Oban - Coll - Tiree - Barra (Summer Only)

The link from Tiree to Barra was originally part of the old mail run from Oban to Lochboisdale, which also included calls at Coll. Originally the old Claymore of 1955 was in charge of the 'Mail Run' and then for a short while the link was entrusted to the Loch Seaforth, however one part of the route, the passage through the Gunna Sound proved particularly hazardous for her and she grounded on rocks, sinking at Gott Bay soon after. With the coming of the 'Marine Motorway' in the 1970s this link was severed in favour of faster direct sailings from Oban. The routes to Coll and Tiree and to Barra and South Uist were split between two ferries, with the faster Iona and then the Claymore looking after the Outer Hebrides, while Columba would look after the Inner Isles.

It was to be 1989 before there was any possibility of the older link being restored. The two ship service using Columba and Claymore came to an end with the arrival with the faster Lord of the Isles which was to combine both routes into her hectic timetable and would sail at all hours of the day.

Despite the routes being served by the one vessel it was not until 2002 that CalMac reintroduced a link to the Outer Isles via the Gunna Sound. It was the presence of a third major vessel based in Oban which allowed this link to be reintroduced. As part of a new experiment which saw the spare Isle of Arran being utilised on additional sailings out of Oban, on various different routes, Thursdays in the summer timetable would see a departure from Oban to Barra which incorporated a call at Tiree both on the outward and inward legs. For the first time in many years there was a scheduled service through the Gunna Sound. The extra vessel in Oban permitted normal sailings to Colonsay and South Uist in addition to the Isle of Arran's roster. Although initially an experimental deployment of vessels, the new route was to return to the summer timetables for every summer since, although following the Lord of the Isles' return to Oban from the Sound of Sleat, and the Isle of Arran's return to second-vessel duties at Islay, the Clansman has been carrying out the Tiree and Barra sailings.

In 2006 the full day for the vessel's crew was extended further by inserting a call in each direction at Coll. The long haul crossing has proved popular since it was introduced and indeed in subsequent summers it was marketed as one of the many 'Day Sails' available from Oban and the other mainland ports in the network. The Tiree - Barra crossing now provides the basis for three such 'Day Sails'. One of these is a non-landing cruise to Barra and back, taking in the full day on the ferry. The second involves the sail out to Coll and then allows eight hours ashore for a full tour of the island before returning in the evening, while the final option takes in a sail to Tiree and six hours ashore - with an opportunity to take a guided tour of the windy isle before rejoining the vessel for the return crossing. The only change in recent times took place in 2016 when they day of week changed to Wednesdays.

Text thanks to John MacLeod and updated by Ships of CalMac