Skye/Lewis-Harris

[sidepod]

A bit of intel please?

Planning on heading up this way over Easter (weather permitting - so that'll probs be stay at home!). The ferry from Skye to Lewis, turn up and jump on or pre-book. Does it get busy? Obvs we don't want to be tied to anything resembling a schedule but if it means we have to wait three weeks then that could put a dampener on proceedings!

Any other booby traps?

Ta v much.

P

 

[Duxdeluxe]

We where there last year whit week so was quite busy then, you best bet might be to ring up Caledonian McBrayne and have a chat to them
But whatever they say, GO, it’s the most beautiful place

 

[BeagleMum]

A bit of intel please?

Planning on heading up this way over Easter (weather permitting - so that'll probs be stay at home!). The ferry from Skye to Lewis, turn up and jump on or pre-book. Does it get busy? Obvs we don't want to be tied to anything resembling a schedule but if it means we have to wait three weeks then that could put a dampener on proceedings!

Any other booby traps?

Ta v much.

P

We’ve been 3 times always prebooked ferry. You can turn up & wait but we wouldn’t risk it, it gets very busy.

 

[CaliMac]

A bit of intel please?

Planning on heading up this way over Easter (weather permitting - so that'll probs be stay at home!). The ferry from Skye to Lewis, turn up and jump on or pre-book. Does it get busy? Obvs we don't want to be tied to anything resembling a schedule but if it means we have to wait three weeks then that could put a dampener on proceedings!

Any other booby traps?

Ta v much.

P

Easter very busy! If you are defo intent on going at some stage and flexible on dates then book, you can then alter dates for free. At worst if you cancelled altogether it will cost a £10 admin fee.

 

[Borris]

A bit of intel please?

Planning on heading up this way over Easter (weather permitting - so that'll probs be stay at home!). The ferry from Skye to Lewis, turn up and jump on or pre-book. Does it get busy? Obvs we don't want to be tied to anything resembling a schedule but if it means we have to wait three weeks then that could put a dampener on proceedings!

Any other booby traps?

Ta v much.

P

Pre-book.
We did the outer Hebrides in October several years ago, including amongst others, Skye, Harris and Lewis. We didn't book anything and it worked out OK with most of the ferries but that was pure luck. However, there was one crossing that we couldn't catch when we wanted to.

We discovered that often the locals including businesses block book ferries in advance. That is right and propper as the ferries are their local transport links which enable them to get around and earn a living. However, it does mean that sometimes spare space can be in short supply. If these block bookings don't appear at time of sailing then it's first come first served. So it is best to book to avoid dissapointment, especially during holiday time.

 

[kp64zl]

definitely worth pre-booking

CalMac quite flexible about changing your booking

 

[John Slater]

I'd pre-book over a holiday period. Lots of tourists and people travelling back to their families on the islands. N Uist to Harris can be particularly problematic as it has tidal limitations.

 

[Jay gas]

A bit of intel please?

Planning on heading up this way over Easter (weather permitting - so that'll probs be stay at home!). The ferry from Skye to Lewis, turn up and jump on or pre-book. Does it get busy? Obvs we don't want to be tied to anything resembling a schedule but if it means we have to wait three weeks then that could put a dampener on proceedings!

Any other booby traps?

Ta v much.

P

Have a look on YouTube a guy called Andrew Ditton he’s got loads of stuff on there about the Hebrides I’m pretty sure there is something on ferries that will be helpful to you

 

[Erbster]

+1 for pre booking
We toured outer Hebrides last August. Did not pre book all the hops and almost got stuck on one of the islands, which would have meant we’d have missed the ferry back to main land. Calmac are really helpful if you ring them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Juliette ryan]

We caught the ferry last July - it was busy but not terribly so. As we were pulling out of Uig we were accompanied by a huge pod of dolphins - truly magical. My cousin, who lives in Stornaway says he often sees them along with whales, can't remember which ones, so keep your eyes peeled. Pic of Uig ferry "port". Enjoy

 

[flying banana]

you can drive onto Skye using the road bridge

 

[Juliette ryan]

Yes you can - and then catch the ferry from Uig, on Skye, to Tarbert on Harris.

 

[DavidGPhillips]

I live on the Isle of Harris and own a Cali as well - I always book the ferry, particularly in the summer. The only one I take a chance on is theLeverburgh-Berneray ferry. When we travel the main ferries to Stornoway or Tarbert are to important to leave to chance. That said some do and happily wait on stand-by but we did it once - didn’t get on, overnighted in the ferry port and didn’t get any sleep with everyone else coming and going all night. Also - another factor is that since 2015 tourists visiting have increased 20% year on year.

 

[JJ Blue]

As everyone has suggested, it is a good idea to pre-book especially during holiday periods such as Easter. Hope you have a wonderful time! We were over there for Hogmanay visiting family in Benbecula

 

[Borris]

One further comment. When we toured the outer Hebrides several years ago we arrived at Stornaway one evening and found that the next ferry to Ullapool didn't leave until the next day. We asked if there were any other options. Long story short we bought a ticket and were sent straight away to board a large RORO freight ferry that was just about to leave. The only other vehicles on board were three HGV lorries and a van. I remember that one of the lorries contained what smelt like rotting fish! Apart from us and the meager ship's crew, there was only three snoring HGV drivers and the van driver. So other alternatives can sometimes exist on that particular route.

 

[Borris]

Following on, we got talking to the van driver whose job it was to deliver medical supplies to the outer Hebrides. He advised us not to drive at night after we dis-embarked at Ullapool because there was a high chance of a collision with a hind playing hard to get or a randy stag! They are highly mobile and rather frisky in October, it being the rutting season. Indeed there was much bloody evidence of accidents having occurred along our route.

He also informed us that he used to be a Copper on Barra to which I replied "Oooh, that sounds like a cushy little number". He replied " You'd be surprised" and began telling us about the problems with drug and alcohol abuse, fast cars using the only road around the island and matrimonial strife all of which kept him busy. He said that most of the money is earned through fishing and things can go bandy when the ships are in port. However, the police usually see more of the seedy side of life which I'm certain isn't representative of the community as a whole. Unfortunately, we only got as far as the Barra Ferry ramp on Eriskay as we had been delayed in Uig on Skye for a night because we hadn't booked on that days ferry crossing which was full. If we had managed to get on that ferry we would have visited Barra as well. So it is best to book otherwise your itinerary may suffer like ours did.

 

[Nick Stubbs]

re booking, are we talking weeks, days or months in advance say mid June time ?

 

[BeagleMum]

re booking, are we talking weeks, days or months in advance say mid June time ?

Being frequent Calmac travellers our experience is the early the better.