Scottish Isles (1 Viewer)

[Jackyboy61]

we are thinking of touring the Scottish islands this year at Autumn time for a bit of quality time, we have been to the Orkney and Shetland but like the idea of sky,or the outer Hebrides ,we have a 7 mtr L by 3mtr H so could be restricted to some areas any suggestions and tips on ferry's to the islands would be appreciated .

 

[Mags52]

You can cross to Skye on the bridge then cross to Harris from Uig on Skye. From there you can tour Lewis and Harris. The west coast of Harris is fantastic. the crossing from Skye to Harris is cheaper, shorter and less rough than the Ullapool to Stornoway crossing. I would buy individual tickets for each crossing rather than buy an Island hop ticket. Enjoy! Mags

 

[pops]

I agree with @Mags52 about buying individual tickets for each crossing so you can make sure you do not get a day when sea is rough. We always go to ferry terminal the day before and check sea conditions. If you have plenty of time do South and North Uist and then up to Harris and Lewis. We should be up there in the next couple of weeks until August. Enjoy your trip.

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[MattR]

As @Mags52 said but partly because if you get single tickets, you might find that you are more chilled - we felt obliged to use our hopper ticket when we would have been fine relaxing on one island rather than going onto another.

 

[Mags52]

As @Mags52 said but partly because if you get single tickets, you might find that you are more chilled - we felt obliged to use our hopper ticket when we would have been fine relaxing on one island rather than going onto another.

And also you meet people along the way who recommend places and so you can organise your own tour. The hopper tickets are for specific islands. When we calculated it the saving wasn't big enough to justify being tied to certain routes. We stayed longer in Harris than we planned and loved it.

 

[irnbru]

Harris is on my must see list in May. So many people rate it highly and some of the photos are stunning.

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[mikebeaches]

Another supporter of buying single tickets as you go, rather than an 'inclusive' ticket. Gives you the ultimate freedom. When you buy your first ticket CalMac take all your details and from then on you're in their system and it only takes moments to buy future tickets. We often booked places on the 'next inter-island ferry' when we arrived on the ramp. Just give 'em a call to check there's space on the next boat, then pay when you get on board.

 

[Jackyboy61]

Thank you everybody for all the information it is very helpful ,that is what I like about this club .

 

[mikebeaches]

Admittedly, our van is only 6 metres, but I couldn't believe how straightforward it was driving round the islands. MUCH easier than Devon and Cornwall, in my opinion. The great thing is that although there are lots of single track roads, you can see for miles ahead and there are plenty of designated passing places. There are no hedgerows, high banks, or walls along the roadside. Just take your time and be prepared to give way to smaller vehicles (and bigger ones) and you'll be absolutely fine. It wouldn't worry me to drive there in a longer van, now I know what it's like.

Have a great trip.

And by the way, it saved us money buying single tickets rather than an inclusive one - because we used the free Skye Bridge to get on to Skye, rather than the ferry from Mallaig.

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[andy63]

Admittedly, our van is only 6 metres, but I couldn't believe how straightforward it was driving round the islands. MUCH easier than Devon and Cornwall, in my opinion. The great thing is that although there are lots of single track roads, you can see for miles ahead and there are plenty of designated passing places. There are no hedgerows, high banks, or walls along the roadside. Just take your time and be prepared to give way to smaller vehicles (and bigger ones) and you'll be absolutely fine. It wouldn't worry me to drive there in a longer van, now I know what it's like.

Have a great trip.

And by the way, it saved us money buying single tickets rather than an inclusive one - because we used the free Skye Bridge to get on to Skye, rather than the ferry from Mallaig.

Couldn't agree more about the single track roads in scotland/Highlands. ..
The narrow lanes and passes throughout England are far more of a challange in larger vehicles...
The lakes can be a nightmare and you have already mentioned the likes of Cornwall.
I did the mamore gap on the inishowen peninsula yesterday... It could make the Applecross route seem easy..
Point noted for future on buying island ferry tickets in several posts... Thanks all.
Ta andy.

 

[DavidG58]

No problem with 7m, we have done top to bottom in our 8m Hymer, some wild some sites, going back in May ourselves, the ferry crossings have been reduced this year, cant believe how cheap it is

My recommendation endorses others above, drive through Skye, (nice but over rated IMO, but some great scenery) but even greater on Harris, we go from Uig to Harris or North Uist, then return from the other back to Uig

Have fun pretty much guaranteed

 

[irnbru]

@DavidG58 Me Alan and Andy are doing Harris before the meet if you want to join us.

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[34127]

You must visit Luskentyre beach on Harris.

 

[dippingatoe]

Hi - Thebus is 8.8m long and VERY wide and I toured all down through the outer hebrides. Check out my blog entries for places I visited www.theworldismylobster.org.uk Some of the photos went missing round about then, but you still get a fair idea.

It was cheaper to buy individual ferry tickets, plus you are not limited to time scale, but check things out as I know ferry prices have changed a lot recently.

I took the bridge over to sky then ferry to Uig to Tarbert, drove up to the very tip of Lewis, then all the way back down the chain to Vatersay, before sailing back from Castlebay to Oban, which was wonderful as we saw basking sharks, porpoises and hundreds and hundreds of dolphins - my first ever viewing of any of them.

 

[DavidG58]

A few photos from our last trip North Uist first, then Harris

even when it's not sunny its lovely

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