#CalMacKintyre – Caledonian MacBrayne's Ardrossan-Campbeltown summer-only service timetabled to have started yesterday has run into technical problems with cancellation of sailings today and tomorrow, writes Jehan Ashmore.
This morning's 07.35 sailing from Campbeltown was cancelled and this also applies to this evenings 18.40 from Ardrossan due to a technical problem with the Isle of Arran (1984/3,296grt).
Further cancellation according to the Scottish operator is for tomorrow's (Saturday 2 May) with the 0700 sailing from Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre which has been cancelled for the same technical reason of the ferry. For the most up to date sailing crossing information click HERE.
This is the third season of the summer-only service as previously reported on Afloat.ie which is on a trial pilot-period to assess the 1 hour 40 minutes route's viability served by the 600 passenger / 60 plus vehicle ferry.
When originally launched in Spring 2013, the Ardrossan (Ayrshire)-Campbeltown (Argyll) link was CalMac's first new route for almost two decades. The pilot service is part of a Scottish Government's final Ferries Review that covers ferry operations over a timeframe up to 2022.
The summer service is to reinvigorate tourism in these regions and opening up interesting travel options to explore south-western Scotland.
Only on Saturdays the sailing schedule from the direction of Campeltown to Ardrossan sees the ferry make an en route call to Brodick on the Isle of Arann, dubbed Scotland in miniature.
From this island on the Forth of Clyde is where Calmac also operate a year –round 55 minute service between Brodick and Ardrossan served by the Caledonian Isles.
Due to the May Bank Holiday weekend, Calmac are making temporary sailing capacity arrangements on the route to Arann given the out-of-service Isle of Arann which would also normally partner Caledonian Isles on the Ardrossan-Brodick route.
For further details of a temporary timetable, click HERE.