Can You Cross the River Mersey for Free?
The River Mersey separates Liverpool from the Wirral. The song Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey, made famous by Gerry & the Pacemakers, is about taking a ferry boat from the Wirral to the Liverpool side of the water and the experience that entails. It is one of several ways of getting to Liverpool across the River Mersey, but none of them are free; at least that is the case for the majority of people.
Whilst some, such as certain disabled people, are able to get across the water without needing to pay, the majority do not have that luxury. Many feel it is not fair, especially given the Mersey is one of the only major rivers in the UK with no free way of crossing it.
Ways to Cross the Mersey
First things first and a look at the different ways that are available to cross the River Mersey:
The Mersey Ferry
If you aren’t in a massive rush to cross the River Mersey and would like to enjoy the original experience that Gerry Marsden sang about, you’ll want to head to Seacombe on the Wirral. From there, you will take a ferry over to the Pier Head on the Liverpool side of the water. There are two different types of ferry trip available, with the first one being the Direct Cross-River Service that is predominantly aimed at commuters.
This is a 10-minute quick trip and they run at the sorts of timers that commuters would want to catch them, which is to say between 7.20am and 9.40am and then 5pm and 6.40pm during a weekly working day.
@richscottmedia Ferry Cross The Mersey
Of course, tourists might not be quite so keen to do a ten-minute hop from one side of the Mersey to the other. That is why the River Explorer Cruise exists, lasting for 50 minutes and promising excellent views of Liverpool as you sail into the city. Again, it runs from Seacombe on the Wirral over to Liverpool, departing at 20 minutes past the hour from 10.20am through to 4.20pm.
It sails on a longer journey than the commuter trip, taking you along the river to allow you to see the sights of Liverpool. The thing that both trips have in common is that they aren’t free. To give you some sense of cost, in 2024 the River Cruise cost £12.75 for an adult, whilst the commuter trip cost £2.90.
The Mersey Tunnels
There are two Mersey tunnels that run from different parts of the Wirral over to central Liverpool. The Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934 and take drivers from Birkenhead under the River Mersey to Liverpool. The Kingsway Tunnel, meanwhile, opened in 1971 and also runs into the city centre, but from Wallasey.
The former tunnel takes a little over five minutes to complete its journey, whilst the latter lasts for a little under five minutes; traffic dependent in both cases. As you will no doubt be surprised to learn, it costs money to drive through the tunnels. Depending on which class of vehicle you drove, it would’ve cost this much in 2024:
- Class 1 – £2.10
- Class 2 – £4.20
- Class 3 – £6.30
- Class 4 – £8.40
At the Mersey Tunnel trying to hitchhike back over to the Wirral. Wonder if he made it through 🤔 pic.twitter.com/qjL5kB7TT9
— Around Liverpool (@aroundliv) May 19, 2024
That will give you some sense of the cost, with the most important factor being this: it isn’t free.
Merseyrail
There are trains run by Merseyrail that go from different parts of the Wirral and Chester over to Liverpool. How much you’ll pay for your ticket depends on where you’re travelling from and what your personal situation is, but presuming that you’re paying a normal adult ticket bought on the day of travel, here is how much it would’ve cost you in 2024 to travel from the start of each line:
- Chester – Liverpool: £5.95
- West Kirby – Liverpool: £5.95
- New Brighton – Liverpool: £4.55
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The trains take you under the River Mersey but, just as with other forms of transport, aren’t free.
Mersey Gateway
Both the Silver Jubilee Bridge, which is better known to most as the Runcorn Bridge, and the Mersey Gateway Bridge cross the River Mersey. The two of them come under the banner of the MerseyFlow scheme and are only free to cross if you’re driving a motorbike or a local bus.
In 2024, in order to give you some sense of how much it will cost, you’d have paid £2 to cross in a Class 2 vehicle, £6 in a Class 3 one and £8 in a Class 4 vehicle, with all prices presuming that you’re driving in an unregistered vehicle. Neither of the bridges have any sort of toll hut that you can pay at, instead requiring you to pay after the fact.
So Can You Cross for Free?
The obvious question, then, is whether there is any way to cross the Mersey for free. You are not allowed to walk through the tunnel, for example, whilst walking over the Runcorn Bridge is only possible during certain times. As a result, for the vast majority of people, there is no free way to cross the River Mersey. That doesn’t mean that nobody can cross the river for free, however.
Those aged 65 and over might well be eligible for a National Pass which will allow them to take Merseyrail trains over to Liverpool without having to pay, with the only exception to that rule being during peak hours from Monday to Friday, with a ticket needing to be purchased then.
Disabled people that meet certain criteria are able to gain a pass to allow them to travel through both the Kingsway and Queensway Tunnels for free. Similarly, Blue Badge holders can register a vehicle to cross the two bridges that are part of the Mersey Gateway for free, albeit having paid an initial £5 fee. On top of that, only one car can cross the bridges for free and needs to be registered with the Mersey Gateway scheme, so you’ll need to pick the car that is right for you.
