The alternative road journey is and takes about an hour and a half, while the ferry crosses the strait in 8 minutes. The subsidised public service carries both passengers and vehicles, and operates at a loss of more than £1m per year but is viewed as an important transport link to the Ards Peninsula. See also List of loughs in Ireland Nendrum Monastery References Further reading Boaden, P.J.S., O'Connor, R.J. and Seed, R. The composition and zonation of a Fucus serratus community in Strangford Lough, Co. Down. J. exp. Biol. Ecol. 17: 111 - 136 (1975). Crosbie, Jane E. M.; Brown, Alison (illus). Strangford's Shores: Paintings and Stories from around the Lough. Cottage Publications, 1996. Deane, C.Douglas. Mammals of Strangford Lough. In Anon (Editor) Strangford Lough. 22 - 23. National Trust, Belfast, 1971. Hill, Ian; Le Garsmeur, Alain (photo). Strangford: Portrait of an Irish Lough. Blackstaff Press, 2007. Walsh, B. Catching the Currents. Time 173 no.4. p. 44 (2009). External links Strangford Lough Online JNCC Special Area of Conservation Selection Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in County Down Important Bird Areas of Northern Ireland Special Protection Areas in Northern Ireland Special Areas of Conservation in County Down Portaferry Strangford Newtownards Marine reserves of Northern Ireland Ramsar sites in Northern Ireland Landforms of County Down Inlets of Northern Ireland