The Mersey ferry at sunset, taken by Sam the Sham
LIVERPOOL’s world-famous “ferry ‘cross the Mersey” has made the top 10 of the world’s finest city boat trips.
It joins the likes of New York’s Staten Island ferry, the Star ferry between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland and the Venice Vaporetto on the list which was compiled by National Geographic’s travel writers for a new publication, Journeys of a Lifetime.
A river-crossing service for the Mersey has been in operation since the 1150s, making it the oldest regular ferry service in Europe.
It started when monks at Birkenhead Priory would row passengers across the estuary to Liverpool on market days.
The ferries now follow a triangular route between Liverpool, Seacombe and Birkenhead.
Gerry Marsden’s world famous song “Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey”, is still heard on every River Explorer cruise.
The Benedictine monks at Birkenhead operated the first regular ferry service to the fishing point at Liverpool on market days.
