A foot passenger replacement service is to be offered from tomorrow (March 1st) for the Windermere ferry, which had to be suspended on Friday (February 24th) due to problems with the mechanical steel cable which the ferry pulls itself along by.
The replacement service will start at 9am at Bowness Bay and will run at 35-minute intervals between Bowness and Ferry House, Far Sawrey. The last daily ferry will leave Ferry House at 5.30pm.
The ferry had to be suspended after one of the mechanical steel cables showed signs of being frayed. A replacement steel cable is currently being shipped from Thailand and is expected to be fitted to the ferry within two weeks, when normal services will be resumed.
The temporary service is being run by Cumbria County Council in conjunction with Windermere Lake Cruises. There will be no car ferry service available until the Windermere Ferry is fully operational.
Councillor Jack Richardson, cabinet member responsible for transport services, said: "The Windermere ferry is the only one of its kind in the country. New parts for it don't just come of the shelf - we've had to scour the world for replacement mechanical cables. The cables are the same as the ones used to operate lifts in mine shafts, so when mining was still a major industry in Britain they were a lot easier to find.
"The repairs to the cable system are unavoidable and in the interests of safety it was necessary to suspend the service. We're working hard to get the full service up and running as soon as possible."