Practical Information • Barbican to Cawsand
The Cawsand Ferry, Complete Guide
The Cawsand Ferry has run between Plymouth’s Barbican and Cawsand Beach for more than a hundred years. It’s a genuinely pleasant way to arrive, a crossing that skips the drive entirely and lands you straight on the sand.
Hero photography pending, the Cawsand Ferry arriving at the beach
Timetable
2026 Timetable
Season
1 April–31 October 2026, daily, departing every 90 minutes.
| Departs Barbican | Arrives Cawsand |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | 09:25 |
| 10:30 | 10:55 |
| 12:00 | 12:25 |
| 13:30 | 13:55 |
| 15:00 | 15:25 |
| 16:30 | 16:55 |
Return departures from Cawsand run 5 minutes after each arrival: 09:30, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:30, 17:00. All crossings weather, tide and circumstances permitting.
Departure points
Plymouth: Barbican Landing Stage (Barbican Pontoon), next to Mayflower Steps, PL1 2LR
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Cawsand: the boat lands directly on the beach. Sources disagree on the exact postcode, Plymouth City Council states PL10 1PF, Visit Plymouth and Visit Cornwall use PL10 1LE, and Google’s own listing shows PL10 1PG. Use what3words for precision instead.
Not wheelchair accessible
The ferry is not wheelchair accessible. Embarking and disembarking at Cawsand uses a removable ramp, and crew can refuse access if conditions make it unsafe. Crew can help less able-bodied passengers boarding, alighting and during the crossing.
Prices and Booking
Fares and How to Book
Prices (2026, single fares only)
→ Adult: £6.50
→ Child (3–15): £3.50
→ Children 2 and under: Free
→ Bicycles: £3.00
→ Well-behaved dogs: Free
First-come, first-served. Tickets can be bought online up to and including the day of travel, but a booking doesn’t guarantee a specific crossing time. Cash and card are also accepted when boarding.
Tickets are non-refundable once purchased. Prices rise most years, so treat these as a guide and check current fares before you travel. Run by Plymouth Boat Trips.
The Crossing
What to Expect on the Crossing
The scheduled crossing is 25 minutes point to point, according to official transit timetable data, though the operator and most reviewers describe it as “about half an hour” once boarding and a short turnaround are counted in. Either way, it’s a genuinely scenic way to arrive, not just a means to an end.
Leaving the Barbican, you pass the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club and out across Plymouth Sound, with Plymouth Hoe rising behind you and Drake’s Island ahead. The lighthouse at the western end of the breakwater marks the edge of the Sound before you cross into open water towards Cornwall.
As you approach Cawsand, Fort Picklecombe comes into view on the headland, now a residential development but unmistakably a fort from the water. The boat lands directly on Cawsand Beach itself, not at a jetty, one of the more memorable arrivals of any beach on this coast.
Crossing photography pending, view of Plymouth Sound
The view back across Plymouth Sound
What you’ll pass
→ Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club
→ Plymouth Hoe
→ Drake’s Island
→ The breakwater lighthouse
→ Fort Picklecombe
Worth Knowing
Weather, Tides and Real-World Reliability
Because the ferry lands directly on Cawsand Beach rather than at a fixed jetty, low tide can genuinely stop certain crossings running, not just bad weather. This isn’t a hypothetical caveat: on 17 April 2026, for example, the service started later than scheduled due to weather, and some crossings that day were cancelled specifically because of low tide.
If you’re planning a trip around a specific crossing, particularly a midday one, it’s worth checking our tide times guide alongside the ferry timetable, and checking live service status before you set off.
Check before you travel
Plymouth Boat Trips, live service status on their homepage, and on their Facebook page for real-time updates and seasonal announcements.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 from around 90 reviews on Tripadvisor at time of writing, worth a glance for recent, real-world reports on conditions.
