Travelling In Outer Hebrides
Contents |
Travel within Outer Hebrides
Travelling in Outer Hebrides | Getting Around the Outer Hebrides | Orienting Yourself
By air to the Hebrides
British Airways, Tel. 08457-733377, flies daily except Sun from Glasgow to Stornoway on Lewis (1 hr), Barra (1 hr 5 mins) and Benbecula on North Uist (1 hr). There are also flights from Edinburgh to Stornoway (1hr 10 mins), Inverness to Stornoway (40 mins) daily except Sun, and to Benbecula (2 hrs 40 mins) Mon-Fri. Note that weather conditions are so changeable that flights are prone to delay and can be very bumpy. Flights to Barra have an added complication in that they land on the beach, meaning that the runway disappears twice a day under the incoming tide.
By boat
CalMac car and passenger ferries sail to and from Stornoway (Lewis), Tarbert (Harris), Lochmaddy (North Uist), Lochboisdale (South Uist) and Castlebay (Barra). Ferry times change according to the day of the week and time of the year, so they aren't listed in full below. For full details see the CalMac Ferry Guide or call CalMac, Tel. 0990-650000, reservations@calmac.co.uk, for reservations, and Tel. 01475-650100, www.calmac.co.uk, for general enquiries. Car space is limited during the summer months, so it's advisable to book ahead. For details of bus connections on Skye and on the mainland, contact Scottish Citylink, Tel. 0990-505050.
To Lewis
CalMac ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway (2 hrs 40 minutes) 2-3 times daily Mon-Sat in the summer (Jun-Sep) and twice daily Mon-Sat in the winter. One-way ticket costs £13 per passenger and £62 per car. CalMac offices: Ullapool (Tel. 01854-612358) and Stornoway (Tel. 01851-702361).
To Harris from Uig (Skye) to Tarbert (1 hr 35 mins) twice daily Mon-Sat. One-way ticket £8.50 per passenger, £40 per car. Contact Uig (Tel. 01470-542219) or Tarbert (Tel. 01859-502444).
To North Uist from Uig to Lochmaddy (1 hr 40 mins) 1-2 times daily. One-way ticket £8.50 per passenger, £40 per car. Contact Lochmaddy (Tel. 5000337). To Barra and South Uist from Oban to Castlebay (5 hrs) and Lochboisdale (6 hrs 40 mins) once daily except Tue and Sun. One-way ticket £18.75 per passenger, £67 per car. From Mallaig to Castlebay (3 hrs 45 mins) on Sun only, and to Lochboisdale (3 hrs 30 mins) on Tue only. One-way ticket £13.85 per passenger, £49.50 per car. From Castlebay to Lochboisdale (1 hr 50 mins) on Mon, Wed, Thu and Sat, and from Lochboisdale to Castlebay on Tue, Thu, Fri and Sun. One-way ticket £5.30 per passenger, £30.50 per car.
To North Uist and Harris
a ferry sails to Otternish (North Uist) from Leverburgh (Harris) 3 or 4 times daily. The trip takes 1 hr 10 mins and a one-way ticket costs £4.75 per passenger, £21.90 per car.
Island Hopscotch Tickets
a much cheaper way to get around the islands with a car is with one of CalMac's Island Hopscotch tickets. There are various route options, and tickets give you 30 days unlimited travel on each route. For example, a ticket for the Oban- Castlebay- Lochboisdale- Otternish- Leverburgh- Stornoway- Ullapool route allows you to visit all the main islands and costs £38 per passenger and £164 per car. See the CalMac guide or call the numbers above for full details of the Island Hopscotch Tickets, and the Island Rover Ticket, which gives unlimited travel on most CalMac routes for 8 or 15 days.