The Corran Ferry crosses

Loch Linnhe Loch Linnhe () is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. The part upstream of Corran is known in Gaelic as (the black pool, originally known as Loch Abar), and downstream as (the salty pool). The name ''Linnhe'' is derived from the Gaelic w ...

at the Corran Narrows, south of

Fort William, Scotland Fort William ( gd, An Gearasdan ; "The Garrison") formerly ( gd, Baile Mairi) and ( gd, Gearasdan dubh Inbhir-Lochaidh) (Lit. "The Black Garrison of Inverlochy"), ( sco, The Fort), formerly ( sco, Maryburgh) is a town in Lochaber in the Scottish ...

Description

Operated by

Highland Council The Highland Council (' ), the political body covering the Highland local authority created in 1995, comprises 21 wards, each electing three or four councillors by the single transferable vote system, which creates a form of proportional represe ...

, the Corran Ferry is one of few remaining scheduled mainland vehicle ferries in Scotland. The route crosses

from

Nether Lochaber Nether Lochaber ( ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is the modern (1950s) name for the Parish of Ballachulish and Onich. This Parish was formed, in 1911, out of the Quoad Sacra Parish of Ballachulish and Corran of Ardgour which itself was for ...

Ardgour Ardgour () (, meaning ''Height of the goats'') is an area of the Scottish Highlands on the western shore of Loch Linnhe. It lies north of the district of Morvern and east of the district of Sunart. Administratively it is now part of the ward ...

, at the Corran Narrows, south of Fort William. It was noted for the unusual sign "This is not the Ballachulish Ferry", placed there to avoid confusion with the nearby ferry at

Ballachulish The village of Ballachulish ( or , from Scottish Gaelic ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish (Ballecheles, 1522 – Straits town) was more correctly applied to the area now called No ...

which crossed Loch Leven until being replaced by the

Ballachulish Bridge The Ballachulish Bridge is a bridge in the West Highlands of Scotland. It crosses the narrows (Caolas mhic Phadruig - Patrick's Narrows) between Loch Leven and Loch Linnhe, linking the villages of South Ballachulish (Argyll) and North Ballac ...

in early 1976. The route lies on one of the ancient drove routes from the Hebrides to the cattle markets in Central Scotland. Today, the ferry is a crucial link between the main

A82 road The A82 is a major road in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Inverness via Fort William, Highland, Fort William. It is one of the principal north-south routes in Scotland and is mostly a trunk road managed by Transport Scotland, who view it a ...

(serving

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, Fort William, and

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

) with the otherwise extremely remote

Morvern Morvern, historically also spelt Morven, is a peninsula and traditional district in the Highlands, on the west coast of Scotland. It lies south of the districts of Ardgour and Sunart, and is bounded on the north by Loch Sunart and Glen Tarbert, ...

and

Ardnamurchan Ardnamurchan (, gd, Àird nam Murchan: headland of the great seas) is a peninsula in the ward management area of Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, noted for being very unspoiled and undisturbed. Its remoteness is accentuated by the main access ...

peninsulas. Use of the ferry saves over an hour from the land route between Ardgour and Corran (which would involve use of the A861 and the A830). Services are fairly frequent, with ferries operating every 20 to 30 minutes seven days a week. Pedestrians and cyclists travel free, but

roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

transport of motorised vehicles is charged, e.g a car costs £10.00 (as of 2022). From the Ardgour side, there are roadway connections to

Lochaline Lochaline ( gd, Loch Àlainn) is the main village in the Morvern area of Highland, Scotland. The coastal village is situated at the mouth of Loch Aline, on the northern shore of the Sound of Mull. A ferry operates regularly over to Fishnish on ...

, to the southwest, and to

Kilchoan Kilchoan ( gd, Cille Chòmhain) is a village on the Scottish peninsula of Ardnamurchan, beside the Sound of Mull in Lochaber, Highland. It is the most westerly village in mainland Britain, although several tiny hamlets lie further west on the ...

, to the west; both of these locations are linked by

Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...

ferries to points on the

Isle of Mull The Isle of Mull ( gd, An t-Eilean Muileach ) or just Mull (; gd, Muile, links=no ) is the second-largest island of the Inner Hebrides (after Skye) and lies off the west coast of Scotland in the Council areas of Scotland, council area of Arg ...

, respectively

Fishnish Fishnish ( gd, Finnsinis) is a ferry terminal on the Isle of Mull, roughly halfway between Tobermory, Mull, Tobermory and Craignure. It is owned and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. It is served by the ferry that crosses the Sound of Mull to and ...

and Tobermory. Close to the Ardgour side are Corran Lighthouse and the Ardgour Inn.

Ferries

There has been a ferry at the site for centuries. The ''North Argyll'', a turntable ferry, was on the route in the 1930s. Her deck rotated to allow one car to drive easily onto the slipway. The , launched in 1976 in Ardrossan, spent her early years operating between

Kylesku Kylesku ( gd, An Caolas Cumhang) is a small, remote fishing hamlet in Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. Until 1984, it was the site of a free ferry. Village Kylesku is located where Loch Glencoul and Loch Gleann Dubh join to form a sea pa ...

and Kylestrome in the far north west of Scotland. She was displaced when the

Kylesku Bridge The Kylesku Bridge (officially known since 2019 by its Gaelic name Drochaid a' Chaolais Chumhaing) is a distinctively curved concrete box girder bridge in north-west Scotland that crosses the Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin in Sutherland. It is listed a ...

opened in 1984. She continues as the backup ferry on the route. The ''Rosehaugh'' was displaced from the Kessock Ferry in 1982 by the opening of the

Kessock Bridge The Kessock Bridge ( gd, Drochaid Cheasaig) carries the A9 road (Great Britain), A9 trunk road across the Beauly Firth at Inverness, Scotland. Description The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth, an inlet of the Mor ...

. She was retired in 2001 after 32 years in service on various routes across the Highlands. replaced the ''Rosehaugh'' in late 2001. She was built in Hull for £2.9 million and brought additional capacity to the crossing.

Description

Ferries

Footnotes

Further reading