Thank you ferry much

Liverpool's Mersey Ferries have joined New York's Staten Island Ferry and Brisbane's celebrated  CityCat ferry as one of the top ten city boat trips in the world. 

The Mersey Royals have been included in a National Geographic website  which lists the famous red and black ferries of Liverpool as the oldest ferry service in Europe, dating back to the 12^th century. 

Will Gerry Marsden rush out his famous river anthem to celebrate this top-10 accolade? 

Councillor Mark Dowd, chair of local transport executive Merseytravel said, “I’m delighted our Mersey Ferries have been recognised by National Geographic as one of the top 10 city boat trips in the world. 

“They are a symbol of Merseyside, an important part of our rich maritime history and draw hundreds of thousands of visitors from both the United Kingdom and from all over the world to Merseyside every year.” 

Waterloo

For the ferry service it is the second prestigious recognition in just a year, with  the River Mersey ferry crossing named  in 2011 in the guide of the world’s 1,000 Ultimate Sights, published by Lonely Planet. 

The Mersey Ferries still provide an important peak-time commuter link for workers, with the ferries offering river cruises in off-peak hours.   

Ferry enthusiasts have longed called for the re-instatement of the New Brighton ferry as well as a new ferry terminal at Waterloo to provide an even bigger tourist attraction. 

Other journey's featuring in National Geographic's top 10 most spectacular river sights, included the Shotover River by speedboat in Queenstown, New Zealand and the River Amazon’s raft race.