Oh the glamour of being a TH-camr…….I subscribe just for videos like this! A regular guy taking normal trips, keeping the cost as low as possible - OK, you’re entitled to the odd Premium Economy flight and why not.
Last time that I travelled on the ferry was 1961, the first time was.1953. I took my bike on board and was listening to Petula Clarke singing, "Sailor" it was a balmy (July) evening with a light breeze. about 6pm. All now so long ago and in the distant past. Most of my family and friends that I knew have now gone to their eternal rest. How the memories come flooding back seeing this video of the ferry.
Hi, thanks for the comment. Glad it brought back memories for you - I do enjoy reading people’s recollections on a video and it’s one of the main reasons I do it. Cheers 😊👍
Never been on the Woolwich Ferry before but I have walked underneath the River Thames from Isle of Dogs to Greenwich before the DLR was extended south to Lewisham.
I took my in-laws on the ferry way back in 1993. They were visiting from South America and found it quite interesting when I drove onto the ferry and off the other side.
Travelled on one of the old boats back in the early 80s. Not used the new ones which seem a lot less massive than their predecessors. The ‘crabbing’ is to counter the drift effect of river current and tide. Unless a rising tide precisely matches the downstream current going straight across would land up a long way up or downstream of the landing ramp. It’s a bit like an aircraft crabbing during a crosswind landing.
Cheers Mike, yes I thought it must be a bit like an aircraft in respect of the wind which was pretty-much blowing directly downstream. Fascinating to watch though I bet they've done it thousands of times and it's all a bit second nature to the crews.
There is a ferry between Sweden and Denmark, about 20 mins. Many people used it for Friday/Saturday night drinking on board at the bar. A single ticket allowed unlimited crossings if you got off at your departure point. This may be different now. The only free ferries I've been on cross the Kiel Canal.
Some friends and I who were bus fans used to travel on "Red Rover" tickets around East London, because that was where you could find the oldest, and therefore most interesting vehicles. These trips usually included a ride on the 101 to North Woolwich and across the Thames on the ferry. As someone else already wrote, the old ferries looked rather larger; maybe there was more demand then.
The ferries of this era are diesel electric and a lot more thrust than the previous ferries. They have a lot of propulsive vectoring ability and the hull shape combined makes positioning and orientation rapid, allowing the ship to do a 180 in under 15 seconds as seen in a video were it performed doughnuts in tribute to the NHS once. The two ships almost always will do a synchronous dance as they perform a sequence of front and port withdraw, then around mid journey a 180, then another crab type manoeuvre towards opposing side. It doesn't always go as smooth as the captain might like as the combination of propulsion response latency and occasional and unpredictable flow Eddie's from passing clipper boats which can cause a sudden change in the current direction. The mag stabilization is a new one and keeps the ship relatively firmed up while docking.
I haven’t been on it since the new boats were introduced. At one time on the old ones it used to be possible to look down to see the engines through openings which had metal shutters which could be fitted over, presumably for fire purposes, but these openings were later permanently plated over. Until the early years of the 20th century there was another ferry, operated by the railway. The last time I looked, a few years ago the burned out remains of the pier for this ferry could still be seen on the North side, slightly downstream of the free ferry.
Nice to see that you arrived safely. I did the same walk through the tunnel in mid-August 2023. Both lifts were out of action, so it was ,keep fit time. I saw nobody on the way through from the south side to the north side, but when I staggard out at the north end, I was horrified to see what appeared to be a gang fight going on. Blood was coming from one person's face, and there was nobody else around, as the area at the moment was just one big building site. I hurriedly turned around and disappeared down the steps to get back to the other side. I was followed by the man with the bleeding face who was shouting something that I could not understand, and he was followed by one of the gang members. The gang member pushed him to the floor, kicked him, and then started to walk back, giving me a look as he passed. My relief when I finally exited back on the south side was something else. Word of advice. The South side is where the expensive apartments are, and the Elizabeth line. The north side is a big building site, poor housing, and a suger factory where they make treacle. Ask yourself, is it worth it?
I’ve taken this many many times as I used to live a few minutes away. Always enjoyed the little free ride, though faster to walk under. Got some good photos of the old ferry too, have to dig those out (not the paddle steamers, the ones before the 2019 versions) If someone goes there, save some room for a roast dinner and a milkshake at First Choice cafe on the south side of the road crossing outside the leisure centre entrance. Good prices, down to earth atmos, great friendly service.
Well you definitely made the best of a bad situation there! I knew about the ferry but didn’t know about the tunnel - must put that on my list for a visit! Does look like I’d want to pass through it as quick as possible though 😂 as someone else said, looks like a muggers paradise! Cheers for now!
Cheers mate, yes it was nice to discover this ferry and a bonus with the tunnel too. I was carrying my rucksack with me on the day as I had to check out of the hotel. So it was a bit hard going at times but good fun and an unexpected bonus on the day.
Following on from your last video Mark, would be great to see you doing a walking tour of Shrewsbury. A sort of 'Mark's Shrewsbury', Bear Steps, Grope Lane, Laura's Tower, the bridges, Piccolinos and Pellys hair salon if both of those places are still there. You could start with the fact that the city on the banks of the Foyle in Northern Ireland has two names (Derry and Londonderry) but Shrewsbury has four. Shrozebury, Shroozbury, Shewzbury and Amwythig!
Cheers mate, I'm not sure anyone's much interested in me walking around tbh! I mean there are lots of interesting places but not sure I could do it justice. I think there is at least one person on here that does that kind of thing although when I looked him up, he seemed to be one of those massive right wing, anti-foreigner types which kind of put me off a bit I must say. I guess never say never :-)
Good video. In my lorry driving days, some halfa century ago, it was the preferred way of getting south of the Thames. Traffic there tended to be a lot lighter than the bridge routes and even if there was a queue at the ferry itself the whole journey was faster.
