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Caledonian MacBrayne (Cal-Mac)
by Nar2 ** 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 ferries and roll on/roll off boats. I've travelled with Cal Mac for example since I was 12 years old and as a frequent traveller who needs to use this boat service every weekend, 52 weeks of the year, in all of the eighteen years using the ferry service, it has only been in the last ten years or so that I've noticed the service is beginning to decline. There is also another ferry company by the name of "Western Ferries," a smaller outfit of car ferries which cater on the east side of the bay of Gourock, and for those boats which are traditional roll on/roll off boats, the flat bottomed styles seem to be able to cross the River Clyde even when it is being abrasive and rough whilst sailings are far more frequent than the "luxury" that the bigger fleets Cal Mac provide. The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet of ships are essentially car ferries that are built to cope with tourists and locals travelling to the many western isles and small town destinations. In the case of the Gourock to Dunoon/Dunoon to Gourock crossing the rough and changing weather conditions of the River Clyde can flurry up with 80 to 100mph gales, high tides and strong winds that stop Cal Mac boats in their tracks. Their reason to exist is simply because they were the first ferry company to establish routes for passengers who could step off the boat and onto the local ScotRail train service operating between Gourock and Glasgow. Before the train service arrived, Cal Mac was established in 1879 taking over from the Hutchesons family who had supplied steam ships. For Western Ferries who were initially established in 1973, their customers have to endure a 20-minute walk on a good, wind-less day and fresh enough if stuck to walking on Gourock's promenade (I've done it!) before reaching the train station. Local bus services have made it easier for Western Ferry customers in recent years but the buses aren't frequent enough and they do not work to the timetable of Western Ferries, which may mean a £5 to £8 taxi ride from Gourock's main train station to McInroy's Point where Western Ferries operate from. Fine if you are young, but for older and elderly people, it can be a bind having to wait for a bus in an open draughty bus shelter that exists for Western Ferry customers compared to the warm, clean and comfortable waiting room set in the main Cal Mac office. For the Gourock to Dunoon crossing, which has been operating the same route since 1954, Caledonian MacBrayne ferries look very modern from the outside and there are two ships that usually sail such as the "Saturn," and older ferry "Jupiter," based on the old "Juno" which operated until April 2007. Both ferries have a complement of 6 to 8 on board staff and accommodation for 40 cars and 510 passengers split on the two levels with added benches on the top of the boat if you want to sight see. Now there are only two boats in the Cal Mac fleet that travel to Gourock/Dunoon. They all remind me of Star Trek's Enterprise on their individual look, which is probably why, at the time they were so-called despite being pained in black and white, the signature colours of the Cal Mac brand. At best, they are warm, clean and offer comfortable & spacious seating for passengers and car drivers and there are three "saloons," for passengers to congregate in. At their worst when there's a low tide, families with pushchairs, people with walking difficulties or wheelchair users are restricted to walking down where the cars drive on and even in this day and age, the company will not install a lift to aid for people who can't manage the steep stairs if they are made to enter the boat from the top gangway entrance on high tide or need to go to the toilet which is located on the basement. The toilets themselves are generally average, usually clean but very small. As a small town, Dunoon has its benefits as an old sea side town with beautiful landscapes and a route built into a Peninsular that leads to the "rest and be thankful," old road to Glasgow whilst also being able to travel to other great and beautiful areas such as Inveraray and Oban. By the 1960's however Dunoon was privy to hosting Americans who had been sent by the American government to build a nuclear base whilst also boosting the local economy as well as later, establishing a love/hate relationship with locals. Although nuclear weapons and submarines were being maintained in Dunoon, the west coast rapidly declined in the 1990's when Ronald Regan called time to get the Americans back to their homeland. I lost quite a few good school friends back then and Dunoon suffered a major local economy drive that hasn't really improved