500-year-old ferry on the River Thames where you ring a bell and a boat picks you up

While we Londoners often look upon the River Thames as a powerful, tidal force running through our city, its crossing remains a puzzle that continues to baffle the capital’s transport planners.

With the controversial Silvertown Tunnel project underway and a number of proposals still under consideration – including a new road bridge over the Thames Estuary, a footbridge or ferry at Rotherhithe and additional ‘water taxi’/river bus services – the challenge is far from being solved. .

However, just outside the hustle and bustle of London, the river presents a much calmer face.

READ MORE: The small London village is not served by the Tube, National Rail or buses

Here, the Thames is not affected by the tide and is considerably narrower, making crossing from one bank to the other less of an ordeal. This simplicity has been embraced at Shepperton, located just four miles from the Greater London/Surrey border at Hampton.

For half a millennium, a small ferry serving a few pedestrians or cyclists provided a reliable link across the river.

Currently operated by Nauticalia, the ferry runs every 15 minutes between Shepperton Landing on the North Shore and Weybridge Landing on the South Shore during the day (last boats around 5pm in winter and 6pm in summer). It’s a simple system; if a boat has not arrived within 15 minutes, passengers ring a bell, prompting the boat to pass from the opposite side to pick them up.

The river here is calm and narrow enough for the ferryman to hear the bell across the water.

The historic ferry service, which links the Surrey towns of Shepperton and Weybridge, has always been a must. It provides a direct link between the two towns, bypassing the long route via Walton Bridge at Walton-on-Thames, used by road traffic a mile and a half away.

The ferry also has an aesthetic, with a riverside cafe and a mezzanine overlooking it on the Shepperton side. This ferry appears in HG Wells’ 1898 novel The War of the Worlds, in which aliens attack humans who try to escape using the ferry.

The ferry is also a crucial link for those crossing the Thames Path. Without it, they would be forced to make a long detour along the Wey Navigation – a series of crossings, locks and islands that start just west of the ferry landing on the south bank.

On the north side, the river meanders towards Shepperton, meaning that using the ferry to cross from north to south at this exact location saves significant time on a long walk or cycle through the Home Counties.

Like its sister ferry services further along the river, particularly at Tilbury and Rotherhithe, the ferry is not free. A single ticket for adults costs £3 or £4 with a bike.

Children travel for half price and there is a weekly ticket available for regular commuters.

Despite plans in the 1960s for a footbridge to replace the ferry, the ferry continues to provide the historic passenger service in this charming part of suburban Surrey.

Get London’s biggest stories straight to your inbox. Sign up to MyLondon’s The 12 HERE for the biggest 12 stories every day.