Cheers mate, I’ve learnt a lot of history from people commenting on this video. Fascinating really and I’d never even been near it before last week. I’ll definitely be back 👍
This is local to me, I use both the ferry + foot tunnel quite frequently. Both ferries were working in the summer of 2021, however last year saw quite a lot of inactivity for both ferries. The Thames path on the south of the river is a very interesting part of London, you should have visited the Thames Barrier.
I have traveled on the Woolwich ferry a few times, and I have been on the ferries before these new ones can into service, where the passenger area was on a lower deck, with more seats then the new ferry.
Back in the late 90's i worked in Harlesden for a few months and occasionally would use the north london line from north woolwich to willesden junction and vice versa then get the ferry back to woolwich......also as a kid we used to travel back and forth on the ferry a lot
As I work in North London and live in SE London, I use the ferry a fair bit (when it’s working). Traveling at peak times there is the choice of the manic and impatient driving for Blackwell tunnel or the orderly, calm and expected wait for the ferry. Once I took a bus on it and held up the ferry as the engine of the bus wouldn’t switch off until I turned it off at the back! I was not popular.
I was wondering whether you could take buses on it or not. I went through the Blackwall tunnel too the other day and yes it does seem a bit chaotic through there! Cheers David
Great video as always. I love the old infrastructure of London especially the parts that are not often used. I have been on the old ferry but not yet had a chance to use the new one. I have walked through both tunnels and it’s a bit of a eerie atmosphere. I have been in the leisure centre back in 1998 though only made it as far as the bar! I caught a passenger only ferry across from Gravesend to Tilbury a couple of years ago which is the furthest downstream crossing. There are plans to run a clipper from Gravesend to London which would be fascinating. On a crazy note you can apparently walk through the Rotherhithe road tunnel but given the lack of ventilation it’s not recommended!
Gravesend to Tilbury? Yes that's another idea isn't it. Looks a bit 'less posh' than this one but maybe worth a trip down there for me. I'll have a look, cheers mate.
@@LetsMakeaTrip FYI - there is another ferry service that operates across the river between Tilbury and Gravesend. It is operated by Jetstream Tours and is about a 20 minute walk from Tilbury Town rail station but if you buy a rail ticket to Tilbury Riverside you can use this ticket on the bus (99) and this will take you to the Tilbury ferry terminal. Again it is only about a 10 minute crossing and is about £5 / £6 return. It only operates up to 7pm and does not run on a Sunday.
@@LetsMakeaTrip There are also a small number of days when the Thames Clippers are operating a single or return sailing from Gravesend / Tilbury up the river to London. The dates are on their website.
Used it once, the Ferry, about 20 years ago - because I'd seen it used as a meeting place on an episode of The Professionals when I was a lad. The ferries then were bulkier looking than the current one, both were running and they were very quiet but it was a midweek mid-morning. I then proceeded to get lost in South London and took about 2 hours to get to the flood barrier!
To be fair to you that is not exactly hard to do as its not really sign posted with the direction of the barrier from Woolwich even though it is straight down the road and a 15-20 min walk. It's almost like they don't want you to know where anything is in the Woolwich/Charlton area lol
@@LetsMakeaTrip It might become easier to find or harder who knows because that eye sore of a leisure centre is getting pulled down for a new development as they are building a new leisure centre next to the train station in Woolwich.
As a lorry driver back in the 1980's I regularly used the Woolwich ferry. Alas, it broke down mid-crossing one time and we were stuck for two hours. I got seasick. Never again.
Hi Mark. Well what an unusual trip. The tunnel looked like it could be muggers paradise, wouldn't fancy going in there but yes, interesting video, nice boat ride too. Great it was free. Glad u got out safely. Did u see any leaks?. Looking forward to seeing your next video. Best wishes David and Beverley Norfolk
I didn't see any leaks no but apparently there is cctv down there and it was so quiet, made it eerily spooky down there really. Enjoyed it though. Cheers both.
You managed to find the Ferry open now that is impressive as it seems like it is always closed to me an awful lot of time haha I want the old Ferries back with the Free Maze down stairs for foot passengers, got on them go downstairs to make your way to the other end of the boat to get of on the other side, It always felt like a maze down there to me as a kid.
I only did this as a a last minute idea tbh as everything else was going wrong. However, it seems to be doing alright so yep, maybe a few more short vids on this kind of thing for a Monday release could be a thing?
I think that there are 4 ferries directly crossing the Thames in Greater London;Woolwich,Rotherhithe, Twickenham and Hampton although the Hampton one ends up in Surrey.The other Thames Clipper crosses too but not point to point via a long route.
When i was a kid i was back and to on the old (alternate) woolwich ferries regularly , my dad had the job of transporting all the personal belongings of the army personnel from park hall camp oswestry (Royal Artillery) to the RA at their new home in woolwich barracks, reason being is that they closed the camp at park hall,.I have not been on the woolwich ferry for probably 34 years and i didnt know they had 2 new very smart vessels, its a sign of the times that they only run one out of two vessels, it was pretty slick when two were running crossing paths mid thames,.I never knew that woolwich had a foot tunnel either, i honestly feared for your life walking through it, not because of the roof falling in on you either, it would have been safer swimming over the thames,.I used to load sugar out of that tate & lyle factory around 28+ years ago before canary wharf was built,.
Out of the storm disruption - a fascinating video was born - thoroughly enjoyable. Been on the ferry several times - could never hear the safety announcements - even with all the car windows open ! Noticed the "crab" movement too - they seem to aim away from the terminal and the wind/tide lines it up correctly !
Yes, I was quite pleased to discover this ferry and not too far awat from where I was staying either. Really enjoyed it and the crabbing is all to do with the wind and tides I have been informed.
Took the ferry and the tunnel for the first when I moved to London in the mid 1970s to start work. The ferry in those days, a quieter calmer time, was very well known and quite a London feature. Interesting in a world where many transport links have been curtailed or removed as uneconomic the free service still survives. Perhaps a better definition of Public Transport?
It was a bit of a last minute thing for me and I was both surprised and delighted to find out it was free! I believe it has changed quite a bit since the 70's too.
