Ferries serving the Northern and Western isles are subject to cancellations as strong winds continue to batter the coast.
Travellers hoping to visit islands including Orkney, Arran and Harris should check ahead to see whether their planned sailing will go ahead on Monday.
Both CalMac and NorthLink have cancelled sailings and issued warnings on a number of other routes – preparing for howling north and north westerly winds.
This disruption leads on from Sunday when strong winds closed the Dornoch and Kessock bridges to high sided vehicles.
Which NorthLink services are cancelled?
NorthLink operates daily ferries between the mainland and Orkney and Shetland.
It has already cancelled its 6.30am and 11am sailings from Stromness to Scrabster and its 8.45am and 1.15pm sailings from Scrabster to Stromness.
This means the next scheduled sailing is at 4.45pm from Scrabster, but even this is subject to cancellation – with NorthLink advising travellers to keep an eye on its website for updates.
Monday evening’s Aberdeen to Lerwick service is currently scheduled to go as planned but its calling at Kirkwall remains under review.
Which CalMac services are cancelled?
CalMac has issued cancellation warnings on a number of its routes on Monday morning.
Attributing cancellations to “adverse weather and associated sea conditions”, the following services are under review:
- Mallaig – Armadale
- Berneray – Leverburgh
- Oban – Lismore
- Fionphort – Iona
- Tayinloan – Gigha
- Oban – Castlebay
- Oban – Colonsay
- Colintraive – Rhubodach
⚠️ YELLOW #Mallaig #Armadale 26Sep Due to the continuing poor forecast of adverse weather, and associated sea conditions, this service will be liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.
— CalMac Service Info (@CalMac_Updates) September 26, 2022
CalMac has prepared for conditions to worsen as the day goes on, already cancelling freight services between Stornoway and Ullapool at 10.30pm on Monday and 3am on Tuesday.
These cancellations are in addition to those caused by repair works on the operator’s Mallaig to Lochboisdale and Uig to Lochmaddy services.
Strong winds are forecast to continue into the night and through to Tuesday morning, so anyone planning to travel in the coming days should also prepare for cancellations.
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