Mark Nicolson looks back over the career of Cal Mac’s Lord of the Isles, one of the best-travelled of any Scottish west coast ferry.
Lord of the Isles is probably the most well-travelled car ferry in the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet. Originally built for the long-haul sailings Golden Horizon at from Oban to the Inner and Portland on 13 July. Outer Hebrides, she has made STEVE BELASCO herself a second home at Mallaig in recent years, providing a year-round lifeline service from Mallaig to Lochboisdale, and becoming a favourite revered by crews, islanders and enthusiasts alike, and known affectionately as ‘LOTI’.
The sailings from Oban to islands such as Coll, Tiree,Colonsay were originally provided by old-style mailboats. Two ships, both named and built in 1955 and 1978 respectively, made their reputation on the routes during long careers with David MacBrayne and CalMac, while Tobermory, Mull was associated for many years with the Coll/Tiree schedule. Towards the end of the 1980s, with the drive-through revolution on the west coast taking hold, it was time for a change.
