Car and Ferry Travel Advice to and from Islay and Kennacraig
Sunday, August 26 2007
If you're heading to or from Islay at the end of August till mid September you might find the following travel advice useful:
When you're travelling by car from Glasgow to Kennacraig there will be delays around the town of Inveraray (picture right) on the A83 which will cause extra travel time. Inveraray plays host to a major music festival in the Castle grounds and will see acts from The Beastie Boys, Primal Scream, Bjork and others. During the festival a traffic management plan will be in place. There will be a reduced speed limit of 30mph on the A83 and the A819 (Dalmally to Inveraray) and there will also be restrictions through the town. Alternative routes are available on the following Islay Travel page.
Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne is advising customers using the Islay service at the beginning of September that one of the island’s two ferries will be temporarily withdrawn for essential maintenance following an accident with the MV Hebridean Isles. The CalMac service to Islay from Kennacraig between Thursday 6 September and Tuesday 11 September will be operated by MV Isle of Arran while MV Hebridean Isles is in dry-dock. Regional Manager Fay Harris said: 'The reason that this particular week has been chosen for the repairs on MV Hebridean Isles’s ramp is because on checking the advanced bookings it is clearly the point at which the changes will make least impact on the island and customers. It also makes good sense for us to have the repairs carried out prior to the September holiday weekend and the October school holidays and that will enable us to be operating at full capacity at these key times.' During the period the work is being undertaken on MV Hebridean Isles, MV Isle of Arran will operate the single vessel schedule previously referred to as the 'shoulder timetabled service'. Details are available from CalMac offices and on the company’s website www.calmac.co.uk.
Mrs Harris added: 'Obviously we regret any inconvenience this may cause to the island and our customers, but it is in everyone’s best interests that this work be done as soon as possible to enable us to restore the full two-vessel service. The work cannot be done locally, so the ship has to go away and we will do everything within our power to ensure that it is completed on schedule, or even quicker if at all possible. Customers should be aware of the reduction in capacity for that week due to less sailings overall and I would suggest that anyone wishing to travel in the period we have detailed should try and book their space as soon as possible, and certainly sooner than they would do if we had the two ships on the route. If there is any change to the position at all, we will make this available through the usual channels. Anyone with any queries about the arrangements should contact the local port offices and we will be happy to advise on what the best course of action is.'
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I kind of doubt that the alternative routes will be a great time and hassle saver though. The Arran route is comparably expensive and not really worth it unless you stay over on Arran anyway. I suspect the Dunoon route might get busy as well and actually be even slower if a lot of drivers decide to take it and therefore clog up the ferries.
Just leave a bit earlier than usual and if you get through well spend a bit of time in Tarbert. It's a good idea to have a bit of a buffer on that route anyway, as there aren't many viable diversions if the road is blocked.
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Armin
http://www.islayblog.com/
Hi Armin, thanks for mentioning good old Jarvis there, I hadn't noticed it :-) Seems like the checker did a good job!
I remember a trip a few years back when we left Islay and an accident happened between Rest and be Thankful and Tarbet. The road was completely blocked and it took the rescue services hours to clear up the mess. There even was an announcement on the ferry and some people really paniced. Traffic was diverted from Inveraray over the A819 to Dalmally and A85 to Crianlarich, which is a beautiful trip but will take you at least an extra hour. On that day we had to get to Hull for the ferry to Rotterdam and we made it just in time.
When something like that happens you're basically stuck in Kintyre. You can alternatively take the A816 to Oban, which is not a nice road to drive, unless you have the time, or take the B840 along Loch Awe, which is also a lovely drive but single track. And in both cases you still have to drive over Crianlarich which in total will add a few hours to your journey.
I normally always build in a buffer and take it easy, as you said, there are many interesting places to visit. Last year we visited Auchindrain just outside Inveraray which is very much worth a visit. And Tarbert is a lovely little village with some fine restaurants :-)
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www.islayinfo.com
I think that's pretty much what I've said ;-)
Depending on how bad the traffic gets (looking at the acts for the festival I think it could actually get quite bad) I suspect the Cowal route could on this occasion actually almost be quicker. With the complication that it won't be if many other people think the same and use it.
I know of a number of people who use it regularly and say it is not much slower than the normal route and enjoy it because it is more scenic.
I've travelled the Arran route myself a few years ago, but only because I've combined it with a stay in Galloway and on Arran (climbing Goatfell in the process). I know some people living in Ayrshire and to my knowledge they always drive the normal way.
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Gruss,
Armin
www.islayblog.com
www.armin-grewe.com/islay/