Hot off The Press.

[lukesdad]

Local swansea paper this morning.New fastcat service from swansea to ilfracombe to start in spring 2010. Crossing time 50 mins £22 not sure if thats return or one way didnt state, going to start with 2return trips daily and increase in peak periods.360 passengers doesnt say anything about bikes (only a small piece but the cats look state of the art.

Swansea council pushing for car ferry to follow if ilfracombe can get infrastructure sorted. Good news i d say.

 

[Garz]

Explain to us ignorant non local folk what benefits this has ld?

 

[Dayvo]

Explain to us ignorant non local folk what benefits this has ld?

Presumably pastures new for cycling at a reasonable transport cost for a day or two away!

 

[lukesdad]

Explain to us ignorant non local folk what benefits this has ld?

It links 2 of the best regions in the uk for on and off road riding. By just 50 mins instead of 3 hrs. Taking into account fuel and the toll at the severn crossing even if the fare is 44 quid return Id say thats pretty good news.

tough if you re not local i know.

 

[shirokazan]

Crossing time 50 mins £22 not sure if thats return or one way didnt state

I suspect that's a one-way fare. For comparison, coming back from my tour to the Isle of Wight on Monday, I took the FastCat service from Ryde to Portsmouth and that was about £10 one-way for a 20 minute journey. Incidentally, the FastCat was fitted out to take about 20 bikes, I think.

 

[lukesdad]

I suspect that's a one-way fare. For comparison, coming back from my tour to the Isle of Wight on Monday, I took the FastCat service from Ryde to Portsmouth and that was about £10 one-way for a 20 minute journey. Incidentally, the FastCat was fitted out to take about 20 bikes, I think.

Thanks for that. I think you re probably right £22 return did sound a bit cheap. Did they charge for the bike on I-O-W cat?

 

[shirokazan]

Did they charge for the bike on I-O-W cat?

No, the bike went for free.

It does vary though from company to company. When I was in Cornwall last month, I used two river ferries (across the Fal and the Fowey): on both I went for free but they charged for the bike, 50p and £1.50, for much the same distance.

 

[Bay Runner]

This service has been talked about for many years.
I think it will be a good link.
Call me an old cynic, but I have a feeling that it will not run for long (I hope I am wrong)

 

[Brains]

They bought the FastCat at an auction last month, it's cost them an arm and a leg, I'd give the crossing a single season, and then they will be off to more profitable routes, the ship is designed for the routes such as Eire/Wales - high volume, fast turn around, and it really needs it sister ships, which they have not managed to buy, so that you can run a fleet.

 

[andym]

Local swansea paper this morning.New fastcat service from swansea to ilfracombe to start in spring 2010. Crossing time 50 mins £22 not sure if thats return or one way didnt state, going to start with 2return trips daily and increase in peak periods.360 passengers doesnt say anything about bikes (only a small piece but the cats look state of the art.

Swansea council pushing for car ferry to follow if ilfracombe can get infrastructure sorted. Good news i d say.

Yep good news. Thanks for posting. Shame your post met such a wave of negative ****.

 

[Bay Runner]

Yep good news. Thanks for posting. Shame your post met such a wave of negative ****.

More realistic than nagative I think

 

[Darryl]

Would certainly open up an interesting loop for me along bothsides of the Bristol Channel

 

[summerdays]

50 mins is significantly shorter than it would take by car... though I'm in the wrong place to take advantage of it ...

 

[theclaud]

Local swansea paper this morning.New fastcat service from swansea to ilfracombe to start in spring 2010. Crossing time 50 mins £22 not sure if thats return or one way didnt state, going to start with 2return trips daily and increase in peak periods.360 passengers doesnt say anything about bikes (only a small piece but the cats look state of the art.

Swansea council pushing for car ferry to follow if ilfracombe can get infrastructure sorted. Good news i d say.

I wouldn't call the prospect of a car ferry good news (in fact I'll be objecting very strongly if that's the plan), but I must admit a passenger service to Ilfracombe is a hugely appealing prospect. The Swansea-Cork ferry is back next Spring, as well - is it the same people running the fastcat?

 

[TheDoctor]

No - the Ireland one is run by a Co-Op based in West Cork IIRC.