I think I’ve seen that. Not sure I fancy it now tbh! Very similar to the Greenwich Tunnel this. It can look a bit dodgy tbh, I think there are cameras down there but even so…
There are two key issues with the new ferries that manage to make the service less reliable than the old ones from the 1960s: First and foremost, they've gone from three ferries (the James Newman, named after a former Mayor of Woolwich; the John Burns, a politician and Trade Unionist; and the Ernest Bevin, also a politician and General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, since merged with Amicus to form Unite) down to two, so there's no spare if one breaks down. The second issue is that the new ferries use a magnetic docking system rather than the traditional ropes, which relies on the vessel being positioned in just the right position or it won't work. Needless to say, this has resulted in it taking a lot longer to dock! And it's more prone to failure, of course.
When my cousin worked for Fords at Dagenham, we used the "works" ferry from Erith to Dagenham as our car had broken down at Crayford Speedway Track and the quickest was home was straight across the River. Not sure if it's still running but I also dont know if the Tilbury to Gravesend Ferry still runs.
I did end up at LHR yes. I had no choice as I needed to get to Paris. A pretty uneventful flight though tbh - certainly not worth filming unfortunately.
The foot tunnel south entrance marks the start/finish of the Thames Path, a glorious walk from the source of the Thames near Swindon (highly recommended). It’s also the start/finish of the Capital Ring, an 80 mile circular walk around London. So it’s a significant landmark!
I know what you mean, that's always confused me. When I first walked it the end was at the Thames Barrier, now the National Trails website shows it ending at Woolwich. Having walked all the way to Grain (Source to Sea), I am aware that there is an "end" to the Thames Path highlighted east of Erith. So I haven't really got a clue what's right, but I'm inclined to go with the National Trails website & use Woolwich foot tunnel - a lot prettier than Cray, I'm sure you'll agree!@@damienconnor2370
Plan D was a winner. Often thought about that foot tunnel but never walked it. So pleased it is still there and still regularly used. Another interesting video that you just pulled out of the (woolly) hat. Good work 👍
Cheers mate. Yep tbh, I should've stayed in London! Think there's a few more interesting places worthy of a visit and a video soon. I'm going to do a bit more research into that.
I went many times to London but I never went on a riverboat or ferry along the Thames, nor walked on these pedestrian tunnels. I did however travel on the Emirates Airline across the Thames last year (just £5, not bad) and it offered some great views too. Anyway, I do share your same opinion on the DLR and their front seats, simply amazing
I’ve been on the Airline a couple of times. It’s really steep at the start and yep, can be a bit scary when it’s windy! It’s one of those strips I’m not overly keen on tbh but I’ll do it if I have to! Not a big fan of heights 😂
I used to use the ferry with a car and on foot often, but the service has gone down hill. It is protected by a Royal Charter, which means they have to operate it , but the service is nowhere like it was. They are not very deep down, and in fact the one at Greenwich was damaged during WW2, and you can see the reduced sized section where they repaired it.
Just a shame that Royal Charter does not include minimum run time as TFL are seemingly trying to run it as little as possible eh? Of late every time I go to use it it is closed and I would sooner use that than the Blackwall tunnel as that is just a cluster f* in progress while that new tunnel is being built.
I’ve been told about this in the Greenwich Tunnel. If this video does ok I might head back down to London and film some more similar things (Greenwich Tunnel, Rotherhithe crossing etc).
@@LetsMakeaTrip Please do not walk through Rotherhithe tunnel at least not without a gas mask heh I actually do not think that tunnel has any form of ventilation but I may have missed it completely lol There has been times when it has looked like smog in there though.
@@LetsMakeaTrip if you do the Rotherhithe take a decent mask otherwise you will be fumed out! There is also the ferry at Tilbury. The most interesting used to be the old Ford Ferry for the Dagenham Ford workers, sadly no longer operating from what I have been told .
The number of steps wil givel you a guide as to the depth of the tunnel. Calculate no of steps to roof of tunnel, less what estimate between river height and the height of the surface of the promenade area.
I went from south to north on the ferry with my car earlier this year, was much more fun than the Dartford crossing which my sat nav was trying to force to use (and pay for!)
Kinda surprised your sat nav did not try for the Blackwall tunnel give how close that is compared to Dartford, but ferry is a much more interesting way to cross. It is surreal given how smooth these new boats are and seeing the buildings move and your not lol
@@jamestravels24 ah that makes more sense, it read as if you was near the ferry when it suggested Dartford. I do not put it past a Sat Nav though as sometimes they do come up with some zany routes when you could go straight down the road instead of the 6 turns to come out in the same place lol
@@LetsMakeaTrip I don't think there is a restriction on coaches. Only restrictions I have seen down there has been hazardous materials and height restrictions So maybe they fall under the height restriction at least for double deckers. I could see there being a restriction in this for evacuation purposes though. Edit: another reason coaches probably don't use it is the time it takes as well as planned routing for quickness.
I have done the same in 2 different days unfortunately because the ferry wasn't working the first time. I think overall it's not that great experience. The ferry takes long time to wait. As you said the entrance to the tunnel on the south side is difficult to access to because of the leaisure centre, which is, really, not impressive at all. I hope you didn't come to london just for this.
No I came to London for something completely different! This was a ‘plan b’ but tbh, I found the ferry and the area quite interesting. I do enjoy wandering around London but I can only stick it for about 3 days max!
I have been on both, but not those modern ferries. Much of the passenger accommodation of the old ones was below deck, dimly-lit, shadowy and cavernous, which wouldn't be remotely safe today and probably wasn't then; although it was at least atmospheric. The tunnel seems to have even fewer users than it did in the 1980s, but then I guess are more alternatives now. Interesting that it's still the same old wooden lift once you get through the new metal doors!
Cheers Paul. Those lifts reminded me of some of the older underground ones. Quite large but like you said, not used to carrying massive amounts of passengers these days I guess. I would have been interested in trying out the old ferry in its day. Wonder what happened to them?
I've done the DLR out to London City Airport. We got the front seat and after about 10 minutes were sorry. Talk about motion sickness? Go ahead and do the trip. You'll enjoy it. But don;t forget your motion sickness tablets.
