Corran Ferry

The Corran Ferry crosses Loch Linnhe at the Corran Narrows, south of Fort William, Scotland.

The Corran landing at Ardgour

Description

Operated by Highland Council, the Corran Ferry is one of few remaining mainland vehicle ferries in Scotland.^[1] The route crosses Loch Linnhe from Nether Lochaber to Ardgour,^[2] at the Corran Narrows, nine miles south of Fort William.

The ferry links the main A82 road with Morvern, Moidart and Ardnamurchan, via the village of Strontian. It also provides a link to Lochaline, thirty miles to the south west, from where a ferry crosses to Mull. Close to the western slipway are Corran Lighthouse and the Ardgour Inn. The route lies on one of the ancient drove routes from the Hebrides to the cattle markets in Central Scotland.^[1]

Ferries

There has been a ferry at the site for centuries.^[3] The Highland Queen, a turntable ferry, was on the route in the 1930s.^[4] Her deck rotated to allow two cars to drive easily onto the slipway.

The Maid of Glencoul, launched in 1976 in Ardrossan, spent her early years operating between Kylesku and Kylestrome in the far north west of Scotland. She was displaced when the Kylesku Bridge opened in 1984.^[1] 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.^[1] She was retired in 2001 after 32 years in service on various routes across the Highlands.

The Corran replaced the Rosehaugh in late 2001. She was built in Hull for £2.9m and brought additional capacity to the crossing.^[1]

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Corran Ferry". Undiscovered Scotland. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/corran/corranferry/index.html. Retrieved 19 September 2009. 
2. ^ "Corran Ferry". Lochaber Transport Forum. http://www.lochabertransport.org.uk/TransportinLochaber/PublicTransport/Ferries/CorranFerry.aspx. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
3. ^ "Memories of Corran Ferry" (audio). Am Baile. http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/search/data?type_id=3&field,DC_SPATIAL_LOCATION,substring,string=Corran. Retrieved 19 September 2009. 
4. ^ "The Corran Ferry, Ardgour, Argyll". Scran/RCAHMS. c. 1930s. http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-463-728-C&scache=17o9h3jeff&searchdb=scran. Retrieved 19 September 2009.