Question about Arran

Perfectly feasible. Arran's lovely and as you've found out there is a bus service to get you round the island.

https://www.calmac.co.uk/destinations/arran

Good to know - thank you!

Hi, Mardee,

Wonderful idea. All of the island buses leave from very near the ferry terminal. Once you're outside of the main towns on Arran (Brodick, Lamlash, Whiting Bay, and to a lesser extent, Lochranza), there is not a whole lot to do. There are Bruce's cave and the stone circles at Machrie, Brodick Castle and grounds, plus a visit to Holy Island from Lamlash would be a good day spent. There are a lot of good places to hike, which you'd have to arrange around the bus schedules. If the weather is good, the ascent of Goatfell is very popular. A good OS map and a compass would be helpful, although you're bound to encounter other ramblers along the way.

There are a lot of decent restaurants in Brodick, and also in Lamlash. There is a well stocked Co-op supermarket in Brodick, if you fancy a DIY meal.

I think that the best thing to do would be to balance the cost of the extra days car hire vs. the cost of transportation to, on, and from Arran. Plus the extra cost of ferrying the car back and forth. If you do have a car, however, and if you're going to Tobermory after Arran, you could take the Lochranza ferry when you leave the island, which would save you a lot of time. From Claonaig, it's only a short drive to Oban, vs. more than three hours driving plus additional ferry/rail travel time from Glasgow. Also, having a car would give you more freedom on Arran, and you wouldn't have to plan your days around the bus schedules.

You will love Arran!

Best wishes, and safe travels.

Mike (Auchterless)

Thanks again, Mike - could I please bring you along as my personal guide?

What you are saying makes sense - it's probably not worth it just to save a few hundred dollars. And I do like the idea of having the car on Arran for ease of getting around. I didn't realize that there was another ferry at the north of the island and I like the idea of reducing the driving time.

It helps that I just got a lower quote from Celtic Legend so I'm not feeling the need to get my costs down as much. So I think I will just stick with my original plan to drive there from Glasgow. Once again, thank you so much!

If you are taking a hire car on the ferries, check that this is permitted, otherwise your insurance will be invalidated. You will have to book the crossings well in advance if you are taking a car. Petrol is currently around £8 a gallon.

Hi, Jennifer,

All of the major car hire companies allow ferry travel. It would be pretty difficult to get around Scotland otherwise. :) The Lochranza to Claonaig ferry can't be pre-booked. It's a show up and go, as is the Tobermory to Kilchoan ferry. There are several other show up and go ferries operated by CalMac. Most of the major routes, however, need to be pre-booked. It's a good idea to show up about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of time for the non-bookable ferries, especially in July and August.

Thanks for keeping us on our toes!

Best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

Thanks, Jennifer! It's good to be aware of these things and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention - it did not occur to me to check on that.

Mike, thank you for info about the ferries. I was wondering about the time frame for booking ferries, so it's good to know there are some that I just show up for - and I will definitely be early. Since it will be early May, I'm assuming (hoping) there won't be a large crowd waiting to board.

The main rental companies all allow travel on the ferries in Scotland. Many of my B&B guests arrive on Skye by ferry and depart heading for the Outer Hebrides.

Thanks, Jacqui! I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that the Uig ferry upgrade gets finished on time.

Mardee, We are all crossing our fingers for that!

Hi again, Mardee,

If the Uig upgrade has not been finished, it's possible to get to Harris from Skye. It's doable, but would involve a lot of driving and ferry travel.

You'd need to take the early morning Armadale to Mallaig ferry, then get right on to the Mallaig to Lochboisdale ferry. After you reach Lochboisdale, you'd have to drive straight through South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist, and Berneray, then catch the Berneray to Leverburgh ferry to finally put you on Harris, where a 30 to 45 minute drive will bring you to Tarbert.

This information is based on the current CalMac timetables. I would not be surprised if CalMac adds an additional ferry to the Lochboisdale route or adds a Mallaig to Lochmaddy sailing until the Uig pier is finished. Otherwise, the Ullapool to Stornoway route will be the only way to (coveniently or otherwise) get to Lewis and Harris.

Fingers crossed for your travels!

Best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

I've been thinking so much about the Lochranza ferry, and now I can't get this song out of my head...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dnz2Eq4q6E

Mike (Auchterless)

Thanks again for the info, Mike - I will hang onto this just in case.

That's a lovely song. I love folk music; traditional, modern and Celtic, and that was beautiful. I wonder what happened to the band. I looked them up on Wikipedia and it said that they made one last performance in 2017 and then shut down without any notice and no explanation.