Used both the old one and the new one. A lot more space (and toilets) on the old one and more frequent, its almost as if they are doing the bare minimum.
Yep it certainly does look like the bare minimum to me as well and because of it people have opted for alternative routes as there used to be a time when they only had a one ferry service they had to use the overfill carpark for them on the Woolwich side, these days not so much.
Woolwich ferry is such a waste of time. Constantly no service, 1 boat service or on strike!! Also both ramps are used for going on and going off not just one in each direction as stated.
Sadly this service is the most unreliable and shoddily run service operated by TFL. You can turn up in a wagon (too high for the Northbound Blackwall Tunnel) and at best its a wait of up to one hour because one boat is out of service or, more often, its closed completely for one of many frequently rolled out reason's. A lengthy and expensive detour then follows to use the Dartford tunnel/bridge. Mr Kahn (or Kahnt), SORT IT OUT!! It's a disgrace.
The cable car across the Thames might have been an exciting alternative - in the unlikely event of it working in the high winds! I guess your choice is down to how claustrophobic or agoraphobic you are!
It was running Tim as I saw it from the DLR. I’ve been on it a couple of times and I must admit,I didn’t fancy it much in the wind. Surprised it was going tbh.
l have lived in the area for 63 years... never heard of woolwich being called old woolwich..the ferry has been pants ever since the currant Mayor took over ,, the new boats are rubbish and always broken down.
Its almost exactly 40 years to the day since I last went on it as an 18-year-old who had just moved to London. In those days there wasn't much to do on Sundays with no shops open, so taking a trip across the river was something to do to explore. We very quickly discovered that North Woolwich was a bit of a shit-hole (even compared to Woolwich proper), so we turned around and came back. Interesting fact. When McDonalds were thinking of setting up in the UK, they sought out the most average place they could find to see if the concept would work here (average salary, average age, basically 'average demographic') and determined that it was Woolwich. Woolwich therefore got the UK's first ever McDonalds (which is still there) in, I think, 1977.
Horsenuts, you should be a TH-camr with factoids like that! If I’d have known about the Woolwich McDonalds, would have been there like a shot! I’ll have to nip back there now (and have another go on the ferry) 😊👍
Oh the glamour of being a TH-camr…….I subscribe just for videos like this! A regular guy taking normal trips, keeping the cost as low as possible - OK, you’re entitled to the odd Premium Economy flight and why not.
Haha, cheers mate 😊
Two boats run now, first time today…really cool ❤
Last time that I travelled on the ferry was 1961, the first time was.1953. I took my bike on board and was listening to Petula Clarke singing, "Sailor" it was a balmy (July) evening with a light breeze. about 6pm. All now so long ago and in the distant past. Most of my family and friends that I knew have now gone to their eternal rest. How the memories come flooding back seeing this video of the ferry.
Hi, thanks for the comment. Glad it brought back memories for you - I do enjoy reading people’s recollections on a video and it’s one of the main reasons I do it. Cheers 😊👍
Lovely memory.
I actually used the Woolwich Ferry myself yesterday and done some videos. I walked from Stratford to get there.
Never been on the Woolwich Ferry before but I have walked underneath the River Thames from Isle of Dogs to Greenwich before the DLR was extended south to Lewisham.
I took my in-laws on the ferry way back in 1993. They were visiting from South America and found it quite interesting when I drove onto the ferry and off the other side.
Cheers, I didn't even know it existed until I was stuck in Barking having to change my plans. I'm certainly glad I tried it now.
Travelled on one of the old boats back in the early 80s. Not used the new ones which seem a lot less massive than their predecessors.
The ‘crabbing’ is to counter the drift effect of river current and tide. Unless a rising tide precisely matches the downstream current going straight across would land up a long way up or downstream of the landing ramp. It’s a bit like an aircraft crabbing during a crosswind landing.
Cheers Mike, yes I thought it must be a bit like an aircraft in respect of the wind which was pretty-much blowing directly downstream. Fascinating to watch though I bet they've done it thousands of times and it's all a bit second nature to the crews.
There is a ferry between Sweden and Denmark, about 20 mins. Many people used it for Friday/Saturday night drinking on board at the bar. A single ticket allowed unlimited crossings if you got off at your departure point. This may be different now.
The only free ferries I've been on cross the Kiel Canal.
Some friends and I who were bus fans used to travel on "Red Rover" tickets around East London, because that was where you could find the oldest, and therefore most interesting vehicles. These trips usually included a ride on the 101 to North Woolwich and across the Thames on the ferry. As someone else already wrote, the old ferries looked rather larger; maybe there was more demand then.
Yes I have traveled on the Woolwich ferry it's a good free ferry sorvice
The ferries of this era are diesel electric and a lot more thrust than the previous ferries. They have a lot of propulsive vectoring ability and the hull shape combined makes positioning and orientation rapid, allowing the ship to do a 180 in under 15 seconds as seen in a video were it performed doughnuts in tribute to the NHS once. The two ships almost always will do a synchronous dance as they perform a sequence of front and port withdraw, then around mid journey a 180, then another crab type manoeuvre towards opposing side. It doesn't always go as smooth as the captain might like as the combination of propulsion response latency and occasional and unpredictable flow Eddie's from passing clipper boats which can cause a sudden change in the current direction. The mag stabilization is a new one and keeps the ship relatively firmed up while docking.
I haven’t been on it since the new boats were introduced. At one time on the old ones it used to be possible to look down to see the engines through openings which had metal shutters which could be fitted over, presumably for fire purposes, but these openings were later permanently plated over.
Until the early years of the 20th century there was another ferry, operated by the railway. The last time I looked, a few years ago the burned out remains of the pier for this ferry could still be seen on the North side, slightly downstream of the free ferry.
Nice to see that you arrived safely. I did the same walk through the tunnel in mid-August 2023. Both lifts were out of action, so it was ,keep fit time.
