ROUTES
OPERATED |
 Main
Crossings
Oban - Bágh a'Chaisteil
(Castlebay) - Loch Baghasdail (Lochboisdale) |
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Oban - Bágh a'Chaisteil - Loch
Baghasdail
(Oban - Castlebay - Lochboisdale) |
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Crossing Time: 5 Hours |
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Regular Ships:
Lord
of the Isles
/ Clansman
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ROUTE TIMELINE: |
Ships to Serve:
Pre 1974:
Claymore /
Loch Seaforth
1974 - 1978:
Iona
1979 - 1988:
Claymore
1989 - 1997:
Lord
of the Isles
1998:
Lord
of the Isles / Clansman
1999 - 2002:
Clansman
2003 - Present:
Clansman /
Lord
of the Isles
Additional Ships:
Pioneer /
Isle of Arran /
Isle of Mull (Reliefs) |
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Terminal Facilities: |
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Oban: 3 storey terminal building with ticket office, waiting area and toilets.
Two linkspans, one of which is undergoing redevelopment. Raised walkways
under construction to replace the older passenger loading gangway.
Large vehicle marshalling area.
Castlebay:
Vehicle waiting area located adjacent to terminal office. Linkspan
installed in 1989 so that ferry lies along the face of the pier as it
always did. Terminal office houses a passenger waiting area, ticket office
etc.
Lochboisdale:
Single linkspan and
ferry berth, vehicle marshalling area and terminal office with passenger
waiting facilities. There is also a stretch of pier lined with steel
plating to allow for hoist loading to take place if necessary.
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Route History: |
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The southern islands of the Outer Hebrides, namely Barra and South Uist
did not receive a true car ferry service until 1974. Before this time the
islands were served by traditional cargo vessels based in Oban, which
reached Castlebay and Lochboisdale via Coll and Tiree. The main vessel for
a long time was the Claymore
of 1955, although she was temporarily replaced in the early 1970s by the
Loch Seaforth. Sadly this vessel was not to last as she struck a rock
while off Tiree and subsequently sank at the pier the following
morning.
In 1974 a new fast direct ferry service was introduced from Oban using
the Iona.
New drive through facilities had been installed at Oban and these were
soon replicated at Lochboisdale on South Uist.
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The Iona
provided a regular fast service for five years, although she was not
popular to start with because of her lack of sleeping accommodation
coupled with her very early starts. This was soon rectified and she became
the dedicated ferry until the start of 1979 when she was replaced by a
purpose-built ferry; the new Claymore
- a vessel built by Robb Caledon's yard and bore a more than passing
resemblance to their other ship; Pioneer.
The new ferry had a stern ramp and vehicle hoist but no visor so
reversig on and off was the order of the day. Nevertheless this ferry,
capable of carrying 50 cars, settled in well and offered new levels of
comfort. During the summer months her duties were restricted to the Outer
Isles, but in winter she was also called on to cover the Coll and Tiree
run in lieu of the Columba.
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Claymore making for Barra
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Lord of the Isles
at Castlebay |
Lord of the Isles approaching Lochboisdale
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The Claymore
remained on the long haul for ten years before, like the Columba,
she was superseded by the new Lord of the Isles in 1989. The new ferry was of drive through design
but also incorporated a hoist for added versatility. Upon completion of
the linkspan at Castlebay the route became totally drive-through and the
timetable could be accelerated as a result. Again, the new ferry meant new
levels of passenger comfort and this was appreciated by her regular
passengers.
Lord of the Isles herself was to remain on the route for nearly a
decade, until being replaced by the new Clansman
in 1998. This new ship was far larger than her predecessor; a feature that
was to play an important part in further developing the route to the Outer
Isles. She operated at roughly the same speed as the previous ship but her
capacity meant more commercial traffic could be carried on each sailing.
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Clansman leaving Castlebay bound for Oban
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The Clansman
settled into her routine and proved to be a reliable unit. However, she
was not to remain alone in Oban.
Lord of the Isles was back on the scene in 2003 however when she was
reintroduced on the routes out of Oban in a bid to enhance services to the
islands. Barra and South Uist were now served by two ferries and enjoyed
more regular services. This is still the case today and the two ship
service has led to the reintroduction of the Tiree call on the crossing to
Barra once a week during the summer months.
Today, Clansman,
Lord of the Isles and occasionally when passenger numbers warrant it, Isle
of Mull between them provide the lifeline services to a high
standard of reliability.
|
 Images from Ships of CalMac Collection |
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SoC
Links |
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To see a more detailed description of the islands and photos, visit
Undiscovered Scotland and click on a place. |
