Community anger over Mallaig-Armadale ferry service
Written by MartyM on 25 March 2026
By Jamie McDonald
Concerns raised over reduced Mallaig-Armadale ferry service
Locals on both sides of the Sound of Sleat say a reduction in ferry services between Mallaig and Armadale could have a major impact on local businesses and residents in the coming weeks.
Mallaig Community Council has written to ferry operator CalMac expressing concern about the level of service on the route between 27 March and 8 April.
The group says the withdrawal of vessels and delays elsewhere in the network will reduce vehicle capacity to around 30 cars per day each way, compared with the usual 250 to 300 cars.
Sandra McLean, chairperson of Mallaig Community Council, said the situation was already affecting the start of the tourism season.
She said:
“Mallaig Comunity Council is extremely concerned about the drastic reduction in ferry services on the Mallaig-Armadale route over the Easter holidays and the recent news that the Mallaig-Lochboisdale run will not commence before the 16th April. The systematic removal of essential vessels has left our community and local economy in an untenable position.
“The replacement vessels on the Mallaig-Armadale route are limited to 30 cars per day each way – capacity slashed by 90% and we are already seeing a wave of cancellations and a catastrophic loss of footfall at the very start of the season after a long winter.
“The narrative that these routes are ‘not a priority’ or a non-lifeline’ service is insulting to the businesses and families who have built their lives around it.
“CalMac must move away from its reliance on diverting vessels from their scheduled route and procure a fleet of dedicated relief vessels to cover breakdowns on the network.
“Mallaig community council urges CalMac to reconsider these deployments immediately and provide a resilient, permanent service that reflects the actual needs of our communities.
A CalMac spokeswoman said:
“Due to our services being stretched while several vessels are unavailable, it’s not currently possible to provide the level of service we would like to. This is understandably frustrating for customers and local communities, and we are sorry for the disruption.
“Mallaig-Armadale is a valued service, and we recognise how important it is. We are working hard to ensure that the route is covered in these difficult circumstances, but this will often require us to move vessels around the network.
“We have chartered a replacement vessel for Mallaig-Armadale until MV Coruisk returns on 8 April. The intention had been for MV Loch Bhrusda to operate on this route, but the vessel must remain on the Sound of Harris service while MV Loch Portain is delayed in annual overhaul.
“We are keen to engage with communities in Mallaig and south Skye about the ferry service for the remainder of the summer timetable and will ensure that this is arranged as soon as possible.”
