Arran's main ferry service will run to and from Troon instead of Ardrossan until the weekend, Caledonian MacBrayne has confirmed.
The ferry operator announced on Wednesday night that the main Arran service will run to and from the South Ayrshire port for the next few days due to forecast bad weather.
The decision was reached after MV Isle of Arran, the relief ferry on the route, carried out successful berthing trials at Troon on Wednesday.
Shuttle buses will run to and from Ardrossan, and also to and from the railway station in Troon, to allow foot passengers to connect with the ferry.
The shuttle bus pick-up and drop-off point in Troon will be at St Meddans Street, near the railway station, due to redevelopment work at the railway station itself.
CalMac says that foot passengers will have to book in advance, and that foot passengers without bookings will be unable to travel.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ferry timetable
Thursday, February 8 and Friday, February 9
Depart Troon: 07:00, 11:10, 16:10
Depart Brodick: 08:50, 13:50, 18:00
Saturday, February 10
Depart Troon: 07:00, 12:30, 16:40
Depart Brodick: 10:10, 14:20, 18:30
Sunday, February 11
Depart Troon: 08:00, 12:55, 17:05
Depart Brodick: 10:35, 14:45, 18:55
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Shuttle bus timetable
Thursday, February 8 and Friday, February 9
Depart Ardrossan: 06:10, 10:10, 15:10
Depart Troon railway station: 06:46, 10:52, 15:49
Saturday, February 10
Depart Ardrossan: 11:10, 15:40
Depart Troon railway station: 11:53, 16:19
Sunday, February 11
Depart Ardrossan: 11:40, 16:10
Depart Troon railway station: 12:18, 16:50
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
However, the ferry operator says that if the bad weather eases, services on Sunday, February 11 may revert to sailing to and from Ardrossan.
CalMac has also warned that in light of the weather forecast, some sailings to and from Troon will be liable to disruption or cancellation.
The company is already running a freight-only service to Troon after Ardrossan Harbour's owners, Peel Ports, closed the ailing Irish berth there for good.
A spokesperson for CalMac said: "Following successful berthing trials, the main Arran service will operate between Troon and Brodick from Thursday, February 8 to Sunday February 11, inclusive.
"This means that sailings on the Ardrossan-Brodick route will temporarily relocate to Troon-Brodick. This is a temporary measure given that forecast weather conditions will affect use of the main berth from Ardrossan.
"A shuttle bus from Ardrossan ferry terminal and Troon train station will be available to connect customers to each sailing - full details on shuttle buses, and to help our customers understand more about the temporary relocation can be found in our customer FAQs.
"Please note, sailings on Sunday, February 11 may revert to Ardrossan-Brodick if there's an improvement in the weather.
"As always at this time of year, we encourage our customers to stay connected to the service status and information page to see the very latest detail on service on this route.
"If you have a booking for Sunday, our teams will keep you updated if there are any changes."
Full details can be found on the Service Status page on CalMac's official website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel