Winter timetable from Monday 28 September 2026 (operator: 'to May 2027'): 08:00-18:15 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:15 at weekends. The operator publishes only the operating window and the half-hourly pattern, so the departures below are that pattern laid over the window. · 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
Frequency
every 30 min
Operator
Mount Batten Ferry
Map – Mount Batten Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, single | £3.25 |
| Child (3-14), single | £1.75 |
| Under 3s | Free |
| Bicycle | £2.00 |
| Dog | Free |
| Concession card, 20 crossings (£2.70 each) | £54.00 |
| Concession card, 40 crossings (£2.30 each) | £92.00 |
Pay when you board, preferably by contactless; cash must be the correct money. All fares are for single crossings only and the terms say no return fares are taken, so a return trip is two singles. The operator's tariff from 1 July 2026 is shown; the fares page still carries the old prices beside the new ones. Concession cards are for individual adult use only, one card per adult per crossing, and the old paper tear-out tickets stopped being valid on 1 August 2026. Under-3s and dogs travel free. All fares in pounds sterling (GBP).
The Mount Batten Ferry crosses the Cattewater, the tidal mouth of the River Plym, between the Barbican in the old centre of Plymouth and the Mount Batten peninsula on the south-east side. It is a pedestrian service that also takes bicycles and dogs, and the operator pitches it as a hop-on, hop-off link for commuters, shoppers and walkers. On the Mount Batten side it lists coastal walks, fishing, the Yacht Haven marina and the Mount Batten Centre, and puts the village of Turnchapel about ten minutes on foot from the landing.
Unlike its neighbours on the Tamar, this is not a Plymouth Boat Trips operation. It is a separate private ferry company, unsubsidised by the council or government, according to its owner, and it says it runs 363 days a year. Its fleet is the 120-passenger Plymouth Belle plus two 12-passenger Nelson 34 launches, Copper and Sulpher. The Barbican boats leave from the landing stage in front of the Mayflower Steps, and the Mount Batten end is the pontoon beside the Mount Batten Centre.
The timetable is a simple half-hourly shuttle: Barbican departures at a quarter past and a quarter to the hour, Mount Batten departures on the hour and half hour. What changes by season is the operating window. The summer window (1 May to 27 September 2026) ran from 08:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 22:00 at weekends. The winter window began on Monday 28 September and shortens the day to 08:00 or 09:00 until 18:15, so the evening pub crossing the summer service gave you has gone for now.
Recent months have been unsettled. The ferry stopped on 23 February 2026 while a temporary pontoon was fitted, because the new Mount Batten pontoon is being built, and it resumed on 14 March after weather delays. On 1 July 2026 fares went up, and the old paper tear-out concession tickets stopped being valid on 1 August. Payment is on boarding, preferably contactless, and there are no return fares: you buy each single separately. Weather can stop sailings, and the operator asks passengers to phone the boat or check its social feeds in winter.
- 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
Every 30 minutes. Boats leave the Barbican at a quarter past and a quarter to the hour and leave Mount Batten on the hour and half hour. The winter timetable, which started on 28 September 2026, runs from 08:00 Monday to Friday and 09:00 at weekends, with the day finishing at 18:15.
An adult single is £3.25 and a child aged 3 to 14 is £1.75, from 1 July 2026. Under-3s and dogs go free, and a bicycle is £2.00. The operator does not sell return tickets, so a round trip is two singles. A 20-trip concession card costs £54.00 and a 40-trip card £92.00.
No. From 28 September 2026 the operator's published window ends at 18:15 every day. It does not print a last departure time, so allow for the final crossing to be a little before or after that. The longer summer day to 22:00 applied from 1 May to 27 September 2026, and the operator had not published 2027 summer dates when this page was checked.
At the Barbican landing stage in front of the Mayflower Steps, postcode PL1 2LR according to the city council. On the other side, the Mount Batten stop is the pontoon next to the Mount Batten Centre, postcode PL9 9SJ.
Pay when you board. The operator asks passengers to use contactless where possible and to have the exact money if paying cash. There are no return fares, and concession cards cover single crossings by one adult at a time. Old paper concession tickets stopped being accepted on 1 August 2026.
No. Cremyll and Cawsand are run by Plymouth Boat Trips and cross to Cornwall. Mount Batten is a separate company with its own timetable and fares, crossing the Cattewater within Plymouth, so a Plymouth Boat Trips ticket does not apply here.
Crossings are subject to weather and circumstances, and the skipper's decision to cancel is final. The operator asks passengers to watch its Facebook and X feeds for daily changes in bad weather and to ring the boat on 07930 838614 for real-time information.