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Glasgow and Isle of Arran

Posted by (United States) on

Hi all,
Starting a new thread for very early planning purposes. Trip is in the fall, September. We fly into Glasgow airport, looking rn at the best option being BA arriving at 9:40 am on a Saturday. Here is the info Stuart and jjgurley suggested (carrying over from my other thread)

Isn31c said:
It would help but it is a one hour train ride from Glasgow to Ardrossan Harbour.
So the 1006 bus from the Airport arrives Paisley Station at 1022, for the 1025 to Ardrossan Harbour, arrives 1105 for the 1115 boat.
That is theoretically possible, but excessively tight. If the bus was on time I could make it, but for a tourist, hmmm.
I think you are on the G!en Sannox from Troon at 1335. Trains from Paisley at 1040, 1110, 1140 and 1210 for the 32 minute train ride. Then a free shuttle bus to the port, although it should be a 10 minute walk.
I say should as I haven't done it since the days of the Troon to Northern Ireland boats. When the Glen Sannox enters service then I will find out.
I wouldn't book train or ferry until arrival, no cost advantage in doing so. And Scotrail trains have free wi-fi.
But let's take this down to the new Arran thread.
PS- You will have cleared immigration and customs at Heathrow as you switch planes, so you just walk off the plane and out the door at Glasgow, the same as you would on a US domestic flight.

Jjgurley replied:

Unless the new timetable changes things,CalMac has a schedule that includes GLA Central to Brodick in one "covered" booking (as the airlines would describe it).

Lastest post by Stuart:

It may change with the much higher capacity next year, but the Sail Rail ticket (available from any station in Scotland, not just Glasgow Central) has not been recommended for the last two years. It gives no priority over boarding, and capacity has been too tight leading to through booked passengers being turned away at times.
At one stage the ticket had been withdrawn (I encountered that first hand one time, from the Clerk at Glasgow Central).
Also sail rail can't be purchased on line or at ticket machines, only from a ticket clerk, and it offers no cost advantage.
That is why, currently, advice is to book foot pax space through CalMac direct and the train ticket separately.

Posted by
632 posts

Jj, that was what I had originally read about, booking the entire trip including train and ferry. So, this is all good and new info for us. With Stuart’s suggestion, if all goes well with the arrival at 9:40, we would take the McGills #757 10:06 bus from the airport to Paisley Central. Is there a tap and pay option for the bus? Then when we get to Paisley Central we pay for and catch any of those (1040, 1110, etc) to get a shuttle to Troon harbor, where we pay for and board the Glen Sannox to Brodick at 13:35? Am I following this correctly? So, understanding with this way, we do not go to the Ardrossan Harbor from Paisley Central and use the CalMac ferry?

Haven’t read up on any of this yet, so bear with me. BTW we are staying in Brodick.

Posted by
9273 posts

Yes, McGills have tap and pay, both in the Glasgow area and in their East coast division (Midland Bluebird).
Done that several times this year.

On Arran buy an Arran 7 day Megarider on the bus.

The current price is £23.50 plus £1 for the smartcard the megarider is loaded onto.
For 7 days trave! on the island that is good value.

Coming back you can route through Ardrossan as you will know your time of travel.

If you are late into Heathrow and are transferred onto a later Glasgow flight then if the next Ardrossan sailing makes more sense go for that .

Be flexible basically and book the ferry from the train if you can.

Posted by
9273 posts

Hi,

Summer timetables for Arran are now confirmed with a full timetable running from Ardrossan.
So if the flight is on time you should be on the 1230 ferry, otherwise the 1520 ferry.
The connecting boat train for the 1230 ferry leaves Paisley Gilmour Street Platform 4 at 1125, and is scheduled as a 7 car train. Try to board at the front of the train to be as close as possible to the ferry port at Ardrossan.
Trains are then hourly, the connecting one for the 1520 ferry being at 1425.

There is also a 1335 sailing from Troon, the connecting train (destination Ayr) leaving Paisley at 1210.

Posted by
632 posts

Thanks Stuart for the update. I’ve been spending time away from the forum/vacation planning recently bc of some rather urgent activism I need to do due to circumstances you probably know about.

Do you think we should get our ferry tickets now if we are not using a car or is it ok to wait until we get there?

Posted by
9273 posts

With two big boats running to Arran and travelling in September, there is oodles of foot capacity to Arran for the first time in years.

There is also more car capacity than has ever existed.

So my advice is totally no, don't book ahead. Keep that flexibility to use the first available ferry to suit whatever time you land, and whichever port you are sailing from.

Set yourself up with a CalMac account at home, then use the free wi-fi on the train to book the ferry (when you know which port and which departure you are heading for) to save standing in line at the port.

The very, very first thing I would do on landing is to use the Airport wi-fi to check on any disruptions for any reason on the day. Let's say Ardrossan is closed by weather- well you may as well head straight for Troon (rather than going to Ardrossan then CalMac throwing you into a free taxi to Troon). If you have wifi on the flight even better, check mid flight.

I always travel with a battery of reserve plans- so if I found that Brodick port was closed by weather on the day (very unlikely, but not unheard of) but the Lochranza shuttle ferry was running then I would go into Glasgow on the airport express bus and get the noon bus for Campbeltown #926 as far as Tarbert (Loch Fyne), then the #448 bus to Claonaig for the ferry. You have 43 minutes between buses at Tarbert. It is a very scenic run, but clearly not a first choice due to the time taken.
Then the Lochranza to Brodick (or wherever you are staying) bus.

Most people would be panicking in that situation. You are the informed, empowered one.

Another benefit of being foot pax as in that situation the line of cars for Lochranza will be long.

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