Tourists have described their deep disappointment when the last days of a glorious holiday in Uist was spoilt due to the severe disruption of ferry services.
One traveller is amongst numerous pre-booked ferry passengers being sent on unwelcomed
last minute lengthy detours beyond their original reservation dates after CalMac
axed the South Uist link with just hours of notice.
No replacement vessel is covering the service after MV Lord of the Isles was despatched to cover services elsewhere under a network reshuffle of ferries due to a serious technical problem with MV Caledonian Isles.
Correspondence from a visitor could not paint a “more damaging picture of how our economy is being impacted time and again by the thoughtless actions of CalMac,” highlights the South Uist Business Impact Group.
Until they received a stressful message signalling sudden delays and diversions to their journey home, the CalMac customer said they were “thoroughly enjoying” their first ever trip to Barra, South Uist and North Uist.
They explained: “Until today it seemed worth the long and complex travel to get here because of the extremely welcoming people, the quality of the local food, the excellent wildlife guide we hired, and our excellent holiday accommodation.
“We have spent quite a bit of money here - on ferries, hotels, restaurants, tourist
shops, arts organisations, holiday let, and food shops. We have paid for a wildlife
guide and would have paid for ghillies if there had been any available, we were too
slow.
“So we thought, let's come back next year and book ahead so we can fish. But then, our return ferry is cancelled. After two very stressful long calls with CalMac (very helpful staff) we are now travelling home a day late, with seven hours extra driving, one extra night's accommodation and we are missing a key event due to the delay.
“All because someone decides (in the government or in CalMac or both) to prioritise a different island over the Uists. The Uists, their inhabitants, their tourists can just be flung on the rubbish heap, abandoned and dismissed to favour a different island. Where is the equity and justice in that? Surely the furthest away islands should be prioritised and be the first islands to be given help with any transport problems.
“Their economies seem to me to be more fragile, more in need? Or perhaps remove the
odd ferry from the Mull route and share it around - they have three options for transport
to and from Mull after all. But no, it's the Uists that can be abandoned.
“And it seems that sentence should read 'It's the Uists that can be abandoned AGAIN'.
“What impact does this have on the tourist industry? Well, guess what? One of the biggest stories we will tell when we travel home through Scotland into England is of the ferry disruption. It would have been stories of the incredible landscape, the wildlife, the beaches, the peace, the fishing. Not now.
“The Scottish Government must act more quickly, more effectively, more urgently, to secure the transport to these islands. This includes the ferries AND the piers. There is no excuse for failure by the Scottish Government or CalMac given the length of time these issues have been known and the huge impact ferry withdrawal has both immediately and on the future of these islands.”
Following a careful review of our vessel deployment options, and consultation with
the affected communities, this disruption will have a knock-on effect on services
to/from Arran, Islay and South Uist.
CalMac said:“Cancelling any sailing is always a last resort and we apologise to the South Uist community for the disruption that this will cause.”
Withdrawing the South Uist ferry route resulted from the unavailability of two vessels which ordinarily operate the Island of Arran service. MV Caledonian Isles is undergoing repairs for a technical issue, and MV Isle of Arran requires essential drydocking.
Thus MV Hebridean Isles, which is normally the second vessel on the Kennacraig -
Islay route, is being redeployed to Arran.
Consequentially, MV Lord of the Isles, which normally operates the Mallaig - Lochboisdale
service, is being redeployed to Islay to temporarily replace MV Hebridean Isles.
CalMac says the vessel deployment plan for this period of disruption has been evaluated
against its route prioritisation framework - and community feedback from across the
network.
Under the route prioritisation matrix, Islay requires two vessels due to extremely high demand, so MV Lord of the Isles joins MV Finlaggan until the middle of next week at least said the shipping company.
Ferry misery mars magical Uist holiday for tourists
27 September 2024