driven by a poorly funded local council who seem to heap money in the town that their financial offices are based in, and offer very little to anyone else. With such a low morale in Dunoon many people are forced to work across the water whilst certain locals are dead-against large and corporate supermarkets opening up (the locals in the smaller west coast town of Ardrossan seem to have done well with a large Tesco and Asda, however), which then forces buyers to take a ferry to Gourock to get trains or buses to near towns like Greenock or Paisley for the large shops. This is where Cal Mac and Western Ferries are necessary companies to rely on. Cal Mac however are far from reliable 52 weeks of the year, less so surprisingly based on their location geographically and based on the three-time-as-big boats compared to the smaller, older and flatter boats that Western Ferries offer. Caledonian MacBrayne also operate the "Ali-Cat" catamaran passenger only service which started two years ago to fill in between peak times and busy periods such as between 1pm and 5pm to cope with office workers but this only operates mid week and not at weekends. Cal Mac ferries operate every week and their ferries start at 0620am from Gourock excluding the weekend, supply boats on the hour up until 820pm. On the weekend the earliest services from Gourock start at 650am but not on Sundays and Sundays earliest service starts at 820am. Confusingly the earliest services during the week sometimes don't allow cars to go on either! Generally the ferry service only takes 20 minutes from Gourock before arriving in Dunoon. Cal Mac will cancel ferry crossings if the weather is too strong for the boats to cope with. This is more than fair since Western Ferries also suffer from the same problem but then Western Ferries have been known to sail quite happily despite Cal Mac taking the decision not to bother! As a result, Cal Mac has stranded many workers for other reasons, in particular indifferent reasons given if a boat doesn't operate for mechanical problems or the increasing feeling that Cal Mac has just cancelled a crossing for the hell of it without giving a viable reason. In the 1980's, I remember when Cal Mac were far more appreciating and accommodating of its customers needs; I recall one crossing where passengers were air-lifted because the River Clyde proved to be too rough for the boat to go on. I can also recall being told that a ferry was being steered down from Glasgow when one of their local Gourock to Dunoon boats hit maintenance problems. Now, however if a boat goes down in the late evenings, the customers have to find alternative arrangements and usually this means Western Ferries who get the onslaught of let down Cal Mac customers or local hotels and B&Bs get a visitor for a night. Teachers who use Cal Mac in the mornings have also been stranded because the ferry will not wait for the Scot Rail train if it happens to be late. That to me is the biggest insult; Cal Mac exists right next to the train station and it would be much better if the ferry waited on the train-boat connections that Scot Rail go to the bother of advertising in Glasgow! Cal Mac have also been known to cancel the last ferry that operates at night - a paltry time of 845pm that leaves Dunoon against Western Ferries who operate throughout the night with their last crossing from Dunoon leaving at 1130pm. Clearly Cal Mac just don't seem to think people want to go to the "mainland," for late night shopping! If that wasn't bad enough the prices are extortionate and that's just for the tickets. Here's where the fun begins! A car driver only ticket will set you back £6.30 for a single journey but then Cal Mac will also charge for the same amount of passengers each in the car if there is more than one! This is roughly double of the single passenger who walks on with a single ticket at £3.65, so in theory you could deposit your fellow passengers off before they embark on the ferry and get a cheaper rate by going on as foot passengers; a fact that was noted point 7 of a manifesto released by a local resident of Dunoon, Neil Kay who has been fighting for a fair car-passenger ferry service with the Scottish Executive *. Then the car gets charged at £8-80 for a single journey. Cal Mac of course offer another ticket called the "Saver 5 day Return," which is just as it sounds and for cars/4x4s it costs £15-25 whilst a 10 single journey pack costs £55.20 Have a motor home? Well if it measures 5 metres in length it gets covered under the usual car/passenger rate. However if it measures more than that say, more than 5 metres to 7 metres you pay more such as £13.20 for a single journey, £22.90 for the Saver 5 Day Return and £84.00 for the 10 Journey pack. Up to 10 metres charges £17.60 single, £30.50 Saver 5 Day