I have heard all kinds of conflicting info regarding getting to Brodick on the Isle of Arran so to be sure- I will be taking the train from Glasgow to Ardrossan Harbor and then taking the ferry to the Isle of Arran. How do I get from the train to the ferry and how much time do I need? Is it easy to find? I already have ferry tickets, but it looks like I can get the train tickets at the station when I need them, right? Any help would be appreciated
Posted by
Lake District, England
5986 posts
There are three stations at Ardrossan- Ardrossan South Beach, Ardrossan Town and Ardrossan Harbour.
You want a train to the Harbour- the terminus station. Trains run there specifically in connection with the ferries.
Do not take a Largs bound train which stops at the South Beach only.
The station is next to the ferry terminal- literally two minutes walk. The walkway between the two is signed, not that you need signs. The terminal and the ferry are very obvious.
Buy your train ticket on the day.
Keep a very close eye on CalMac updates throughout this season. In certain weather conditions Ardrossan is not useable with the current vessel being used. When that happens (as is happening for the whole of this week) the Ardrossan ferry is being diverted to Troon.
If that happens CalMac will run a shuttle bus from Ardrossan Ferry Terminal to Troon in connection with the rescheduled ferry. As the sea passage time is longer on those days any bus connections at Brodick will be missed so you will have a wait until the next scheduled bus.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
thanks so much! You covered exactly what I needed to know.
Posted by
Memphis TN USA
21 posts
ditto the thanks. I have the app, I have my CalMac ticket and I have my train ticket already (I think). I am traveling for 7 weeks throughout Scotland have relied heavily on a Scottish friend (fay Ayrshire) and her friend (fay Arran) about life being dependent on a fickle ferry. Do you know if they actually alert you via app or call if it changes? I have heard and seen both lately, was not personal experience, just youtubers.
Posted by
Lake District, England
5986 posts
They are supposed to contact any affected bookings. With 3 vessels currently out of service across the fleet, and a 4th now encountering reliability issues (seemingly about to be withdrawn from service), the shore teams and IT are probably struggling under the sheer pressure of changes. So there has to be a chance you will inadvertently slip through the net.
So the most reliable method is to physically check the updates page- that is being kept right up to date.
The current situation is a long way from ideal. A really good reason to be kind and generous to shore and ship staff, who are struggling with the lack of physical resource. Next year new ships will finally arrive.