Hayling Ferry
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| Locale | Hampshire, England |
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| Waterway | Langstone Harbour |
| Operator | Baker Trayte Marine |
| Began operation | 1850 or earlier |
| No. of vessels | 1 |
| No. of terminals | 2 |
| Website | http://www.haylingferry.net |
The Hayling Ferry is a foot passenger ferry across the mouth of Langstone Harbour linking the Ferry Point on the west tip of Hayling Island with Eastney, Portsmouth on Portsea Island.
The ferry is scheduled to run hourly but will run more frequently in peak and if the ferry becomes full. Bicycles are conveyed subject to space.
The ferry operates throughout the year and conveys schoolchildren, commuters, tourists and cyclists and is busy in the summer. In winter, there is a significant reduction of use.
The current owner, Baker Trayte Marine Ltd, has operated the ferry since August 2016 following a period of ceasation when the previous operation fell into administration in March 2015.
The current at the Ferry point is extremely treacherous and has claimed many lives over the years.
There is a bus service on the Portsmouth side however the bus service to the ferry point on the Hayling side ceased in 2004. Efforts to re-instate a bus service to Ferry have taken place at various times and the next proposal is to be discussed 15 April 2017.
When the ferry has been closed the only public connection between Hayling Island and the mainland is a single carriageway road linking Northney to Langstone, Havant. Particularly in summer this road can become very congested rendering the journey between the bridge and South Hayling (the most populated area) anything from 30 minutes to an hour. When the ferry has been closed this has been found to impact businesses on South Hayling.
It is claimed that a regular ferry service has run since before 1850, possible even from the 18th century.
Rights to run a ferry had passed to the Duke of Norfolk to whom the rights as Lord of the manor of Hayling island had passed on dissolution of the monasteries. The rights were sold to a Mr. William Padwick Esq. in 1825.
At some point after the demise of the earlier enterprise utililising the pontoons built for the Steam vessel George Spraggs the licensee of the tavern on the Hayling side began operated the ferry using motor boats with his sons until his drowning in 1922.
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Wikipedia