I saw nobody on the way through from the south side to the north side, but when I staggard out at the north end, I was horrified to see what appeared to be a gang fight going on. Blood was coming from one person's face, and there was nobody else around, as the area at the moment was just one big building site.
I hurriedly turned around and disappeared down the steps to get back to the other side.
I was followed by the man with the bleeding face who was shouting something that I could not understand, and he was followed by one of the gang members.
The gang member pushed him to the floor, kicked him, and then started to walk back, giving me a look as he passed.
My relief when I finally exited back on the south side was something else.
Word of advice. The South side is where the expensive apartments are, and the Elizabeth line. The north side is a big building site, poor housing, and a suger factory where they make treacle. Ask yourself, is it worth it?
That sounds pretty scary Gerald. I know there are cameras down there but whether they’re a deterrent or not (doubt it tbh).
Treacle factory? he could have come to a sticky end.🤣🤣🤣🤣 @@LetsMakeaTrip
Great video Mark!
Cheers Steve.
I’ve taken this many many times as I used to live a few minutes away. Always enjoyed the little free ride, though faster to walk under. Got some good photos of the old ferry too, have to dig those out (not the paddle steamers, the ones before the 2019 versions)
If someone goes there, save some room for a roast dinner and a milkshake at First Choice cafe on the south side of the road crossing outside the leisure centre entrance. Good prices, down to earth atmos, great friendly service.
Cheers Tony, when I go back, I’ll try and stay inWoolwich. I hear they’ve got the UK’s first McDonalds too!
Well you definitely made the best of a bad situation there!
I knew about the ferry but didn’t know about the tunnel - must put that on my list for a visit! Does look like I’d want to pass through it as quick as possible though 😂 as someone else said, looks like a muggers paradise!
Cheers for now!
Cheers mate, yes it was nice to discover this ferry and a bonus with the tunnel too. I was carrying my rucksack with me on the day as I had to check out of the hotel. So it was a bit hard going at times but good fun and an unexpected bonus on the day.
Amazing price certainly would not get that where I live :)😊
Following on from your last video Mark, would be great to see you doing a walking tour of Shrewsbury. A sort of 'Mark's Shrewsbury', Bear Steps, Grope Lane, Laura's Tower, the bridges, Piccolinos and Pellys hair salon if both of those places are still there. You could start with the fact that the city on the banks of the Foyle in Northern Ireland has two names (Derry and Londonderry) but Shrewsbury has four. Shrozebury, Shroozbury, Shewzbury and Amwythig!
Cheers mate, I'm not sure anyone's much interested in me walking around tbh! I mean there are lots of interesting places but not sure I could do it justice. I think there is at least one person on here that does that kind of thing although when I looked him up, he seemed to be one of those massive right wing, anti-foreigner types which kind of put me off a bit I must say. I guess never say never :-)
Ibis Budget Barking love it!
Great video as always Mark.. Look forward to you reaching 20000 subscribers.
Thanks, so do I!!
Good video. In my lorry driving days, some halfa century ago, it was the preferred way of getting south of the Thames. Traffic there tended to be a lot lighter than the bridge routes and even if there was a queue at the ferry itself the whole journey was faster.
Cheers mate, I’ve learnt a lot of history from people commenting on this video. Fascinating really and I’d never even been near it before last week. I’ll definitely be back 👍
This is local to me, I use both the ferry + foot tunnel quite frequently. Both ferries were working in the summer of 2021, however last year saw quite a lot of inactivity for both ferries. The Thames path on the south of the river is a very interesting part of London, you should have visited the Thames Barrier.
Cheers Stephen, yes maybe I'm down there next I'll try the Thames path. I am looking for a few more ideas in the area.
Back in the 80's used this two or three times a week as we where based in Croydon and delivered to many company's in east London and Essex.
I have traveled on the Woolwich ferry a few times, and I have been on the ferries before these new ones can into service, where the passenger area was on a lower deck, with more seats then the new ferry.
Great video. Thank you for sharing
Thanks for the comment mate 😊👍
Back in the late 90's i worked in Harlesden for a few months and occasionally would use the north london line from north woolwich to willesden junction and vice versa then get the ferry back to woolwich......also as a kid we used to travel back and forth on the ferry a lot
As I work in North London and live in SE London, I use the ferry a fair bit (when it’s working). Traveling at peak times there is the choice of the manic and impatient driving for Blackwell tunnel or the orderly, calm and expected wait for the ferry. Once I took a bus on it and held up the ferry as the engine of the bus wouldn’t switch off until I turned it off at the back! I was not popular.
I was wondering whether you could take buses on it or not. I went through the Blackwall tunnel too the other day and yes it does seem a bit chaotic through there!
Cheers David
Great video as always. I love the old infrastructure of London especially the parts that are not often used. I have been on the old ferry but not yet had a chance to use the new one. I have walked through both tunnels and it’s a bit of a eerie atmosphere. I have been in the leisure centre back in 1998 though only made it as far as the bar! I caught a passenger only ferry across from Gravesend to Tilbury a couple of years ago which is the furthest downstream crossing. There are plans to run a clipper from Gravesend to London which would be fascinating. On a crazy note you can apparently walk through the Rotherhithe road tunnel but given the lack of ventilation it’s not recommended!
Gravesend to Tilbury? Yes that's another idea isn't it. Looks a bit 'less posh' than this one but maybe worth a trip down there for me. I'll have a look, cheers mate.
Excellent video. It is always good to have a free boat trip on the Thames!!
Hanks mate. Yep, a great find for me this was. Really enjoyed it 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip FYI - there is another ferry service that operates across the river between Tilbury and Gravesend. It is operated by Jetstream Tours and is about a 20 minute walk from Tilbury Town rail station but if you buy a rail ticket to Tilbury Riverside you can use this ticket on the bus (99) and this will take you to the Tilbury ferry terminal. Again it is only about a 10 minute crossing and is about £5 / £6 return. It only operates up to 7pm and does not run on a Sunday.
Cheers, I might well try this seeing as this video is doing quite well. If there’s interest, it’s worth doing and I’m definitely interested in it 👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip There are also a small number of days when the Thames Clippers are operating a single or return sailing from Gravesend / Tilbury up the river to London. The dates are on their website.
