A great way to get around Scotland is to use the ferries, Caledonian Mac Brayrne, is the name of the company that owns the ferries ( scottish pronouciation is Marck Brrrrain, with that beautiful brrrrrrrrrr sound that the scots do so well).
The ferries come in all shapes and sizes and take all shapes and sizes of cars - from wee ones like our fiesta, to buses and semi-trailers. You drive in the back end and out the front.
On one of our trips the ferry did a complete 180 turn and continued in the same direction as before. Seeing that the ferry had ramps on both ends, we were at a loss as to why this had ocurred.
After much discussion amongst the passengers, such as
' it travelled better backwards',
'the captain wanted the land on his west' Chris offered the suggestion that it may have been because the windscreen wipers worked better that way. It was generally accepted as being the best
'scottish' reason on offer.
The ferries are super efficient, getting cars on and off quickly, so you don't want to arrive late. We drove in one time, 15 mins before departure and were chastised for being late!
It's a great way to travel....... The isles of Mull, Iona and Arran have all been on our route. Life on these isles wouldn't exist, if it weren't for these ferries.
The size of the ferry dictates the service you get on board. From sitting in the bar, enjoying a meal and looking out onto the beautiful sea lochs, to a room with just the basics, benches and a heater.
Everybody uses the ferries, holidaymakers, island residents, commercial vehicles, and every second person has a dog or two.
Sometimes the number of dogs on board outnumber the people. They love their dogs so much that as you'll see, they even let them drive their car on board!
Our ultimate trip sofar, was the ferry to Ireland. We managed to get the best seat in the house, right at the front watching the waves crash over the bow. There we sat with our little picnic lunch, cheese from Mull, smoked venison from Arran and sipping on an Ausi red.
Sounds to good to be true - well it was a bit of a problem when we got to Ireland as the sat nav kept redirecting us back on board the boat to Scotland.
The photos below are of the islands and the wonderful ferries that took us there.
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| Walking on the beach (for 2 minutes) - Mull of Kintyre |
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| Ferry berthing at Mull |
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| Smooth sailing from Mull to Oban |
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| The abbey at Iona |
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| The smallest car never gets to go on first. |
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| Reflections on Mull |
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| Even the retired ferries get a good home |
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| A sunny moment in time. |
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| Iona from the ferry |
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| Waiting for the ferry at Iona |
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| Iona's Scarecrows |
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| Is there nothing a dog can't do! |
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| Early morning on Mull |
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| Oban |
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| Isolation |
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| One fine day on Loch Fyne |
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| How's this for a back door view - Easdale where they use to mine slate |
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| Here comes the ferry |
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| Iona |
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| Aye,aye Captain |
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| The man's always buying me flowers. |
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| Iona |
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| Chapel on Iona |
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| Where does the land end? |
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| Arran |
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| Iona |
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| This is where the really big trucks go. |
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| Sitting back and relaxing |
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| Open wide - come inside |
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| Happy Sailor |
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| A storm brewing |
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| Iona Abbey - the perfect retreat. 'Yes, they do have them here'. |
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| G'dday Mate |
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| Beautiful Loch Fyne |
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