One of England's oldest ferry services resumes

One of England's oldest enger ferry services is returning under solar-power.

The Calstock Ferry runs across the River Tamar, with the route believed to date back a thousand years.

The service, which previously ended in 2015, operates between Ferry Farm on the Devon side of the River Tamar and Calstock on the Cornish side.

The scheme has been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a grant from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

William Darwall, manager of the Tamara Landscape Partnership Scheme (TLPS), said it was "an exciting moment" to see the crossing revived.

Solar s have been installed on both the ferry and the ferry boat store where the original ferryman lived and worked in the early 1900s.

The boat also runs river cruises and wildlife-watching excursions in the upper Tamar Valley.

TLPS said the original ferry service ended in 2015 due to tidal and access issues.

Project bosses said the new electric boat would operate on a one-year trial to see whether a regular enger crossing could be financially viable.

They said the boat store, which had fallen into disrepair, had been refurbished with new windows and doors and a new solar-equipped roof to re-charge the ferry.

Organisers said the boat store would serve as the operational base for the ferry service and also a store and workshop for the local community.

Calstock Ferry skipper Will Mattos said: "I've spent much of my life on the Tamar, and it means a lot to continue the work of the many skippers who've ferried people across this river before me."

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