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‘I don’t see how we can recover’: Harris businesses describe devastating impact of CalMac ferry crisis

Doug and Kate Blake have hit out at the ferry chaos on the Isle of Harris. Supplied by Kate Blake
Doug and Kate Blake have hit out at the ferry chaos on the Isle of Harris. Supplied by Kate Blake

Businesses on Harris have been telling their stories about how the recent CalMac ferry crisis has impacted them.

Over the last two weeks, the ferry which serves the island has been removed from service due to a recurring fault.

This caused the tourism-dependent location to miss out on over seven ferries with a capacity of more than 3,500 passengers.

Doug and Kate Blake have their own business making embroidered art and fused glass. They have been living on Harris for seven years since moving up from north-east England.

Doug Blake making embroidered art and fused glass to sell. Supplied by Doug Blake

Mrs Blake said: “Visitors who do get here are often frustrated and stressed, having to change departure port, day, and time at incredibly short notice.

“The Isle of Harris self-catering Facebook page constantly has posts about vacancies due to last-minute cancellations – that’s just unheard of.”

Tarbert was a ‘ghost town’

The couple’s company,  The Hebridean Design Company is the second-ranked place in Harris for shopping according to Trip Advisor. But their takings have taken a significant hit this year.

Mrs Blake added: “Our takings should be up on last year, but are way down. Just in July, we’re talking several thousands of pounds difference. So over the whole season, we are looking at tens of thousands that will have been lost.

“I went to Tarbert twice this week and it was like a ghost town. There was literally nobody walking around and the car park was almost empty.

“I really don’t see how we can recover from an ever-worsening crisis.”

Over the past few weeks, the problems in Harris have been so severe that Scottish artist Hope Blamire called it a “catastrophe” in a public appeal.

‘They wished they had never come’

Annie Tempest is another business owner that has been impacted. Ms Tempest, 65, and her partner Rob Pugh, 62, have been renting out space in their home at Moorfield Cottage on Harris since they moved up from south Wales in 2014.

She experiences the impact of the ferry crisis first-hand as eight of her customers have had their holidays disrupted since June.

Annie Tempest’s business has been severely impacted by the cancellations. Supplied by Annie Tempest.

She said: “One family staying with us had their route from Uig to Tarbert altered on both sides, it cost them an additional £1,100 and they were only able to claim less than £300 from CalMac.

“They said they wished they had never come and won’t come back.

“We don’t go through Airbnb or other automatic booking services – we deal with every booking personally so you feel responsible for their holiday.

‘More stressful than Covid’

The couple also runs a small shop attatched to the side of their home.

She added: “Takings in the shop have been down by over 50%.

“It’s been more stressful as a business owner this year than during Covid.

“Just so, so stressful. It’s been horrible.

Annie Tempest’s business at Moorfield Cottage with her shop on the right-hand side.  Supplied by Annie Tempest

Long-running issue for Harris

Ferry issues on the 20-year-old MV Hebrides boat which serves Harris have been a regular occurance this year:

However, the replacement boat is one of two sitting unfinished in the Ferguson Marine shipyard as a result of the Scottish ferries fiasco.

The MV Hebrides at Tarbert, Isle of Harris. Photo by Murdo Maclean

Caledonian MacBrayne response

In response to the effects on businesses, Robbie Drummond, managing director of CalMac, said: “Customers were understandably upset about this latest disruption to their journeys, and I am deeply sorry for what they experienced.

“Disrupting our services is a decision we do not take lightly, and we fully understand how this affects our customers and the communities we serve.

“We sincerely apologise for the latest inconvenience caused and our team worked hard to bring MV Hebrides back into service as quickly as possible.

“A long-term strategy to replace vessels and improve port infrastructure would improve the capacity we can offer to meet demand and increase resilience.”

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