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 Main
Crossings
Mallaig - Rum - Eigg - Muck -
Canna |
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Small Isles |
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Crossing Time: 7 Hours (Round Trip) |
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Regular Ship:
Lochnevis
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ROUTE TIMELINE: |
Ships to Serve:
Pre 1979:
Loch
Arkaig
1979 - 1999:
Lochmor
2000: Lochmor
/ Lochnevis
2001 - present:
Lochnevis
Additional Ships:
Arran
/ Coll
/ Pioneer
/ Raasay
/ Loch Bhrusda and various chartered vessels |
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Terminal Facilities: |
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Mallaig: Linkspan fitted in 1994 at
main ferry berth. Train station located close by. Vehicle marshalling area
and office facilities located adjacent to the town centre
Rum:
Newly completed purpose-built terminal to allow transfer of passengers and
goods from ship to shore without the aid of a flitboat.
Eigg: Newly completed purpose-built
terminal to allow transfer of passengers and goods from ship to shore
without the aid of a flitboat. The slipway is located at the end of a long
causeway set out into a bay on the south of the island. A local tractor
is used to offload the crates of supplies brought in by the ferry.
Muck: Newly completed purpose-built
terminal to allow transfer of passengers and goods from ship to shore
without the aid of a flitboat
Canna: The island always had its
own pier and slipway, although the slipway is only suitable for the
Island Class vessels. Goods are loaded and unloaded from Lochnevis by
means of her crane. A new pier and slipway has also been completed
allowing Lochnevis and other Loch Class vessels to load vehicles.
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Route History: |
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In the days before the car ferry, the Small Isles of Rum, Eigg, Muck and
Canna (three of which provided the names for small car ferries) were
served by traditional mail steamer; the Loch Arkaig. Towards the end of the 1970s it was clear that a new
vessel was needed, and given the specific requirements of the route,
considerable consultation was sought with islanders themselves. |
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It was a good thing that the new ferry was ordered when she was and she
arrived not a day too soon for the Loch Arkaig had suffered the undignified mishap of sinking at her berth
at Mallaig earlier on in 1979. Between this unfortunate incident and the
new Lochmor
arriving, the Small Isles, as they are known, were served by vessels
ranging from the former Clyde ferry Arran
to the tiny bow-loading Coll
of 1973.
When the new Lochmor
did eventually put in an appearance she was something quite different to
the rest of the fleet - designed specifically with the cargo requirements
of her route in mind, as opposed to car-carrying.
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Lochmor entering Mallaig harbour
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The Lochmor
was a reliable member of the fleet and remained in charge of the Small
Isles duties for two decades before finally being replaced by the much
larger Lochnevis
in November 2000.
The new ferry was a unique design. Her car deck could hold up to 14
cars and this was accessed by means of a huge stern ramp - quite unlike
anything seen before in the fleet. The reason for this large ramp was that
she was designed to be able to load directly from any linkspan or slipway
on her travels without the risk of grounding and damaging her propellers.
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Lochnevis leaving Muck for Eigg
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Raasay heading out of Mallaig
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The Lochnevis
has seen a little more variety than her predecessor since her
introduction. Not only does she handle all the Small Isles sailings but
also in winter, thanks to her being able to carry vehicles, she operates a reduced-capacity service to Armadale
on Skye; one in the early morning before her Small Isles duties and then
one in the early evening upon her return.
During the couple of weeks a year when she is off duty in dry-dock she
has previously been relieved by the Pioneer,
however with the latter vessel's recent unfortunate disposal, this duty has fallen
to a number of smaller vessels over the last couple of years including
the Raasay and smaller chartered vessels such as the Ullin of Staffa,
operating on a special timetable.
|
 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. |
Webmaster: shipsofcalmac @ hotmail.co.uk