Monday-Saturday and Sunday patterns, year-round — checked 18 September 2026 · Sailings shown by frequency — exact times from the operator. · Representative sailings only — check the operator for today's full timetable
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Operator
Dartmouth Lower Ferry
Map – Dartmouth Lower Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, single (foot or cycle) | £2.50 |
| Adult, day return (foot or cycle) | £5.00 |
| Under 16, single (foot or cycle) | £1.00 |
| Under 16, day return (foot or cycle) | £2.00 |
| Motorcycle, single | £4.50 |
| Car or small van (under 2,000kg), single | £7.50 |
| Car or small van (under 2,000kg), day return | £14.00 |
| Car with caravan or trailer, single | £15.00 |
| Light commercial vehicle (under 3,500kg), single | £10.00 |
| Light goods vehicle (under 7,500kg), single | £15.00 |
Fares below took effect on 2 June 2025 and were still the live prices at the research date. Foot passenger and cycle fares are the same ticket. The council accepts credit and debit cards on board, except American Express, and does not take cheques or its old-style paper vouchers; it does not say on its pricing page whether cash is still accepted. Regular users can buy a £2.00 Saver Travel Pass card on the ferry and top it up online at lowerferry.uk for discounted blocks of single crossings, and businesses running vehicles regularly can apply for an even lower Fleet rate. All fares in pounds sterling (GBP).
The Dartmouth Lower Ferry leaves from the town centre, at South Embankment on Dartmouth's waterfront, and lands at Kingswear on the opposite bank of the River Dart. It is a different, separately run service from the Dartmouth Higher Ferry, the vehicle-carrying chain ferry that crosses the A379 about half a mile upstream: the two do not share tickets, ownership or even the same kind of vessel, so buying a Lower Ferry pass will not get you onto the Higher Ferry and vice versa. Where the Higher Ferry is a self-propelled chain ferry, the Lower Ferry is a floating platform that a separate tug boat pushes across the river — no chains involved — and it is South Hams District Council itself that runs it, not an outside concessionaire, through its own dartmouthlowerferry.co.uk booking site and lowerferry.uk ticket portal.
A ferry has linked this crossing point since the 1700s, and today's service still carries both vehicles and foot passengers, with wheelchair access built into the platform and crew on hand to assist. It runs every day of the year except Christmas Day, from around 07:00 in the morning to just before 11pm, with a later Sunday start; Boxing Day and New Year's Day get a shortened middle-of-the-day timetable instead. There is no published sailing interval — like many small pontoon ferries it simply shuttles continuously, so the practical wait depends on how busy the crossing is and where the ferry happens to be.
Fares are split cleanly between foot/cycle passengers (from £2.50 single) and vehicles, with cars under 2,000kg costing £7.50 single or £14.00 for a day return, and heavier vans and light goods vehicles charged more. The council took its ferry through a period of single-boat running for essential maintenance work over the winter of 2025-26, back to its normal two-boat service since early February 2026. In 2025 the Guardian named it one of the UK's six best ferry crossings, a recognition the council highlights on its own news page.
- Arrive at the slipway a few minutes before departure; vehicle queues build quickly in summer.
- Check the operator's notices before travelling — tides, weather and maintenance affect sailings.
- Confirm accepted payment methods: several crossings are contactless-only.
Frequently asked questions
No. This is the Lower Ferry, which departs from Dartmouth's town centre at South Embankment and is run directly by South Hams District Council using a tug-pushed floating platform. The Higher Ferry is a separate, privately run chain ferry crossing the A379 further upstream. The two operators do not accept each other's tickets.
From South Embankment in Dartmouth town centre (postcode TQ6 9AP for satnav) to a slip at The Square in Kingswear (TQ6 0AA).
Monday to Saturday it runs from 07:10 to 22:55 from Dartmouth (07:00-22:45 from Kingswear); on Sunday it starts later, at 08:10 from Dartmouth (08:00 from Kingswear), finishing at the same time. It does not run on Christmas Day, and Boxing Day and New Year's Day have shortened hours (10:00-16:55).
A single foot or cycle passenger pays £2.50 (£5.00 day return); under-16s pay £1.00 single. A car or small van under 2,000kg is £7.50 single or £14.00 day return, a motorcycle is £4.50, a car with a caravan or trailer is £15.00, and light commercial or goods vehicles cost £10.00-£15.00 single.
It takes both. Vehicles up to van and light-goods-vehicle size are carried on the floating platform alongside foot passengers and cyclists; larger HGVs are not covered by the published fare list.
No fixed interval is published. It is a continuous tug-and-pontoon shuttle rather than a timed service, so only the first and last sailings of the day are advertised, not a departure every X minutes.
Yes, credit and debit cards are accepted except American Express. The operator does not accept cheques or its old-style paper vouchers, and does not state on its pricing page whether cash is still taken.
Yes. A £2.00 Saver Travel Pass card, bought on the ferry and topped up online, unlocks bulk single-ticket pricing — for example 40 foot-passenger crossings for £40 or 40 car crossings for £80 — and businesses running vehicles regularly can apply for an even lower Fleet rate.