Heritage
A Route Over a Hundred Years Old
The Cawsand Ferry has connected Plymouth to these villages for more than a century, long enough to have outlasted several boats. Vessels historically associated with this and neighbouring Plymouth Sound routes include the Weston Maid, a fibreglass passenger boat originally built in 1961 as a lifeboat for the P&O liner Canberra, and the MV Plymouth Belle, launched the same year from the Mashfords yard at Cremyll. Which vessel operates the crossing can vary by season, so treat this as the route’s heritage rather than a guarantee of what you’ll board.
What hasn’t changed is the character of the trip itself: a small boat, a beach landing, and a crossing that’s remained a genuinely traditional way to reach these villages while the rest of the region’s transport has modernised around it.
Day Trip Idea
Make a Loop of It
Outward →
Cawsand Ferry to the villages
Take the Cawsand Ferry from the Barbican, explore Cawsand and Kingsand, and walk the South West Coast Path towards Mount Edgcumbe Country Park.
Return →
Cremyll Ferry back to Plymouth
From Mount Edgcumbe, pick up the Cremyll Ferry back across the Tamar to Admiral’s Hard or Royal William Yard, a different view of Plymouth on the way home. See our getting here guide for the Cremyll Ferry details.
Before You Board
At the Barbican
The Barbican Landing Stage sits right by the Mayflower Steps, in the heart of Plymouth’s historic Barbican, the closest thing the city has to an old town. Arrive early and there’s a genuinely good reason to linger, the cobbled streets around the harbour hold independent shops, galleries, and the Plymouth Gin Distillery, one of the oldest working gin distilleries in England.
If your day trip runs late, the evening return crossing has its own appeal, arriving back into Plymouth as the city’s lights come up over the Sound, a genuinely different way to end a day at the beach.
If It Isn’t Running
If the Ferry Isn’t Running
All crossings are weather, tide and circumstances permitting. If the Cawsand Ferry is cancelled, catch the No. 70 bus to Cremyll and connect with the Waterlink Ferry, or drive via the Torpoint Ferry or Tamar Bridge instead. See our full getting here guide for the Torpoint Ferry and Cremyll Ferry routes by car and on foot, and current bus timetables.
Plymouth Boat Trips also runs the Cremyll Ferry, Waterlink Ferry, and the Barbican, Royal William Yard and Mount Edgcumbe Ferry, all connected services worth knowing about if your first choice isn’t running.
FAQ
Common questions
Everything you need before booking the Cawsand Ferry.
How long does the Barbican to Cawsand ferry take?
25 minutes point to point according to the published transit timetable, though it’s commonly described as “about half an hour” once boarding is included.
What is the Plymouth to Cawsand ferry timetable?
Departs Barbican at 09:00, 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30, every 90 minutes, 1 April to 31 October. See the full timetable above.
How much is the Cawsand ferry?
£6.50 adult, £3.50 child (3–15), free for under 3s, in the 2026 season. Dogs and bicycles are £3.00. Prices tend to rise slightly each year.
Does the Cawsand ferry go to Kingsand?
Not directly, it lands at Cawsand Beach. Kingsand is a short walk along the shore from there, so in practice it serves both villages.
Do I need to book in advance?
No, it’s first-come, first-served, and cash or card is accepted on boarding. Online tickets are only available for the day of travel and don’t guarantee a specific crossing time.
Why do some crossings get cancelled?
Usually weather or low tide. Because the ferry lands directly on Cawsand Beach rather than a fixed jetty, certain crossings can’t run if the tide is too far out. Check live status before you travel.
Is this the same as the ferry to Mount Edgcumbe?
No, that’s a separate service, the Barbican, Royal William Yard and Mount Edgcumbe Ferry, run by the same operator but a different route and timetable. Don’t confuse the two when booking.
Can you charter the Cawsand Ferry privately?
Plymouth Boat Trips has previously arranged private charters for events including weddings. Contact the operator directly to discuss availability and pricing, this isn’t part of the standard scheduled service.
Is the ferry wheelchair accessible?
No. Boarding at Cawsand uses a removable ramp, and crew can refuse access if it’s unsafe. Crew can assist less able-bodied passengers boarding, alighting and during the crossing. Cawsand Beach itself has a separate, wheelchair-friendly slipway if arriving by other means.