CalMac Gourock to Dunoon - no cars?

[Nigel_O]

I'm doing another Scottish road trip in my Aston early October and this time, I'm using some ferries.

The first is Gourock to Dunoon, with the first night's stay in Dunoon. However, I can't seem to get past CalMac's booking system. It asks me for vehicle details and then says "The product CAR is not available on the Gourock (Dunoon) to Dunoon route"

Their app is infuriating, as you can't go back a step - the only solution is to exit and start again

Anyway - can anyone local confirm if Calmac to Dunoon takes cars?

Also, if anyone is familiar with Scottish ferries - will I have any issues getting a V8 Vantage on and off?

[craig1912]

Looking at the website it appears that both ferries are passenger only and one is out of action.

Edit- you want western ferries not Calmac

https://www.western-ferries.co.uk/pages/fares-info...

Edited by craig1912 on Tuesday 26th August 18:15

[Nigel_O]

useful - thanks

[Notsofastfrank]

Confirm Western Ferries is the one for cars. You don’t need to book, just turn up, it is every 30 minutes or so throughout the day last time I used it a couple of years ago.

[POIDH]

Aye, MV Alicat and MV Argyll Flyer on that route are only foot passengers.

[hidetheelephants]

Yep, the Calmac car ferry stopped in 2012 IIRC. Western will get you there quicker anyway.

[Nigel_O]

Thanks for the info chaps

Why on earth does the CalMac app allow you to specify a car? It even asks for the registration, dimensions and weight before stating its not valid.

If that's the state of the app, it leaves me wondering about the state of the ferries.

We're doing Mallaig to Armadale a couple of days later - I assume that's a more heavily used route and we should be OK

[hidetheelephants]

If something's being done well or efficiently it's not being done by Calmac, they exhibit all the flair and entrepreneurship of 1970s British Rail. The only thing they're good at is wasting our money.

[biggles330d]

Here here! There's been a very long running debate as to why Calmac are running the route at all, given Western Ferries (wholly commercial operator) also runs between Gourock - Dunoon, very regularly, with 4 vessels and high frequency for not a penny of public subsidy. The Calmac service used to carry cars and loose a shed load of money. As compromise, it went passenger only and looses a slightly smaller shed load of money. There is zero reason for it to be there other than as a sop to a very vocal group of local activists with political influence.
No Transport Minister has ever had the balls to call a stop to the nonsense, far easier to keep pissing money up the wall. It makes a mockery of all the cries that cuts are having to be made all over, when million and millions are poured into the ferry network with zero effort at any reform to make it more efficient or better.

Rant over. Nice bit of the world. The Western Ferries service is great and you'll get on fine with the Aston

[hidetheelephants]

There is very much a reason for it, it delivers pedestrians right into Dunoon rather than nearly 2 miles away in Hunters Quay.

[5 In a Row]

Why not take a detour and get the ferry from Wemyss Bay across to the Island of Doom (or Bute as the locals call it) then drive up to Rhubadoch and get the small ferry across to Colintraive. It's a nice drive from there up to Dunoon.

Alternatively take the A82, A83 and A815

[dxg]

It's the OP aware that the Western Ferries to Dunoon doesn't leave from the same jetty in Gourock as the Calmac ferries?

[POIDH]

hidetheelephants said:

There is very much a reason for it, it delivers pedestrians right into Dunoon rather than nearly 2 miles away in Hunters Quay.

Exactly.


Don't worry OP about things - on balance the service Calmac gives in my experience is pretty blooming good, and way more reliable than the press and many moaners will have you believe. To me the issues they face are caused by CMAL and Scottish Government. The actual Calmac staff put in huge effort to keep services running well, and most of them are island community members so rely on the same ferrries they operate like all the locals.

Enjoy the trip. Pics afterwards!

[hidetheelephants]

I would generally concur; I know a few Calmac crew and they're fine. It's the heid bummers and the govt who invariably cause the problems and the profligacy rankles when it's us paying for it..

[Hammy98]

The Western Ferry to Dunoon leaves from McInroy's point which is just by Gourock, runs every 20 minutes.

Get your tickets in the Co-op in Greenock as it's a fair amount cheaper. £23 for car and driver return. Used to use it regularly to visit family over there, never had any clearance issues in my old M4 with a front splitter etc so you should be safe in the Aston...

[Nigel_O]

Thanks all.

I'd twigged that the Western ferries leaves from a different port, just down the road.

I'd considered the Werrys Bay > Rothesay route onto Bute and then off again at Rhubodach, but its predominantly a driving holiday and we're on a fairly tight schedule (1,600 miles in 5 days), so we probably can't afford a slow drive around Bute.

We did most of the NC500 last year apart from the Applecross loop (which we're doing this year) and we didn't really enjoy the tight single-track stuff very much, so we're trying to minimise it.

[5 In a Row]

I'd say the only reason for going to Bute is to go round Mount Stewart house.

[hidetheelephants]

5 In a Row said:

I'd say the only reason for going to Bute is to go round Mount Stewart house.

The Rothesay pier lavatory is worth a look.

[Yogioes]

A wee bit strange, but I agree.
They don’t make them like they used to

[hidetheelephants]

"Make a urinal, but make it the poshest urinal in the world."