Four ferries on the Dart: which one you need

Dartmouth and Kingswear face each other across the Dart, and three ferries join them, with a fourth running downriver to the castle. Visitors tend to find out which is which by getting on the wrong one. Here is the short version, then the detail.

• Passenger ferry: foot passengers, Town Jetty to Kingswear, meets the steam trains.
• Lower Ferry: cars and foot passengers, from the slip at the bottom of Lower Street.
• Higher Ferry: cars and foot passengers, a cable ferry from the north end of town by Sandquay.
• Castle Ferry: foot passengers, from the South Embankment down to Dartmouth Castle, Easter to October.

The passenger ferry

The Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company runs this one, from the Town Jetty in the middle of town to the quay at Kingswear, next to the steam railway station. The operator's timetable gives it as every 15 minutes, a five-minute crossing, and steam train tickets include it. If you are catching a train, the operator asks you to allow 30 minutes for the connection. Dart Harbour, the harbour authority, lists the operator's number as 01803 752370.

The Lower Ferry

South Hams District Council runs the Lower Ferry, a flat float for cars and foot passengers that is pushed across by a small tug. It leaves from the slip at the bottom of Lower Street, near Bayard's Cove, and lands in Kingswear. Dart Harbour's summary says it runs every day of the year except Christmas Day: from Monday to Saturday the first ferry leaves Kingswear at 07.00, on Sunday at 08.00, and the last leaves Dartmouth at 22.55. Fares are on the council's page; check there rather than relying on an old figure.

The Higher Ferry

The Higher Ferry crosses from the north end of town, by Sandquay and Dart Marina, and it is part of the A379 between Plymouth and Torbay. It is a cable ferry, hauled across on cables, and its own history calls its ancestor the Dartmouth Floating Bridge: the first, designed by James Meadows Rendel, was built in 1829. That history is worth a read for the horses that once worked a treadmill winch on board.

The operator gives its hours as 06.30 to 22.50 from Monday to Saturday and 08.00 to 22.50 on Sundays, a three-minute crossing, seven days a week all year. It is contactless only, with no cash or cheques. It closes for maintenance every winter: for 2027 the operator has published preliminary dates of Monday 18 January to 1 February inclusive. Dart Harbour lists special hours for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and later running on the Thursday to Saturday of Regatta, with the last ferry from Kingswear at 23.50; the operator's own timetable does not show that later crossing, so check with the ferry during Regatta.

The Castle Ferry

The small Dartmouth Castle Ferry runs from the South Embankment down the river to Stumpy Steps, the landing below the castle. Dart Harbour gives the season as Easter to the end of October, with the first boat from Dartmouth at 10.00 and the last back from the castle at 17.00. The operator's own site says the boats run on demand, that in October the last boat back from the castle is at 16.00, and that the 2026 season ends on Saturday 31 October. English Heritage, which runs the castle, recommends it for the view of the castle from the water, and it saves the walk out along Castle Road. In October 2026 English Heritage was also warning drivers of a local road closure on the way to the castle, which is one more reason to take the boat.

Which one, then?

Coming from Paignton on the steam train, you will use the passenger ferry, and it is included. Driving from Torbay, use either car ferry: the Higher Ferry lands you at the north end of town by Sandquay, the Lower Ferry in the old town, where parking is hardest. At night, check the last crossing times above: after the ferries stop, the drive round by Totnes is much longer. Going to the castle in summer, take the Castle Ferry out and walk back along the coast or the road.

Other boats on the river

The ferries are only part of what moves on the Dart. The same steam railway company runs an hour-long circular cruise on the lower river and longer cruises up to Totnes, timed by the tide, and in summer some sailings are on the paddle steamer Kingswear Castle, built in Dartmouth in 1924. The Greenway Ferry runs upriver to Agatha Christie's Greenway from the Town Pontoon every day from 1 March to 1 November. The things to do pages have the detail.