Skip to main content

Sans Souci Ferry

The second cable ferry in North Carolina that I have been on is the Sans Souci Ferry in Bertie County to the east of Windsor.  The two car cable ferry over the Cashie River has roots that date back to the 1800s and has been under NCDOT oversight since the 1930s.  The ferry ride is free and takes about five minutes, though if it is on the other side of the river it'll be longer as you will need to blow your horn to get the attention of the operator and wait for the ferry to cross. It can also serve as a scenic backroad bypass of Windsor for those travelling on US 17 from Williamston to Edenton and points north. 

Directions:
  • From Williamston follow US 13/17 North to Cedar Landing Road and turn right.  Follow Cedar Landing Road to its end at Woodard Road.  Follow Woodard Road to ferry.  Once across the river follow Sans Souci Road to NC 308 to return to Windsor or continue on Sans Souci Road to NC 45 North to reach US 17.
From US 17: Take NC 45 South to Sans Souci Road and turn right.  Follow signs to Ferry.  Woodard Road will return you to Windsor and US 17.

All photos taken August 30, 2008.

Our ferry operator enjoying the afternoon.

Looking back at the South Landing as we cross the Cashie River.

Our destination - the North Landing and Sans Souci Road

A view of the Cashie River from the Sans Souci Ferry.





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

  Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...