The crossing between Berneray and Leverburgh on Harris has been running for just under ten years. Initially being run by the Loch Bhrusda the crossing takes about seventy minutes despite the gap between the two islands being relatively short. The reason for the relatively long voyage is the extremely shallow nature of the Sound of Harris. In places the water is only a few feet in depth and this factor was taken in to account when the resident ferries (both original and current) were designed. Unlike other smaller Calmac ferries, the Loch Bhrusda, and more recently the Loch Portain do not possess propellers or Voith Schneider units. Instead the method of propulsion is by means of water jets, thus eliminating the risk of damage caused to propellers and anything else protruding out below the hull. Indeed it is not unknown for the ferry to ground momentarily on a sandbank offshore.

In a recent trip around the Outer Hebrides, I finally had the opportunity to take a trip across the Sound of Harris on a journey from Leverburgh to Berneray.

The date is October 12th 2004 and I'm on a week's island hopping trip round the Outer Isles. Today the plan is to get from Stornoway to Castlebay. The trusty Ka is booked onto the 1325 sailing across the Sound of Harris. The vessel is the 2003-built Loch Portain which took over the route last year from the smaller Loch Bhrusda. There are only about ten cars taking the ferry in total today, although foot passengers are much more numerous as the bus arrives at the terminal and offloads about 40 people who make a beeline for the boat.

After my reservation and tickets are checked I head down the slipway, up onto the ramp and onto the car deck to be parked. Then its upstairs and out onto deck just as we prepare to set off. The captain addresses the passengers and plays the pre-recorded safety announcement. It is immediately obvious that this is a new ship - the announcement can actually be heard clearly!

About a quarter of an hour into the sailing and we swing round to the right and head out towards the next marker buoys. These line our entire route across to Berneray and they represent the only safe passage through the maze of rocky outcrops and reefs that litter the Sound of Harris.

Round the first reef

As we head away from the Harris coastline the wind drops a bit and the spray is not so fierce as it sweeps through the car deck below. I head inside for a while to check out the internal accommodation on this recent addition to the fleet.

Loch Portain is far more luxurious than her fellow Lochs in terms of passenger facilities. Her lounge is located above the car deck in a space which spans the entire width of the hull. The centre of this space is set aside for the ticket kiosk and toilets while the space all around is partitioned off into separate seating areas with views out over the side of the ship.

The route laid out ahead of us

We continue across the Sound towards the North Uist coast in the distance. There is a line of marker buoys off to our right which I assume means we will be turning sharply in the next few seconds...

...Sure enough we swing right - and it isn't exactly subtle! The Harris coast is now behind us, that of North Uist is off our port bow and Berneray can now be seen off the starboard bow. I head back outside to get some more photos of the crossing as it is an area I have never been to before and I don't know when I'll be back out here. I try for some forward shots - although the method adopted is not recommended for those who are fond of their cameras...i.e. don't dangle it over the side and hope for the best! More reefs pass close by as we carry on towards Berneray. We are just over half way across on our trip from Harris and as we turn towards Berneray the wind is now following and the waves once again give off a lot more spray as we encounter each one. The second rinse for the car!

Nearly over the Sound now and the settlement on Berneray can now just be seen in the distance. The approach to the island does not exactly look straight forward - indeed at one point as the Loch Portain approaches, it appears that we are surrounded by reefs on all sides. It is only the markers that indicate a way out through the rocks and the ferry weaves its way on towards our destination.

The last ten to twenty minutes of the crossing seem to go by very quickly. There aren't any really sharp turns to be made and the ferry is soon approaching the breakwater that protects Berneray slipway and ferry terminal.

As we pass the end of the breakwater, I get my first view of the ferry terminal on the Isle of Berneray. It is also impossible to miss the massive causeway that links Berneray to the neighbouring island of North Uist at Otternish. The old slipway at Otternish can also still be seen next to the causeway. Before the Sound of Harris ferry was introduced, Berneray was linked by a small ferry from the slip at Otternish.

We turn towards the slipway and ferry terminal and the ramp alarms sound as it is lowered. The water jets are switched to reverse to slow us down as we approach the concrete slipway. Once the Loch Portain is in position the ramp is lowered onto the slip and me and the Ka go ashore for the next leg of the journey to Castlebay.

All photos by Ships of Calmac