Return and £111.00 for the 10 Journey Pack. If you own a caravan, boat or baggage trailer you have to pay £4-40 if its up to 2.5metres, £7-65 for the Saver 5 Day Return and 10 journey packs are NOT available. Similarly up to 5 metres in length, you'd have to pay £8-80 for a single journey and £15-25 for the Saver 5 Day Return. Up to 8 metres its £13-20 single and £22-90 for the Saver 5 Day Return. Cyclists get to travel for free whilst motorbikes get charged £4-40 single, £7-65 Saver 5 Day Return and £28-00 for the 10 Journey pack. Children under five years old are allowed to travel for free, whilst those who are 5 to 15 years old have to pay half the adult fare. All this just for a 20-minute crossing?! Compared to Western Ferries however the savings are tremendously cheap taking into account that this ferry company deal with cars before passengers. The cars on a single journey cost £10-50 and £20-00 return (up to 5 metres length). Same charge applies for caravans AND motor homes. Passengers are charged £3-80 for a single journey; double the charge for a return journey. The same rate applies for drivers AND adult passengers. Like Cal Mac, children under five years old travel for free and those aged between 5 to 16 years old travel on a single journey at £1-60 and £2-60 for a return trip. Trailers up to 3 metres in length and motorbikes get charged £3-80 single and double the rate for return journeys. 10 single journey packs are also available; £21-00 for passengers and £85-00 for car/driver. Ultimately despite foot passengers being charged slightly higher, private company Western Ferries are the better of the two companies when it comes to charges and customer services. Despite their smaller and more compact service, Western Ferries staff and crew are always courteous and able to help out when needed; their newly re-designed piers both in Gourock and Dunoon for example have wide enough access for wheelchairs and pushchairs to embark on ferries and there is no need to go up or down stairs on their ferries unless you want to sight see. Cal Mac could well argue that they offer a better service and in some respects this could well be an ideal situation if you are hungry and need something to eat/drink on the ferry crossing. This is where, sadly Western Ferry can't offer food facilities as their ferries are much smaller and the passenger cabins are narrow, but clean but do, at least offer the chance to watch colour TV! If you think the tickets are expensive, the prices for coffee, tea and food are ridiculous. If you are travelling from Dunoon, I'd advise you to stop at any one of the cafes on the way to the ferry. The Pound Shop for example has Starbucks quality coffee and various foods such as bagels, rolls and hot Paninnis if you are prepared to wait. On the ferry however, they use the same kind of heat insulated cups and I've had many a Cal Mac service personnel stop me asking if I bought the coffee from the ferry when clearly the cup has come from somewhere else, well before they lift the shutter to the coffee kiosk! Coffee and tea costs around 70 to 85p and unlike the tea which is a proper tea bag dipped in over boiled water, the coffee such as lattes, cappuccinos and mochas are simply press-button powder put in a cup and then charge the customer up to £1-70 for the privilege. The obvious foods like chocolate bars and crisps are also on sale but these are also marked up quite considerably. Wine, beer and spirits are also available although it costs up to £3-45 for a Vodka shot! How and why anyone would want to consume alcohol on such a short crossing is beyond me! Cal Mac also "produce" their own-branded label sandwiches but these cost around £2-80 to £3-40 and are usually soggy and unappealing. Why they don't source from "Eastend Bakery," in Gourock who make the best kinds of cakes and rolls around, I'll never know; it would support local businesses that Cal Mac are situated in. The biggest expense is a "packed lunch" priced at £4-75 that covers the soggy sandwich, a piece of fruit, a drink and a bag of crisps. Boots charge cheaper for meal deals! Customer service is, at best better in the ticket office than with ground crew in Gourock although the staff on board are very friendly and mostly helpful. On numerous occasions however I've seen elderly people pushed to produce their Senior Citizens cards when they are loaded with shopping before embarking. Ground crew on both sides of Gourock and Dunoon have an increasing impatience when you don't produce your ticket on time and frankly I've had better assistance from stressed out train staff who know how to deal with customers appropriately. The last straw happened to me last week when my mother was the last to get onto the gangway and had to hobble quickly to get on the gangway as several staff