Caledonian MacBrayne (Cal-Mac)

** This is a Long review ** The Scottish ferry company, Caledonian MacBrayne seem to get a generally good thumbs up on the Internet when it comes to its ferry services but then, it seems to be by the general public who use the service occasionally or whenever they are on holiday. What about members of the public that need to use Caledonian MacBrayne ferries daily or weekly? Operating between many Scottish Islands and Peninsulas with a few exceptions, "Cal Mac," as the locals call them have had quite a monopoly going on for the best part of 56 years controlling sea travel to Western isles and providing a mix of large cruise liners to small ...  Read the complete review

If you live in the Scottish Western Isles your main link with the mainland is usually the car ferry. Very few islands have an airport or airstrip & no trains run to the islands, even the ones with bridges. The main ferry operator is Caledonian MacBrayne (Cal Mac for short) who run a regular daily service to most places all year round & is the main lifeline for most island people. Cal Mac operate to the following places: Outer Hebrides (Includes Harris & Lewis), Inner Hebrides (Includes Mull), Southern Hebrides (Includes Islay), Firth of Clyde (Includes Arran) & Skye, Rasay & Rum. They don't operate to the Orkney & Shetlands ...  Read the complete review

This is the last call for hot meals! The words resound over the loud speakers as we sail towards Lochboisdale in South Uist. It has been a long five hours but with a good meal inside us we are ready to face anything! So this is my review of Caledonian MacBrayne ferries (Cal Mac ferries) and we have spent many hours on them! Firstly I must tell you they sail to the isles and peninsulas off the west coast of Scotland but not the Northern Isles and they have a modern fleet of 31 vessels. Booking is easy and online is simple. If you just want to check times and fares you can have a look and then continue to the payment screen to reserve your car ...  Read the complete review

~ ~ Caledonian MacBrayne are a Scottish ferry company that transport passengers and vehicles from mainland Scotland to all the outlying islands off the Scottish Atlantic seaboard. I have been a customer of this company for over forty years, ever since I was just a wee slip of a lad in the 1950’s, as I have family on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. ~ ~ In those distant days the ferries were not drive on/off as they are today, and cars had to be quite literally winched from the pier by cradle, and onto the open deck of the ship. Stabilisers to keep the vessel from wallowing around like a drunken whale in bad weather were practically ...  Read the complete review