How far ahead should I book ferry crossings (with rental car)?

Hi, Mardee,

Ardrossan to Brodick is a heavily travelled route, so unless you are taking the first ferry of the day or the last ferry of the day, you'd need only a month's advance booking at the most.

Lochranza to Claonaig is a "show up and go" ferry. You can't make a reservation, although you can pay ahead of time.

The route from Oban to Craignure is also heavily travelled, so again, unless you're taking the first sailing of the day or the last sailing of the day, a month's advance reservation would be all you need.

I'd recommend Tobermory to Kilchoan above Fishnish to Lochaline. The drive once you reach the mainland is stunning. This is a small ferry, but the route is lightly travelled. Last time we sailed, it was a "show up and go," although we paid ahead. That may have changed since 2018. However, the Fishnish to Lochaline ferry runs about every 45 minutes in summer, so it's most likely a "show up and go" route as well. If you take that ferry, you have the option of driving to Mallaig by way of Loch Linnhe, or heading west from Strontian and joining the Kilchoan to Lochailort road. Both routes are a bit longer than if you take the Tobermory to Kilchoan ferry.

Mallaig to Armadale should be reserved about two months ahead. Same with Uig to Tarbert and Stornoway to Ullapool.

If you change your mind about any of these ferry crossings after you've made your reservations, CalMac charges 10 pounds to cancel or change.

In addition to the work at the Uig terminal, the ferries have been known to break down. When that happens, CalMac will bring in a ferry from another route. Sometimes it's a smaller ferry; sometimes it's a larger ferry. That's why it's always good to reserve as far in advance as you can.

To me, ferry travel is one of the best things about travelling in Scotland. There's something about the sea air, the announcements in Gaelic, and the chance of seeing dolphins or whales, that really appeals to me. Even though the islands are as modern as the rest of Scotland, there's that feeling of having stepped back in time.

I don't know how much time you have on Harris, but if you have a spare day, a sail out to St. Kilda would be a journey you'll never forget! The boats leave from Leverburgh, and it's three hours each way, plus about six hours on Hirta.

I know that you are going to truly love your holiday in Scotland! My very best wishes for your travels.

Mike (Auchterless)

In September 2019 we booked the last Ardrossan-Brodick ferry about a month ahead of time. We ended up arriving in time for the penultimate ferry and they let us on. But it wasn't going to be a full ferry. For Lochranza-Claonaig we arrived just as the ferry loaded the last car for which there was space. But we weren't trying to catch a particular run. I don't remember how long the wait was, but it wasn't unreasonable and it was a pleasant day to just stroll around and enjoy the scenery. We used to live on an island in Puget Sound so we are used to waiting for ferries.

Make sure that you tell your car hire company that you are taking their vehicle on ferries.

Mike, once again, thank you so much for your invaluable advice about Scotland! This is so helpful and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! This is very good information to have. I will have either 3 or 4 nights on Harris and Lewis - I still haven't decided, but either way a sail out to St. Kilda sounds great! And I'm with you on the ferries - I've always loved taking ferries and I'm sure Scotland will be a wonderful ferry experience!

Trotter, thanks so much! That's good to know. I haven't had as much experience with ferries but still remember taking ferries as a kid up to Put-in-Bay where my aunt and uncle lived. My uncle's family owned the ferry company so we got to go up where he was piloting the ferry if he was there. And I took several ferries when I was in Greece - one to and from Crete (both overnight) and then another overnight ferry from Greece to Bari, Italy. Luckily I've never had a problem with seasickness. :)

Jennifer, I've booked with Celtic Legend and from everything I've heard, it's not necessary to let them know as there's pretty much no place you can get to on Scotland without using a ferry. In fact, I was looking on their Facebook page and some people show photos of their rental cars going on the ferries. :) It sounds like a really good company.

Hi again, Mardee,

Trotter's post put me in mind of something that you might want to see while you're in Lochranza, if you have a wait for the ferry. Park your car in line for the ferry, then take a short walk over to Lochranza Castle. I think that it's currently undergoing some structural repair, but if it's open, it's a good one to have a walk around and inside. It's a ruined castle, and last time we were there, there was no admission charge.

