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 Main
Crossings
Ullapool - Stornoway |
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Lewis |
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Crossing Time: 2 Hour 45 Minutes |
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Regular Ship:
Isle of Lewis
Freight Ship:
Muirneag |
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ROUTE TIMELINE: |
Ships to Serve:
1973:
Iona /
Clansman
1974:
Clansman /
Suilven
1975 - 1994:
Suilven
1995:
Suilven
/ Isle of Lewis
1996 - Present:
Isle of Lewis
Additional Ships:
Isle of Arran (Freight and relief duties) /
Muirneag (Freight) /
Clansman
(relief duties) |
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Terminal Facilities: |
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Ullapool:
a single linkspan set at right angles to the
shoreline, alongside the fisheries pier. The fisheries pier is also used
for loading passengers.
Stornoway:
a new purpose-built pier,
marshalling area,
linkspan and passenger gangway installed following the entry into service
of the current ferry. This pier is located just away from the old terminal
at the fish quay. |
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Route History: |
However you approach it, Ullapool comes as a surprise. From the south east
you round a bend in the road and there it is, laid out across a bay in the
side of Loch Broom and from the ferry, one minute you're sailing
up Loch Broom then you round the headland and you're almost at the pier!
Tucked neatly into a corner of Loch Broom, Ullapool is now the mainland
port for the ferry serving Stornoway, across the Minch on the island of
Lewis. The island has not always been served from Ullapool however, for
before 1972 the sea crossing was by far longer a route to Mallaig via the
Kyle of Lochalsh and the Sound of Sleat by the mail steamer Loch Seaforth.
The first car ferry service from Ullapool to Stornoway was given by the
relatively new Iona, which had been built with Islay in mind but was
unable to take over her intended run for various reasons. After a stint
on the Clyde as Dunoon ferry, she was transferred to the Outer Isles run
on 1st May 1972.
Drive through facilities were not present at this point and so all vehicle
loading was done using her hoist and side ramps - a time-consuming process
when a full load was offering, especially at low tide due to the
hydraulic having to push the hoist higher. Fortunately though this was
just a temporary arrangement as linkspans were planned for Stornoway and
Ullapool on the eastern side of Loch Broom, which was the nearest
suitable port on the mainland to Stornoway, and therefore offered the
shortest passage time. The new facilities were finished by early 1973
and Iona made her last run from Mallaig on 25th March of that year. The
new route, from Ullapool to stornoway saw the ferry berthing stern-in at
Ullapool's linkspan which lay just adjacent to the fisheries pier.
Stornoway still required the use of the vessel's hoist until 23rd May. |
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Sadly things with the new route did not get off to a wonderful start. The
Stornoway linkspan broke down within weeks of coming into service,
necessitating a return to hoist-loading by the Iona. By some good
fortune, the planned replacement vessel, Clansman, was delayed in
arriving. Had she been in service then she would not have been able to
unload at all on Lewis. This good fortune was not to last though as the
Iona herself broke down and required relieving by the Columba (which
also caused major problems elsewhere in her absence).
The converted
Clansman finally took over the run at the end of June 1973 however she
too broke down and suffered problems with her bow visor in her first
couple of days and the folk of Lewis were understandably fed up.
Fortunately though a more permanent and reliable vessel was on order -
one with a huge vehicle capacity thanks to mezzanine car decks as well
as a passenger capacity for around 400. |
Mallaig - Lewis steamer Loch seahorth
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Faithful servant Suilven in Loch Broom |
The Suilven
was by far the giant of the fleet when she took over the Lewis lifeline
service. Capable of carrying a total of 120 cars on the two mezz decks, capacity
problems were put well into the history books and Lewis had at last been
given a reliable resident ferry. Indeed the new giant was to remain on her
route for twenty years. Her service record was impressive and she would
regularly venture out into the violent seas of the Minch in weather that
would see her fleetmates tied up safely in other ports. The Suilven
remained tied to the Stornoway crossing throughout almost her entire
career and indeed only ever served on one route other than her own and
that was from Oban to Craignure on Mull for a ten day period in the late
1980s while the Isle of Mull was carrying large passenger numbers to
Lewis (her certificate being for more than double that of Suilven). |
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As with the majority of routes over the years, the Lewis run grew more and
more popular and it became increasingly evident in the early 1990s that the Suilven
was by now too small and too slow; taking as she did nearly four hours to
cross the Minch. By this time as well her vehicle capacity had been to
reduced to 85; her mezzanine decks no longer being used. |
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Isle of Lewis lying at Stornoway |
Freight ship Muirneag in the Minch |
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The giant Isle of Lewis was her purpose built replacement, arriving on the scene
in mid 1995. She was a much faster vessel, capable of 18 knots and could
complete the crossing in as little as 2 hours 45 minutes - almost a full
hour off the sailing time. Her capacity was huge as well as she
incorporated full width mezz decks. A new timetable was also drawn up for the new ship
and this improvement had many beneficial effects for
islanders and tourists alike. For the first time, Lewis became a realistic
option for a day trip by public transport from places such as Inverness
and the surrounding area. Normally the ferry would make two return trips
from Lewis but in the high summer she would run a tighter timetable on
certain days and allow a third return to be run. Isle of Lewis was large
enough to convey all the freight and private vehicles offering and she
was able to run unaided for the first few years of her career. |
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In recent years however, freight traffic has grown to such an extent that it has
been necessary to run a second vessel on the route at off peak hours
and overnight in order to take the strain off the Isle of Lewis. This was
originally started by a rival private operator using the vessel Taygran
Trader, however the freight hauliers were not convinced about the new
company's credentials and stuck to using the Isle of Lewis. This was
just as well because the rival operator soon folded and the vessel was
imounded for non-payment of dues, among other mounting debts. In
response to this highlighted need for extra capacity, CalMac brought in
a second vessel of their own to take additional freight runs. At first the spare unit fleet's spare unit was used, the
Isle of Arran, until a longer term ship could be found. For a while
the Northlink vessel Hascosay was employed, prior to commencing her own
duties in he Northern Isles. A gap was left to be filled once more and a
further new vessel was required. This was
in fact a vessel brought in on charter, the freight ship Muirneag. |
Isle of Lewis arriving in Ullapool
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Since the start of this two ship service, Lewis has been served well
although the Muirneag has earned herself the rather unflattering
nickname of 'Olympic Torch' - so called because it never goes out (a
reference to the increased frequency of Atlantic storms pounding the
Minch and preventing the vessel from sailing). Despite this level of
service there is increasing disquiet among regular users of the route,
with calls for an even larger vessel. A consultation was carried out,
asking participants for their views on three options; one involving
continuation of the current service, one involving a single and much
larger vessel to cater for all traffic and the final option involving
two medium sized vessels (roughly equivalent in size to the Hebrides or
Clansman). The results are being analysed at the time of writing,
however it is unlikely that there will be any significant change in the
service in the near future. |
 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