😊 nice 1 Mark enjoy your lunch m8 all the best John 😊
I did! Thanks John.
Great stuff, I’m off to do a deep dive (no pun intended) on the Woolwich Tunnel now.
Cheers Tim, definitely worth a trip down to London for this and a few other quirky trips. I’m planning on another one some point soon. 👍
The tunnel is 3 metres below the river bed, and at high water the river is around 7 metres deep in the middle at Woolwich.
Used it once, the Ferry, about 20 years ago - because I'd seen it used as a meeting place on an episode of The Professionals when I was a lad. The ferries then were bulkier looking than the current one, both were running and they were very quiet but it was a midweek mid-morning. I then proceeded to get lost in South London and took about 2 hours to get to the flood barrier!
To be fair to you that is not exactly hard to do as its not really sign posted with the direction of the barrier from Woolwich even though it is straight down the road and a 15-20 min walk.
It's almost like they don't want you to know where anything is in the Woolwich/Charlton area lol
I had trouble finding the south tunnel entrance! 😂
@@LetsMakeaTrip It might become easier to find or harder who knows because that eye sore of a leisure centre is getting pulled down for a new development as they are building a new leisure centre next to the train station in Woolwich.
As a lorry driver back in the 1980's I regularly used the Woolwich ferry. Alas, it broke down mid-crossing one time and we were stuck for two hours. I got seasick. Never again.
Blimey! Not such a quick crossing then. Hope it didn’t start floating down the Thames!
Hi Mark. Well what an unusual trip. The tunnel looked like it could be muggers paradise, wouldn't fancy going in there but yes, interesting video, nice boat ride too. Great it was free. Glad u got out safely. Did u see any leaks?. Looking forward to seeing your next video. Best wishes David and Beverley Norfolk
I didn't see any leaks no but apparently there is cctv down there and it was so quiet, made it eerily spooky down there really. Enjoyed it though. Cheers both.
You managed to find the Ferry open now that is impressive as it seems like it is always closed to me an awful lot of time haha
I want the old Ferries back with the Free Maze down stairs for foot passengers, got on them go downstairs to make your way to the other end of the boat to get of on the other side, It always felt like a maze down there to me as a kid.
Another fantastic video please turn this into a series
I only did this as a a last minute idea tbh as everything else was going wrong. However, it seems to be doing alright so yep, maybe a few more short vids on this kind of thing for a Monday release could be a thing?
@@LetsMakeaTrip please do
I think that there are 4 ferries directly crossing the Thames in Greater London;Woolwich,Rotherhithe, Twickenham and Hampton although the Hampton one ends up in Surrey.The other Thames Clipper crosses too but not point to point via a long route.
Yes Kevan and I’m going to go back and have another go at them at some point 👍
Very interesting Mark I didn’t know that.
Cheers Michael
Thanks for the interesting video.
Thanks Richard, cheers for watching.
When i was a kid i was back and to on the old (alternate) woolwich ferries regularly , my dad had the job of transporting all the personal belongings of the army personnel from park hall camp oswestry (Royal Artillery) to the RA at their new home in woolwich barracks, reason being is that they closed the camp at park hall,.I have not been on the woolwich ferry for probably 34 years and i didnt know they had 2 new very smart vessels, its a sign of the times that they only run one out of two vessels, it was pretty slick when two were running crossing paths mid thames,.I never knew that woolwich had a foot tunnel either, i honestly feared for your life walking through it, not because of the roof falling in on you either, it would have been safer swimming over the thames,.I used to load sugar out of that tate & lyle factory around 28+ years ago before canary wharf was built,.
Nice one Mark thanks very much and stay safe, bye for now.
Cheers Simon 😊👍
You don't get much for free these days! Nice trip on a wee ferry😊
It was, the tunnel was interesting too 😊👍
Class video mark. If you get chance , you should do the Mersey ferry in Liverpool
I might head up there this week mate 👍
Unless it’s lashing down 😂
Out of the storm disruption - a fascinating video was born - thoroughly enjoyable. Been on the ferry several times - could never hear the safety announcements - even with all the car windows open ! Noticed the "crab" movement too - they seem to aim away from the terminal and the wind/tide lines it up correctly !
Yes, I was quite pleased to discover this ferry and not too far awat from where I was staying either. Really enjoyed it and the crabbing is all to do with the wind and tides I have been informed.
I so miss the DLR since I moved away, always sat at the front
Good fun isn’t it 😊👍
Hi Mark. You really do get to see smoe fabulous sights especially the tunnel🤣🤣. Well done.
Oh there was no stopping me once I'd found the entrance to the tunnel!
There is a train I believe from North Woolwich and Greater London from the combined DLR and train station if you are interested.
Yes, one of the other quicker ways to get across (but not as exciting imho).
Are bicycles allowed? Crabbing for ferries on rivers is normal. the much smaller footh passenger ferry on the IJssel river is a drifting champion😅
Took the ferry and the tunnel for the first when I moved to London in the mid 1970s to start work. The ferry in those days, a quieter calmer time, was very well known and quite a London feature. Interesting in a world where many transport links have been curtailed or removed as uneconomic the free service still survives. Perhaps a better definition of Public Transport?
It was a bit of a last minute thing for me and I was both surprised and delighted to find out it was free! I believe it has changed quite a bit since the 70's too.
some scope I think for better buses from Barking Riverside to Woolwich Ferry/Canning Town via A13 or A406 given the new flats going up
The tunnel looks fairly unpleasant, though not as horrible as walking through the Rotherhithe Tunnel (see the video Jago Hazzard made about that)
I think I’ve seen that. Not sure I fancy it now tbh! Very similar to the Greenwich Tunnel this. It can look a bit dodgy tbh, I think there are cameras down there but even so…
There are two key issues with the new ferries that manage to make the service less reliable than the old ones from the 1960s:
First and foremost, they've gone from three ferries (the James Newman, named after a former Mayor of Woolwich; the John Burns, a politician and Trade Unionist; and the Ernest Bevin, also a politician and General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, since merged with Amicus to form Unite) down to two, so there's no spare if one breaks down.
