A brand new ferry service will launch in the Bristol Channel early next year, but hopes that Burnham-On-Sea would be included on the route have been dashed.
Operator Severn Link announced on Thursday (October 29th) plans to create a regular passenger ferry service between Ilfracombe and Swansea, with more routes set to be announced during 2010.
Burnham and Minehead are among the Somerset towns vying to be on the route of the new £5m ferry service.
Burnham-On-Sea.com was first to report last October how entrepreneur Chris Marrow was planning to set-up the ferry venture.
Severn Link 34 knot, 360 passenger catamarans will take just fifty minutes to complete the journey from Ilfracombe to Swansea. Such a journey would typically take around three and a half hours by road.
Speaking about the reasons behind the inception of Severn Link, Chris said: “To my knowledge, there is no other comparable stretch of water in the world, linking similarly populated areas, which doesn’t have a heavily utilised ferry service – and market research has shown that there is a huge demand for this ferry route.”
“The Severn Link ferries will open up multiple opportunities – not just for ease of travel into the South West – but to also bring the business, cultural, sporting and retail aspects of South Wales into easy reach of those living in our region.”
“As a local resident, I understand all too well how overstretched the current road and rail links into the region have become.”
“I strongly feel that the ferry service will bring huge benefits to the many thousands of visitors to our area by immensely improving the transport connections to Devon, Somerset and Cornwall in an environmentally friendly manner and without undue impact upon our countryside and helping to retain its natural beauty.”
He confirmed that the Ilfracombe to Swansea service is the first route in a series of planned destinations on both sides of the Bristol Channel, with plans for more routes between South Wales and the coast of South West England currently in development.
The map above shows the six destinations that the ferry operator would like to visit in the long-run
