearwaters, puffins, jackdaws, gray seals and dolphins to look out for. The 30-minute boat trip from Porth Meudwy near Aberdaron allows you to explore the island for four hours before sailing back. Looking for a place to stay? Porth Tocyn (01758 713303) in Abersoch has a £160 doubles match.
Bardsey Boat Trips (07971 769895; bardseyboattrips.com) runs from Porth Meudwy, near Aberdaron, to Bardsey Island from March to October, costing £50 return for adults and £25 for a child.
Brightlingsea to East Mersea and Point Clear, Essex
Brightlingsea, around the corner from coppery Clacton-on-Sea in Essex and downstream from Roman Colchester, may not be on your summer holiday bucket list, but it's working its charm. There is a simple beach, a long row of cheerful beach chalets and a surprisingly busy harbor with motorboats and yachts.
Below them, the 12-passenger foot ferry sails around the mouth of the River Colne, calling at Point Clear, with a walk along the St Osyth sea wall and the aircraft museum in a former Martello tower, then across the estuary to East Mersea on Mersea Island. At the latter you can enjoy the sandy beach of Cudmore Grove Country Park. It's better than road traffic: Brightlingsea to Point Clear is 20 miles and a three-minute ferry ride; to Mersea Island is about 65 km, but 10 minutes by ferry.
Brightlingsea Harbor Commissioners Ferry (01206 302200; brightlingseaharbour.org) operates 1 st until April 22 NL September, from Brightlingsea to Point Clear and East Mersea and costs £4.50 for an adult single person and £3.50 for a child.
