MP steps up fight for Windermere Ferry

Local MP Tim Farron has been working to alleviate the problems caused by the closure of the Windermere Ferry.

Earlier this month Cumbria County Council announced that the ferry, which was forced to close at the end of May due to an engine fire, might not be back up and running until October.

Tim has spoken to senior staff at CalMac, who run almost all of the ferries to the Scottish islands, to see if they have a spare small car-ferry or to see if they have an engine for the ferry sooner than the current timescale.

The technical team at CalMac are also looking to see if there’s anything more they can do to help the county council given their expertise in this field.

Tim has also been speaking to the businesses in the area who have already been affected by the closure of the ferry and is now working with Cumbria Tourism to promote the Hawkshead and Bowness areas to visitors.

Tim had been pressing the council for extra signage around the lake, which was introduced towards the end of last week.

Tim said: “The closure of Windermere Ferry will cause massive inconvenience to visitors and to local businesses and so it’s vital that every available option is exhausted to try and find a short-term solution.

“It’s been good to see the county council listen to our calls for better signage around the lake. Despite the problems with the ferry, it’s important to note that Windermere Lakes Cruises are running a service for passengers and bikes.

“It’s also really important that while the council try and get this fixed as soon as they can, we get the message out there that Hawkshead and Bowness are very much open for business.”