The second issue is that the new ferries use a magnetic docking system rather than the traditional ropes, which relies on the vessel being positioned in just the right position or it won't work. Needless to say, this has resulted in it taking a lot longer to dock! And it's more prone to failure, of course.
I did wonder about the docking system. Cheers mate😊👍
Well done Mark, nice one, and free to WOW, good to know 👍
Cheers mate, thanks for the comment 😊👍
When my cousin worked for Fords at Dagenham, we used the "works" ferry from Erith to Dagenham as our car had broken down at Crayford Speedway Track and the quickest was home was straight across the River. Not sure if it's still running but I also dont know if the Tilbury to Gravesend Ferry still runs.
The Fords ferry didn't last long into the 80s but Tilbury - Gravesend ferry is still in operation, but unlike the Woolwich ferry, it is not free.
@@LyonMaid thank you I left London for Sunderland in 1988 but we used that Ferry in late 1978/early 1979 when my cousin got killed in an accident.
£4 one way according to their website.
If you're a pensioner with an English bus pass the Tilbury/Gravesend ferry is free,off peak.
Hi mark. Was plan A B or C involving a plane? Would have been an interesting video during storm Ciaran wouldn't it?! Cheers for the videos
I did end up at LHR yes. I had no choice as I needed to get to Paris. A pretty uneventful flight though tbh - certainly not worth filming unfortunately.
The foot tunnel south entrance marks the start/finish of the Thames Path, a glorious walk from the source of the Thames near Swindon (highly recommended). It’s also the start/finish of the Capital Ring, an 80 mile circular walk around London. So it’s a significant landmark!
Didn’t know that David. Those walks sound interesting - particularly the Capital Ring. Might try it one day 👍
Sorry but it doesn't. It's further east at the river Cray flood barrier.
I know what you mean, that's always confused me. When I first walked it the end was at the Thames Barrier, now the National Trails website shows it ending at Woolwich. Having walked all the way to Grain (Source to Sea), I am aware that there is an "end" to the Thames Path highlighted east of Erith. So I haven't really got a clue what's right, but I'm inclined to go with the National Trails website & use Woolwich foot tunnel - a lot prettier than Cray, I'm sure you'll agree!@@damienconnor2370
The waterfront is being knocked down once the new building in woolwich town centre opens
For luxury flats I'm led to believe.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Cheers Derisley ⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🚶🚶🚶🚶🚶🚶🚶
Now becomes 2 ferries in operation again. Probably because of maintenance before
Plan D was a winner. Often thought about that foot tunnel but never walked it. So pleased it is still there and still regularly used. Another interesting video that you just pulled out of the (woolly) hat. Good work 👍
Cheers mate. Yep tbh, I should've stayed in London! Think there's a few more interesting places worthy of a visit and a video soon. I'm going to do a bit more research into that.
In the days i was working in the area. The ferry wasn’t working so walked it via the tunnel
Imagine if it wasn’t there. The DLR could be an option these days?
I went many times to London but I never went on a riverboat or ferry along the Thames, nor walked on these pedestrian tunnels.
I did however travel on the Emirates Airline across the Thames last year (just £5, not bad) and it offered some great views too. Anyway, I do share your same opinion on the DLR and their front seats, simply amazing
heh given how close I live to that cable car and I have never been on it, £5 is reasonable though :D
I’ve been on the Airline a couple of times. It’s really steep at the start and yep, can be a bit scary when it’s windy! It’s one of those strips I’m not overly keen on tbh but I’ll do it if I have to! Not a big fan of heights 😂
You are welcome to our Barking
Thanks, that Ibis Budget I stayed in was a bit grim but I guess they’re the same everywhere aren’t they.
I used to use the ferry with a car and on foot often, but the service has gone down hill. It is protected by a Royal Charter, which means they have to operate it , but the service is nowhere like it was. They are not very deep down, and in fact the one at Greenwich was damaged during WW2, and you can see the reduced sized section where they repaired it.
Just a shame that Royal Charter does not include minimum run time as TFL are seemingly trying to run it as little as possible eh?
Of late every time I go to use it it is closed and I would sooner use that than the Blackwall tunnel as that is just a cluster f* in progress while that new tunnel is being built.
I’ve been told about this in the Greenwich Tunnel. If this video does ok I might head back down to London and film some more similar things (Greenwich Tunnel, Rotherhithe crossing etc).
@@LetsMakeaTrip Please do not walk through Rotherhithe tunnel at least not without a gas mask heh
I actually do not think that tunnel has any form of ventilation but I may have missed it completely lol
There has been times when it has looked like smog in there though.
@@LetsMakeaTrip if you do the Rotherhithe take a decent mask otherwise you will be fumed out! There is also the ferry at Tilbury. The most interesting used to be the old Ford Ferry for the Dagenham Ford workers, sadly no longer operating from what I have been told .
Those steps up remind me of the average commute to the toilet in Wetherspoon's 😂
Na the average spoons has a lot more stairs than that lol
@@Nodsterthey add 10 steps for every pint you have 😅
Haha, love that!
@@johnedwards3198 ah see now that explains it lol
sometimes it takes me at least an hour to climb them!
I’m guessing it was a bit to windy for the emerates cable car 😢
It was actually going as I went past it on the DLR earlier. I was surprised tbh!
From my prison cell 😂. Your some laugh.
It's the manner you said it. Brilliant 👏
The number of steps wil givel you a guide as to the depth of the tunnel. Calculate no of steps to roof of tunnel, less what estimate between river height and the height of the surface of the promenade area.
Yes that’s one way of doing it as a guide 👍
The wife did in the 80s
I went from south to north on the ferry with my car earlier this year, was much more fun than the Dartford crossing which my sat nav was trying to force to use (and pay for!)
Kinda surprised your sat nav did not try for the Blackwall tunnel give how close that is compared to Dartford, but ferry is a much more interesting way to cross.
