Cal Mac Ferries

Nigel L

Nigel L

Joined
Apr 25, 2016
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Location
Soham, Cambs
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Since 2016
Thinking of going to Skye and then accross to Harris/Lewis end of April/early May.
Have been looking at the Calmac website, for ferry times etc, but is it essential to pre-book, or can you risk it and turn up and buy a ticket etc?
appreciate you would have to in summer, but early May?
Anyone that has used the ferry on the route (Uig to Tarbert) would be grateful for any advice/experiences etc.
many thanks.
 
We have used that route a few times when our daughter lived on Lewis.

We would phone and book the day we wanted to cross. Quite a lot to do in Uig from the Giant MacCaskill museum (please forgive spelling) to lovely food at the cafe near the ferry terminal - not in the terminal itself but the cafe in the cottage.

Calmac do like larger vehicles to book in advance as it makes the loading plan easier to handle for them.

Edit: get a seat where you can see over the sea and dolphin spot. If you are in luck there will be someone on board who can identify the species or even name the individuals
 
Went to Arran in October. We booked.

Have a back up plan and be prepared to wait a few days for sailings. We got the last boat off Arran for 24 hours due to bad weather and they were fully booked the rest of the week. We would have been stuffed had we not been on that one.

CalMac are having an awful time with breakdowns as well lately.

You can’t just turn up either, motorhomes have to book.
 
Puddleduck said:
We have used that route a few times when our daughter lived on Lewis.

We would phone and book the day we wanted to cross. Quite a lot to do in Uig from the Giant MacCaskill museum (please forgive spelling) to lovely food at the cafe near the ferry terminal - not in the terminal itself but the cafe in the cottage.

Calmac do like larger vehicles to book in advance as it makes the loading plan easier to handle for them.

Edit: get a seat where you can see over the sea and dolphin spot. If you are in luck there will be someone on board who can identify the species or even name the individuals
Click to expand...
Many thanks.
being able to book a day or two prior to wanting to cross sounds ideal. But living down south, didn’t want to commit ahead just in case plans change etc.
We can then explore Skye, and then head accross to the islands when ready👍
 
I booked my tickets for late March last month, having been before they don’t like you turning up in a van for a standby ticket. Best book the tickets, then if the dates are wrong you can always change the dates as you get closer to travel.
last year they said they were banning Motorhomes from parking on the standby lanes at Uig as it caused issues with the locals who struggled to get onboard so Cal Mac will prioritise them over Motorhomes

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Calmac has an aging fleet in desperate need of upgrade / replacement.

I am not going to risk a ban by getting political but plenty on the web about the new ferry / replacement shambles.
 
Worth confirming that Uig will be open, I think it is closed for several months for a major terminal overhaul 👍
 
Googlebot said:
Went to Arran in October. We booked.

Have a back up plan and be prepared to wait a few days for sailings. We got the last boat off Arran for 24 hours due to bad weather and they were fully booked the rest of the week. We would have been stuffed had we not been on that one.

CalMac are having an awful time with breakdowns as well lately.

You can’t just turn up either, motorhomes have to book.
Click to expand...
They’re having problems with breakdowns since my mate Archie retired.🤣🤣
 
DavidG58 said:
Worth confirming that Uig will be open, I think it is closed for several months for a major terminal overhaul 👍
Click to expand...
It's planned to be reopened mid March (2023). However, with all the ferry issues up here, I'd take that with a pinch of salt and check before travelling.
 
Nigel L said:
Thinking of going to Skye and then accross to Harris/Lewis end of April/early May.
Have been looking at the Calmac website, for ferry times etc, but is it essential to pre-book, or can you risk it and turn up and buy a ticket etc?
appreciate you would have to in summer, but early May?
Anyone that has used the ferry on the route (Uig to Tarbert) would be grateful for any advice/experiences etc.
many thanks.
Click to expand...
Calmac are having major issues with their aging fleet of ferries. delayed delivery of new ferries, and an aging fleet that seems to be constantly breaking down. Their CEO was on the tellybox at the weekend apologising and making the usual excuses - whilst forgetting the buck (and wage) stops with him.
Best advice I'd give is:
Open a Calmac account and book in advance.
Have a travel plan B !

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I am going up at the end of April and booked all three ferries as soon as their schedule was published, I just didn't want to risk not getting on with the Bedford. Apparently they are flexible to alterations nearer the time.

Safe travels.

Mark
 
Unfortunately Calmac do not allow campers or motorhomes to use the standby lanes anymore so booking is essential. You can turn up on the day and buy a ticket if there's availability but if the computer says its full you can't and you can't go standby it might even sail with space on the cardeck and you'll be sitting in the carpark.

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