co-erced her to "hurry up," carrying a suitcase and numerous bags of shopping. The ticket collector wouldn't take her pass so that she could get into her bag to get her ticket whilst another ticket collector had to make sure I had my ticket counterfoil from the 10 Journey packs to make sure the single ticket was genuine!! Well, Cal Mac if you want the names of your particular irate and cheeky customer service personnel, you can whistle - change the service and bring the ships up to date! Other sneaky ways around of charging the customer means the 10-journey ticket pack is only suitable for the person who owns the counterfoil. This means you can't give a ticket to someone who has forgotten to buy their ticket at the office before getting onto the ferry. Cal Mac used to have a ticket office on their boats but they stopped that which for reasons unbeknown has forced locals to get their tickets first before getting on the ferry. Cal Mac as a company are either loved or loathed by local residents and it is no wonder. Whilst their ships meet all safety regulations and having to sit through the wonky recorded safety message at the start of every journey, Cal Mac have been embroiled in a legal dispute over a battle to fund the new £5.485 million Breakwater project built in 2005 by Argyll & Bute council with various parties including the Scottish Executive intended for Cal Mac vessels to berth there. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the new pier still sits unused five years on and Cal Mac are still using the unsafe and crumbling timber pier at Dunoon! When it came to replacing the "Pioneer," boat a few years back, Cal Mac brought the "Courisk," / "Coruisk," which could well have dealt with the locals. The moment they had it berthed, passengers were told that it had a lift but the whole idea of using it only lasted a week before it was put out of service. Passengers then had to walk on with the cars, which wasn't really practical and then had to deal with two flights of stairs just to get into the passenger cabin or other areas of the ship. The poor but modern "Coruisk," didn't stand a chance and Cal Mac brought in the rather outdated "Pioneer," which could take up to half an hour to tie up because it lacked modern GPS technology compared to the Saturn and Jupiter boats. What does this say about Cal Mac generally? Tied in with its local and political fiasco surrounding the new Dunoon pier and ill-thought regarding new boats, it is clear that Cal Mac haven't done their homework well as they would be the only company who could in theory own the new pier, but guess what - the new pier can't accommodate the old design of Cal Mac's current fleet, either. It is time that Cal Mac had a good look into the daily service they provide between Gourock and Dunoon, and hopefully bring a few changes to its service. Whilst it is handy to have with the fact that it is near the train station Cal Mac need to brush up on their customer service skills, breathe new life into their ships, WAIT for the Scot Rail train, reduce prices and let the foot passengers get on without hassle or hurdles. Granted they put on extra ships when Dunoon has its yearly "Cowal Gathering Highland Games," but it is clear from this offset that unless the company stand to make thousands of pounds from tourists in a single day once a year, they're not prepared to put the same kind of thought and courtesy in daily travel for the residents who need to travel from Gourock to Dunoon and surrounding areas. Being there is simply not good enough anymore, particularly when they can't be arsed to set sail because of rough weather conditions whilst in the eye line of Gourock's Eastbay side you can clearly see the tiny red and white Western Ferries bounce up and down the waves in the distance! Latterly if you ever visit Dunoon and don't mind the extra travel, consider Western Ferries. Ultimately it will be cheaper, far more reliable and be treated to a smile! Thanks for reading. İNar2 2010 www.calmac.co.uk www.western-ferries.co.uk * http://www.brocher.com/Ferries/GDoptions.htm Ticket info and fares has been taken from http://www.calmac.co.uk/Timetables-Fares/summer-timetable. html?id=summer-cowal--gourock-dunoon.gif Prices on food, drink have been estimated since I was asked what I was doing when caught taking down the prices for the purpose of this review! == UPDATE 1st of July 2011 == Cal Mac have ceased the service between Gourock and Dunoon - and it's not before time. Instead cars/vehicles will use the Western Ferry service now and a new ferry company, Argyll Ferries has been set up, ironically managed by the same Cal Mac Managing Director and only supporting passengers only. The new service promises ferries every half an hour and a later service on the weekends. Watch this space! http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php/component/content/article/ 17-news-features/2636-dunoons-ferry-farewell Read the complete review |