It is surreal given how smooth these new boats are and seeing the buildings move and your not lol
@@Nodster Total journey was Gravesend to Manchester hence the proposed Dartford routing
@@jamestravels24 ah that makes more sense, it read as if you was near the ferry when it suggested Dartford.
I do not put it past a Sat Nav though as sometimes they do come up with some zany routes when you could go straight down the road instead of the 6 turns to come out in the same place lol
Went through the Blackwall Tunnel on the coach a day after. I’m presuming coaches aren’t allowed on the ferry?
@@LetsMakeaTrip I don't think there is a restriction on coaches.
Only restrictions I have seen down there has been hazardous materials and height restrictions So maybe they fall under the height restriction at least for double deckers.
I could see there being a restriction in this for evacuation purposes though.
Edit: another reason coaches probably don't use it is the time it takes as well as planned routing for quickness.
I have done the same in 2 different days unfortunately because the ferry wasn't working the first time. I think overall it's not that great experience. The ferry takes long time to wait. As you said the entrance to the tunnel on the south side is difficult to access to because of the leaisure centre, which is, really, not impressive at all.
I hope you didn't come to london just for this.
No I came to London for something completely different! This was a ‘plan b’ but tbh, I found the ferry and the area quite interesting. I do enjoy wandering around London but I can only stick it for about 3 days max!
Do they sell duty free on the ferry?
No 😊
Pity 😆 🤣
Can Britain manufacture anything these days?
Yes but for more money.
I have been on both, but not those modern ferries. Much of the passenger accommodation of the old ones was below deck, dimly-lit, shadowy and cavernous, which wouldn't be remotely safe today and probably wasn't then; although it was at least atmospheric. The tunnel seems to have even fewer users than it did in the 1980s, but then I guess are more alternatives now. Interesting that it's still the same old wooden lift once you get through the new metal doors!
Cheers Paul. Those lifts reminded me of some of the older underground ones. Quite large but like you said, not used to carrying massive amounts of passengers these days I guess. I would have been interested in trying out the old ferry in its day. Wonder what happened to them?
Nice hat!
Thanks man, Mountain Equipment - lovely and warm 👍
I've done the DLR out to London City Airport. We got the front seat and after about 10 minutes were sorry. Talk about motion sickness?
Go ahead and do the trip. You'll enjoy it. But don;t forget your motion sickness tablets.
Cheers Alan, not something I’ve thought about that tbh. It can be a bit of a rollercoaster but I love it 😊👍
took that way back in 85 or so to go to the Woolwich Coronet, to a Fall concert, night bus back to Notting Hill
I remember going to see The Fall once in Wolves. Mark E Smith was so out of it and my god it was loud!
Funny enough the leisure centre is due for demolition to be replaced with expensive luxury flats in the next couple years
Interesting. I wonder if this will improve the waterfront or not?
You said ferry worker. Don't you mean crewman???
I can see me in my wheelchair have to turn round and go back because the lift doesn’t work.
Presumably that's why they show you the status of both lifts in the entrance, but yes, I can imagine you'd have arms like a gorilla's after that!
Hopefully it’s not a regular occurrence.
Didn't know the ferry was free I've walked the Greenwich tunnel looks very similar
Yes totally free, just walk up and get on 👍
Used both the old one and the new one. A lot more space (and toilets) on the old one and more frequent, its almost as if they are doing the bare minimum.
Yep it certainly does look like the bare minimum to me as well and because of it people have opted for alternative routes as there used to be a time when they only had a one ferry service they had to use the overfill carpark for them on the Woolwich side, these days not so much.
Yes could well be. I must admit, I never knew anything about it and this really was a last minute idea. Enjoyed it though (and the tunnel).
Woolwich ferry is such a waste of time. Constantly no service, 1 boat service or on strike!!
Also both ramps are used for going on and going off not just one in each direction as stated.
Disappointing review as you didn't test out the wifi, power supply options, catering or the bathroom facilities.
Sadly this service is the most unreliable and shoddily run service operated by TFL. You can turn up in a wagon (too high for the Northbound Blackwall Tunnel) and at best its a wait of up to one hour because one boat is out of service or, more often, its closed completely for one of many frequently rolled out reason's. A lengthy and expensive detour then follows to use the Dartford tunnel/bridge.
Mr Kahn (or Kahnt), SORT IT OUT!! It's a disgrace.
The cable car across the Thames might have been an exciting alternative - in the unlikely event of it working in the high winds! I guess your choice is down to how claustrophobic or agoraphobic you are!
It was running Tim as I saw it from the DLR. I’ve been on it a couple of times and I must admit,I didn’t fancy it much in the wind. Surprised it was going tbh.
l have lived in the area for 63 years... never heard of woolwich being called old woolwich..the ferry has been pants ever since the currant Mayor took over ,, the new boats are rubbish and always broken down.
Well I’ve never lived in the area so had to research it. Here’s a link to the Wiki page: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Woolwich
Be careful of cyclists. No cycling is allowed, but people have been knocked down and sworn at by these ignorant cyclists.
It doesn’t surprise me mate.
Its almost exactly 40 years to the day since I last went on it as an 18-year-old who had just moved to London. In those days there wasn't much to do on Sundays with no shops open, so taking a trip across the river was something to do to explore. We very quickly discovered that North Woolwich was a bit of a shit-hole (even compared to Woolwich proper), so we turned around and came back.
Interesting fact. When McDonalds were thinking of setting up in the UK, they sought out the most average place they could find to see if the concept would work here (average salary, average age, basically 'average demographic') and determined that it was Woolwich. Woolwich therefore got the UK's first ever McDonalds (which is still there) in, I think, 1977.
Horsenuts, you should be a TH-camr with factoids like that! If I’d have known about the Woolwich McDonalds, would have been there like a shot! I’ll have to nip back there now (and have another go on the ferry) 😊👍
Brilliant video as always mate 😊 love your content
Thanks Alan, appreciate the kind words mate.
@@LetsMakeaTrip your welcome I look forward to your next video 😀 cheers