Hayling Ferry


The Hayling Ferry is a foot passenger ferry across the mouth of Langstone Harbour linking the Ferry Point on the west tip of Hayling Island with Eastney, Portsmouth on Portsea Island. The current owner, Baker Trayte Marine Ltd, has operated the ferry since August 2016 following a period of ceasation when the previous operation fell into administration in March 2015.
The ferry operates throughout the year and conveys schoolchildren, commuters, tourists and cyclists and is busy in the summer. In winter, there is a significant reduction of use. The ferry is scheduled to run hourly but will run more frequently in peak and if the ferry becomes full. Bicycles are conveyed subject to space.
The tidal currents at the Ferry point are extremely treacherous and have claimed many lives over the years.

Connecting services

There is a bus service on the Portsmouth side however the bus service to the ferry point on the Hayling side ceased in 2004. Efforts to re-instate a bus service to the ferry on the Hayling side have taken place at various times and have proved unsuccessful until in July 2018 Havant Councillors approved a £20,000 community bus trial planned to commence shortly thereafter with funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy. In September 2018 after months of discussions arrangements have been made for connecting bus services by First Hampshire & Dorset at Eastney and by a twenty seater community bus on Hayling. The connecting service on Hayling commenced on 24 September 2018 and the trial is to run for six months.

Alternative route

When the ferry has been closed the only public connection between Hayling Island and the mainland is a single carriageway road linking Northney to Langstone, Havant. Particularly in summer this road can become very congested rendering the journey between the bridge and South Hayling anything from 30 minutes to an hour. When the ferry has been closed this has been found to impact businesses on South Hayling.

Alternative proposals to passenger ferry

It is claimed that a regular ferry service has run since before 1850, possible even from the 18th century. Rights to run a ferry had passed to the Duke of Norfolk to whom the rights as Lord of the manor of Hayling island had passed on dissolution of the monasteries. The rights were sold to a Mr. William Padwick Esq. in 1825.

Hayling Island Steam Ferry Company

At some point after the demise of the earlier enterprise utililising the pontoons built for the Steam vessel George Spraggs the licensee of the tavern on the Hayling side began operated the ferry using motor boats with his sons until his drowning in 1922. Following their father's death the sons Cecil, George and Jack continued the operation until 1961,. They seem also to have been joined by an Alan Spraggs, and Cecil was the engineer. They typically used 3 boats, two in service and one in the boatshed.

The Ferry Boat Inn

The Spraggs were also proprietors of The Ferry Boat Inn and its predecessor the Norfolk Lodge which was mutually beneficial to the Hayling Ferry operation. Even as early as 1901 they were rebranding the Norfolk lodge Inn as the Hayling Ferry Tavern.

Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth Council took over and operated the route from 1960 until April 1981 when it closed, introducing the Iris in 1968 and the Irene in 1974 to the service. In 1978 they also briefly introduced a tourist service direct from Southsea using the Folkstone Belle.

Hayling Island Ferry Limited