 CROSSINGS |
 Main
Crossings
Colintraive - Rhubodach |
 |
 |
Colintraive - Rhubodach |
|
Crossing Time: 5 Minutes |
|
Regular Ship: Loch
Dunvegan |
|
|
ROUTE TIMELINE:
|
 Ships to Serve:
Pre 1970: Eilean
Buidhe / Eilean
Dhu / Dhuirnish
1970: Dhuirnish
/ Portree
1971: Dhuirnish
/ Portree
& Broadford
1972 - 1985: Portree
& Broadford
1986: Portree
& Broadford
/ Loch
Riddon
1987 - 1996: Loch
Riddon
1997: Loch
Riddon / Isle
of Cumbrae
1998: Isle
of Cumbrae
1999: Isle
of Cumbrae / Loch
Dunvegan
2000 - Present: Loch
Dunvegan
Additional Ships:
Various members of
the Island Class
and Loch Class
ferries on relief duties |
 |
|
|
Terminal Facilities:
|
|
Colintraive: There is a new pier and
ferry berth next to the slipway. Information is available from the
terminal office next to the pier. Vehicles queue up in a small marshalling
area set off the road. Rhubodach:
A single widened slipway with electronic display giving information for
passengers. Vehicles queue along the road and there is a small car parking
area adjacent to the slipway.
|
|
|
Route History:
|
|
Until 1970, the so-called ‘back door’ to Bute had been served by
several small landing-craft type ferries of a very simple design. 1970
however saw the then Caledonian Steam Packet with several redundant car
ferries from their Western Isles outpost at Kyle of Lochalsh and new
employment was needed for each.
Two of the relatively recent ferries, the PORTREE and the BROADFORD
were converted to a bow-loading arrangement; their ramps being operated by
a system of pulleys as opposed to hydraulics – and were placed on the
three minute crossing between Colintraive on Cowal and Rhubodach, nine
miles north west of Rothesay on Bute.
|
Portree lying at Colintraive
|
|
Loch Riddon sitting at
Colintraive with Pioneer passing through the Kyles of Bute behind
|
Most of the time only one ferry was in service, but at
peak times they were both on duty, carrying 10 cars each on the
stone’s-throw route, and the situation did not change until 1986 when
the third of four new drive-through ferries was commissioned and placed on
the Kyles of Bute crossing. The new LOCH RIDDON could carry twelve
cars when full, but had the advantage of being able to achieve faster
turnround times as reversing on or off was not required.
|
|
She
was to remain on this crossing, seldom deviating, for 11 years. Only at peak
times such as the Bute Highland Games weekend did she require assistance
from one of her sisters at Largs. In the 1997 cascade of ships, the Kyles of
Bute crossing’s new resident ferry became the ISLE OF CUMBRAE, and
then in 1999 the massive LOCH DUNVEGAN took over, offering space for
up to 36 cars per crossing in the process. Unlike all the other members of
the ‘Loch Class’, the Colintraive ferry sails with her ramps unfolded,
to save time at each terminal. The new pier at Colintraive was completed in
time for this vessel’s arrival and she has remained there since.
|
Loch Dunvegan at work in the
Kyles of Bute
|
 Images from Ships of CalMac Collection |
|
 SoC Useful Links:
To see a more detailed description of the islands and photos, visit
Undiscovered Scotland and click on a place.
To view current cruises and ferry times and crossings in the Clyde area,
visit
Clyde Guide. |
SoC
HOME 
