Harbour restrictions at Port Askaig in April

Re-surfacing works planned at Port Askaig for last year will now take place from Monday April 19 to Wednesday April 28, meaning changes to the CalMac ferry timetable to and from Islay.

The work, which will be carried out in-house by Argyll and Bute Council, was postponed last year because of Covid-19 restrictions.

The areas being resurfaced include the marshalling area, through lanes and exit lane.

The timetable changes will help to reduce the time it takes to do the work by around a third. It is hoped this will minimise disruption for residents and businesses and reduce the potential for disruption to ferry marshalling and turnaround.

Daily CalMac sailings departing 10am from Kennacraig will sail to Port Askaig as normal. The 1pm departing from Kennacraig will be diverted to Port Ellen. Travellers should refer to CalMac’s website for updated timetable changes.

The Jura to Islay ferry will not be affected but delays to traffic are likely.

Councillor Rory Colville, policy lead for Roads and Infrastructure Services, said: ‘The current condition of the road surface is poor. It’s important this work gets completed, so we’ve been in close contact with CalMac to plan the most efficient way to get it done.

‘Restricting access to the harbour for a week will let us get the materials in and work straight through. It also means we can keep the public and the workers safe. I’d like to thank everyone in advance for their patience.’

Robert Morrison, director of operations for CalMac, added: ‘We are working closely with Argyll and Bute Council to ensure any disruption to passengers will be kept to a minimum.’

The temporary timetable will be shared with communities and posted on the CalMac website.