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Rhodes-Samos
by sarajai As an area manager for a UK tour company, I am often to be found hopping from one Greek island to another. My trip from Rhodes to Samos has to be one of the most memorable, let me give you a few warnings. I took the hydrofoil, which is a small craft that flies accross the water at speed. The journey took 5 and a half hours and ... was one of the roughest crossings I have ever experienced! If you are planning to take this hydrofoil, ALWAYS check the weather first. The wind speed is measure in BOFORIA, and I would advise anything above 5 boforia and you should reconsider and take the bigger ferry. If you suffer from sea sickness or clostrophobia, take the big boat or fly. However, if you are up for an adventure, and like a thrill...... the hydrofoil is the one for you. Try to stay on the outside (at the back) and take in plenty of fresh sea air, to prevent any sea sickness. Watch out for dolphins, as they love to chase the back of the hydroils, hence why this craft is often called a ddolphin in Greece. Read the complete review |
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Fuerteventura-Gran canaria
by reader123 Fuerteventura, Grand Canaria. I went here last January! At the time I was looking for something child friendly and some where I could relax! I decided to go to Thomas cook to look at what they could offer me on a limited budget. I wanted to go away with my son and family for a week and did not want to pay too much! The advisor ... offered me a couple of known destinations and then this one! I had never heard of Fuerteventura, which is part of the Canary Islands and then within that small Island in Gran Canaria. The reason for why I call Fuerteventura "small" is because I was told you can drive from one side of the island to the other in around three hours from the rep!!! To cut a long story short!!! Decided to go for the holiday as I couldn't speak Spanish to save my life and I wanted a little bit of protection i.e. an English speaking rep! So from what I heard and the good value of the price I decided to go for it! Got on from Gatwick Airport, altogether it was around a three hour flight (was not happy with the food lol) Got to Fuerteventura airport, hadn't the foggiest idea where to go! However I was surprised at the large numbers of English speaking people. I was directed to a coach, which stopped at different hotels! It was a great journey to my hotel, although I could not see much, we were told where we were at each step by the rep (who spoke fluent English) After around an hour's drive of what felt like I was going round and round through the neat, clean, and small and palm tree crowded roads we got to our accommodation. Got in there and saw a whole group of English speaking people! It felt like being in London, I wasn't even home sick! Got up the next morning and decided to go for a walk, There was a beach located 10 minutes walk from the accommodation. It was amazing! Blue sky and waters, with bars and take away shops (loads of them) Another 10 minute walk in the opposite direction and we ended up on the main road, full of restaurants and shops with people fighting for your business! At took about half an hour to get from one side of the high street to the other. I didn't see anything that I could say wow too, apart from the fact that we passed around 3 open children's arcades (very expensive) There were so many restaurants that it became confusing thinking about what to eat. I didn't come across many different supermarkets apart from one called Netto (over priced and expensive) In order to get out of Gran Canaria and get into the other Islands such as Corrolejo pronounced (Coralleco) you need to catch a bus (actually it's a coach called a bus) whereby you can PASS the red mountain (which is a red mountain) A nude beach (with no nude people) And other shopping centres, which do have supermarkets that are cheaper! Or if you want to see more for a family of four excursions will cost you no less than 210 Euros! (that the only thing that will; keep the children entertained!) From my experience I enjoyed the Sun Sea and sand, however at times it got too much! I wasn't able to experience any Spanish culture or much food as there were no markets! Most of the Island seemed like it was being refurbished just for tourist attraction! Fuerteventura is an Island purely for tourism purposes and the things there are stupidly over priced! I did however love the palm tree and the sea however I don't think I will go back there again! Read the complete review |
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