scottish isles (1 Viewer)

[herbies]

thinking of touring some western islands but were not sure if my 22 foot hymer will get on/off the ferries
any experience on this please

 

[Loujess]

Yes, it definitely will. You might want to consider the Island Hopper. I'd love to do that and it may be next year, or could even be September.

http://www.calmac.co.uk/tickets/island-hopping/

Let us know how you get on.

Ivy

 

[Chockswahay]

thinking of touring some western islands but were not sure if my 22 foot hymer will get on/off the ferries
any experience on this please

The only issue to watch out for is the approach/departure angle of some of the ferry ramps. We have a 6m Fiat based van and no problems but I watched one or two bigger MH's ground the back of their van or get VERY close.

Just proceed SLOWLY over the ramp and you should be fine

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[herbies]

thank ypo thats very helpful

 

[mikebeaches]

As already suggested, you should have absolutely no problem getting on and off the ferries. Just take your time and don't be hurried over driving on and off the ramps, and you'll be fine. :thumb:

Mike

 

[landscaper]

We just did the Mallaig to Skye ferry and it was absolutely fine we are 7.5 m so you should be fine £44 one way - well worth the trip with spec scenery driving up to Mallaig. Enjoy!

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[WAG2CRU]

We are 24 feet with the alko chassis, we grounded severely on the Largs/Cumbrae ferry, firstly, the usual ferry was out of service and, because of the delays, it was low tide, we were late, I made the mistake of not waiting for the crew to sort things out. The rear cross member caught in the ramp not too bad considering but I paid the price for impatience.

On the return, we chose close to high water and the usual ferry was back in service, I expressed my concerns to the crew, they were very helpful and made sure we were ok. Lessons learned, if its a small ferry make sure its half tide or more, proceed very slowly, if you touch, stop! Ferries carry bridging ramps to cope with just this problem. If in doubt speak to the crew before you board, its not a problem if you hold everyone up for a little time, better that than damaging the ferry! ;-):thumb:

 

[MHVirgins]

We are 24 feet with the alko chassis, we grounded severely on the Largs/Cumbrae ferry, firstly, the usual ferry was out of service and, because of the delays, it was low tide, we were late, I made the mistake of not waiting for the crew to sort things out. The rear cross member caught in the ramp not too bad considering but I paid the price for impatience.

On the return, we chose close to high water and the usual ferry was back in service, I expressed my concerns to the crew, they were very helpful and made sure we were ok. Lessons learned, if its a small ferry make sure its half tide or more, proceed very slowly, if you touch, stop! Ferries carry bridging ramps to cope with just this problem. If in doubt speak to the crew before you board, its not a problem if you hold everyone up for a little time, better that than damaging the ferry! ;-):thumb:

I was just going to put a post on about the Largs to Cumbrae ferry, it sprung to mind because we lived in Largs for several years and used the ferry quite often with the car before getting a motorhome.
From memory, the Cumbrae slip is much steeper than the Largs side, but even on a high tide, I'd be concerned about the Cumbrae side. We're about to change vans to one that's longer, so will now think twice about going across to Millport I know they run a few different ferries over the holiday period and some can be smaller than others. You probably wouldn't have had a problem on the Gourock/Dunoon one as they are much bigger.
I wouldn't worry about holding everyone up, but I'd be more concerned about damaging my motorhome than their ferry

Bill

 

[Allegro83]

We've just done the Ardrossan to Brodick and Lochranza to Claonaig. As already has been said go slowly and most important listen to the Ferry Crew, they have wooden planks to assist movement if needed.
We had no problems with a 7m Motorhome.

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[MHVirgins]

We've just done the Ardrossan to Brodick and Lochranza to Claonaig. As already has been said go slowly and most important listen to the Ferry Crew, they have wooden planks to assist movement if needed.
We had no problems with a 7m Motorhome.

I wouldn't expect any problems on the Ardrossan to Brodick ferry as it is "huge" compared to the small Largs to Cumbrae ferries. But as said before the tide being out being out slightly will make all the difference to the angle as you drive on and off the ramps.

Bill

 

[mitzimad]

the main thing with these situations is take it slow we couldnt get down the ramp to the car park on the sands at brean sands due to the angle but as soon as it grounded we backed off no damage done

 

[Mags52]

Hi there, We were in the Outer Hebrides this year and it was easy. Our 6.5 m van had no problems getting on and off and the ferry staff were well used to big vehicles. These ferries take 37 ton trucks so no worries. I wouldn't go for an Island Hopper as the difference in price isn't huge and it limits you to how long you can stay on the Islands.
The Hebrides are wonderful and completely different to anywhere we've ever been.
Re.the Largs Cumbrae ferry - we've done that one regularly and no problems there either. Cumbrae is tiny though and nowhere near the Hebrides. We go there for short breaks and love it.
Mags

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