Once you get over to Claonaig, you could also visit Skipness Castle and Chapel, which are about a mile from the ferry terminal. Turn right after you leave the ferry. Admission to the castle is free, and there is a highly recommended restaurant, the Skipness Seafood Cabin, just by the entrance to the castle.

Both castles (and the restaurant) have websites.

Best wishes once again!

Mike (Auchterless)

Mike - yes! noodling around Lochranza Castle is exactly what we did. We were the only ones there and there wasn't an admission charge.

Oh, that’s a great idea! I will plan on doing that. Thanks to both of you!

A few things about the ferries. Usually the prohibition of taking a hire car onto a ferry is a prohibition of taking it across to Ireland, France, Belgium, or The Netherlands. In other words taking it internationally as there are difficulties in returning them. Great Britain, in other words England, Wales, Scotland, and Yorkshire and all the islands pertaining to them is a single jurisdiction as far as the insurance so using the car on any islands other than the island of Great Britain within the jurisdiction of Great Britain, and travel in western Scotland is likely to involve car ferries. Some islands and places like Dunoon on the Cowal are within the Glasgow commuter belt and require ferries to be so.

So double check and if in doubt call. A lot of the hire companies and their insurance people will be based south of the border and possible not be aware of Scotland's islands, or even much of Scotland's geography except that it is somewhere north of Birmingham. Quite a bit further, take enough snacks. That said whilst you are on a ferry most of these will be CalMac it is CalMac's insurance you will be travelling under.

Most of the ferries mentioned are turn up and go for cars, though possible turn up and wait is more likely, so although a reservation on them is not required but is beneficial. Even in the best times the wait can be the next ferry, or the next day. Uig and Stornoway are the ones where I would say reservation is essential, and I'd book as soon as you can.

Hi once again, Mardee,

I remember that you said that you were going to visit Slains Castle. I came across this video on YouTube last night. The host visited Slains Castle on his tour of the Northeast 250. The tour of the castle starts at 1:50 in to the video. The rest of the video is quite good, as well.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVZm-5-QEc8

The blogger, Steve Marsh, has some wonderful videos of Scotland - all of them worth watching. The videos have given me some ideas of places to visit on my next holiday in Scotland.

A' the best,

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: As you'll be close by there anyway when you visit Slains, a short side trip to the Bullers of Buchan would definitely be worthwhile. The car park is less than a mile north of the Slains car park. I'm surprised that Steve Marsh did not include the Bullers in his video.

MC-Glasgow, thanks very much - that's helpful to know. I was wondering who was liable when the cars were on the ferry, so I'm happy to know it's CalMac. :) That's also good to know about the reservations. I know I can't book till after late January since CalMac hasn't had their fares approved yet for 2023, but I will probably book the more popular crossings soon after.

Mike, thanks! I will definitely watch the video - it sounds very intriguing. And yes, I plan on visiting Slains and the Bullars and Cruden Bay. All of these are prominently featured in the Winter Sea written by one of my favorite authors, Susanna Kearsley (from Canada). She is a master at historical fiction and about 5-6 of her books have their origin in Slains Castle and the Moray family of Scotland. I've read her books over and over again, and will read them again before this trip. The author, who I follow on Facebook, has been very kind about answering questions about Scotland, also. She recently told me to visit Gladstone's Land when I was in Edinburgh since they have a "scrutore" that is mentioned in her book (complete with secret drawers) and a portrait of Thomas Gordon, who is a featured character in several of her books. Sorry to ramble on but I read a lot and when I find a writer who is really gifted with words, I tend to latch onto them and expound at length about their books. :)

that's a new writer to me, Mardee. Sounds like fun. Thanks for mentioning her.

I booked through Celtic Legend in September and it was a very good experience. The car came from Arnold Clark and we (4 of us) were picked up at our hotel and driven to the rental office in Glasgow. When we returned the car in Inverness we were given a ride back to our B&B. We stayed on the Isle of Skye during the trip but used the bridge to get there and back. We never took a ferry. I would let Celtic Legend know your plan for ferries, just to be sure.

Nigel, her writing is wonderful - I love her books and as I said, have read them over and over again. If you go to her website, you can read the first chapters for free. The first one I read was The Winter Sea which takes place at Cruden Bay and Slains Castle (there are 2 different time periods in the book). That one got me hooked and now I've read them all.

Andrea, good to know about Celtic Legends - they've been very nice to deal with so far. Thanks!