Caledonian MacBrayne (Cal-Mac) -Your holiday starts here! (Caledonian MacBrayne (Cal-Mac))

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	Caledonian MacBrayne (Cal-Mac)
Date:	11/11/08 (96 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Serves 24 islands and places off the west coast of Scotland!

Disadvantages: Can be cancelled in bad weather.

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 space. It does give you the opportunity to "abandon" booking at this stage. You can speak to a real person if you prefer, and that is between 0800 and 2000 Mon to Sat and 0900 to 1900 on Sunday on 08000 665000.

As my experience is mainly with trips to the Outer Isles which also tend to be longer I will concentrate on these sailings so you can get a picture of what being on the vessel is all about.

So for the purpose of this trip the starting point is Oban and we are sailing to South Uist to the port of Lochboisdale. There are two ferries going there, one is direct 5 hours and one takes longer and goes via Barra (8 Hours). My advice- get the shorter one unless you are a seasoned sea traveller as the 8 hour ferry gets very rough indeed on occasions and because you get tired it is worse. Recently there has been the introduction of something called The Road Equivalent Tariff which means that the fares have now halved in price and represent the actual cost of driving the distance. So if you are planning to visit the Outer Isles now is the time to go as this may not last for ever. The car now costs £97 and each passenger £ 19 return on this route which is one of the most expensive due to the distance.

When you arrive at Oban as with any terminal you must queue in the line designated for your sailing and a Cal Mac employee will come to check you off. It is imperative you arrive in plenty of time so if you have a long drive allow a lot more time than you think you will need. In Scotland the winter has many hazards such as snow and ice, and in summer the caravan brigade are on the move and make the roads much slower.
At the point you arrive if you have a dog make sure he or she has had a good walk and a chance to go to the toilet- it is a long time and take something for seasickness early as it takes a while to work. My advice is always to take some coffee in a flask with you just incase it gets rough and you can't actually walk easily to the cafeteria.
Other useful things are to take bland foods such as digestives and anything you would normally eat if you felt queasy, as it is much better than trying to find them later. Ginger biscuits are really good and you can also get acupressure bands which you wear around your wrist.

Prepare all of this ready in the main part of the car (don't leave stuff in the boot you want to get because on busy sailings it can be a challenge to open the doors). Then you will be beckoned to board. This is where the fun starts multiple Calmac staff will be on the car deck waving you to go here and there, and the deck is soon filled with military precision. Despite being on route to a remote island community you will see a surprising number of large lorries due to the building and fishing industries there and these are often strapped down for stability.
So then it is upstairs to find a cosy spot for the 5 or 8 hours ahead. If you have a dog this will already be decided as you are only allowed in certain areas, this used to be dreadful-a hard chair by the toilets, but now it is more comfortable but you are not allowed in the restaurant or bar areas with the dog.

You will shortly be given a safety briefing in Gaelic and in English as we are going to a bilingual community.
Then most people head to the cafeteria for a meal which is pretty good especially if you like macaroni and chips because it's always on the menu!
Then you have many hours to relax and watch the world go by.
The deck is often chilly and windswept but if you persevere you will be rewarded by sight of the brightly coloured houses of Tobermory on Mull- home of the TV series Balemory. Then as we head out to sea the sight of a whale or dolphin is possible.
Time passes by and unless the trip is rough you will soon be hearing the sound "This is the last call for hot meals" and shortly we arrive in South Uist. If you are not sure where you are going when you disembark pull over to one side and let all the local traffic disperse- they go quite fast because they know their route. It is really simple though in South Uist as there are only a few roads, but it applies to many of the routes you can enjoy the drive as a tourist if you let the bulk of the traffic go before you.
There are a lot of single track roads with passing places here and be careful of sheep as they stray onto the roads. Just one point if you go in Spring to early summer. The Uists are home to many ground nesting birds and as youngsters these cannot fly but they walk across the road and you will kill them if you go too fast so please be aware of them.

Prior to your departure you can check the service status. I just did that and noticed that yesterdays ferries to North Uist from Skye were disrupted and cancelled due to the weather! It happens but not too frequently but allow an extra day off work when you return just in case!

In conclusion I would say that Cal Mac offers an excellent service and the experience of boarding one of their ferries always adds an air of excitement to the holiday. Some crossings are very short but for the full experience board a long sailing and wallow a few hours in the bar or watch some TV. Go on deck and you may even spot a whale or a dolphin to catch on your camera. You will also get a real insight into the lives of your fellow travellers as you will hear many talking in Gaelic. The lorries from as far away as Spain carry fish which is one of the main things produced on these islands and these can often be seen aboard these ferries. So when you hear the words "This is the last call for hot meals" you know you are nearly there and my goodness you are in for a treat! South Uist is a paradise with beautiful white deserted sandy beaches and wild Eriskay ponies. It is a hill walkers dream and as you disembark from your Cal Mac ferry I can promise you a holiday you will remember forever.

Summary: Caledonian MacBrayne (Cal-Mac) A great way to see the scottish west coast.