The ferry operation from Ullapool to Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides is both a lifeline service and a tourist service. A key part of the Caledonian MacBrayne network, it is the most northerly of the company’s routes, with ferries crossing the Minch, one of the most notoriously rough channels anywhere around the British Isles. The route has been operated since March 1973 by CalMac, who took over historic mail boat services which had been declining as car ferries emerged.
Over its 50-year history, the Stornoway to Ullapool service has been in the hands of five regular ships, with numerous extras standing in at various times. The first regular services across the Minch date from the 1820s, when the paddler Ben Nevis, powered by a 32hp engine and small enough to pass through the Crinan and Caledonian Canals, sailing regularly between Glasgow and Stornoway. During the second half of the century the iron paddle steamer Ondine operated for a 15-year period.
Stornoway was normally served by MacBrayne’s steamers from Glasgow, with vessels such as the 1881-built Claymore on the route, but this was considered a fraught undertaking, with such long trips taking more than a day.
Shorter sea links were established following the opening of the railways to the west coast. The Dingwall and Skye line opened to Stromeferry in
