Skye to Armadale ferry to Oban

Last August, the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig was cancelled (we were given 48 hours notice, thankfully). We arranged a taxi to Kyle and then took a regional bus from Kyle down to the Glasgow airport. It worked out perfectly (the bus ride through Glencoe was breathtaking!). We were thankful that we immediately pivoted and booked the bus online; by the we got there to board it, it was sold out and they were turning people away.

You would catch the 1208 train from the Kyle, arrive Inverness 1442, then Scottish Citylink Service 919 at 1500 (the Bus Station is usefully adjacent to the Railway station) arrive FW 1705, depart FW 1750 on Service 918 arrive Oban 1923.
I seem to remember you have hired a car from a Skye Company (?) otherwise I would say to drive through to Inverness (rather than waiting for the train) and drop the car there.
Option 2 is to take Citylink direct from the Kyle Service 915 at 1138 (the bus has started in Portree!) direct to Fort William, arrive 1340, depart at 1750 as above.
Thee is also an 0833 bus (that service started at Portree at 0730) from the Kyle, arrive FW 1035, d 1230 Oban 1403.

If you're on the 0830 boat out of Armadale, yes the train connection at 1010 should work. Scotrail are out of the strikes, so unless Network Rail strike then Scotrail are unaffected.
Although it doesn't mesh well with the Oban bus timetables, if the trains are on strike due to Network Rail, there is an alternative local bus route from Mallaig to Fort William, run by Shiel Buses.
https://www.shielbuses.co.uk/route-500-new

But at least there is a back up (the timings of this route are in connection with the Citylink bus from Fort William to Glasgow, as well as local needs).

Thank you for the excellent information on connections.
Much appreciated

I'd say May is a really good time to go. The weather is often superb, but you avoid the heat of summer.
Hopefully skyegirl will confirm how hot it got last summer, but generally Scotland doesn't get the "scorchio" temperatures parts of England get.
Spring is all around, everywhere is open, transport is on Summer schedules but the crowds haven't yet arrived, and the midges are not yet out.

April and May are among the best times to visit the west coast of Scotland. No midges and fewer people. Perfect.

PS: It's never super hot here any time of the year but July and August can be awful for midges and it seems to me we get a lot of rain then too, versus showers in Spring. Last summer was a complete washout compared to the rest of the UK. I reckon our top temperature was about 15 centigrade, when England had 40.

Due to ongoing issues with the winter overhaul programme on CalMac requiring vessel redeployment the Armadale to Mallaig ferry is now on a reduced one boat timetable until 15 May.
https://www.calmac.co.uk/summer-timetables/mallaig-armadale#31%20Mar%20-%2015%20May
CalMac are currently contacting affected pre booked passengers

Thank you for the alert! Much appreciated.

If (a big IF) I am reading the website correctly, it looks like there will be at least 3 ferry crossings between Armadale and Mallaig on a Wednesday? Fingers crossed.

This forum is such a wealth of help, information and entertainment at times.

Yes, 6 crossings- at 0835, 1040, 1325, 1520, 1720 and 1910 (of which the 0835 and 1720 are rail connected- the 1520 is shown as rail connected in error as the train departs at the exact time the ferry docks- oops!)