Blindsided to islanders needs

Sir,

We have been holidaying on Arran at the Auchrannie Lodges since the construction of the second lodge.

We always buy at least two editions of your excellent newspaper and have read over the years about islanders’ complaints concerning the ferry service.

We finally have first-hand experience of this. On Sunday August 8, because of Covid cancellations we had no alternative but to divert at 1.30pm en route to Ardrossan to Cloanaig.

This involved a four-hour drive through torrential rain where we missed one ferry, could not get on the next, and finally crossed to Lochranza, arriving at our holiday accommodation at 8pm.

Due to leave the island after an excellent holiday on Sunday August 15 on the 11.05am Ardrossan ferry, we were advised at 2pm on the Saturday that this ferry would not sail for operational reasons.

I had to be home in Linlithgow for a hospital appointment on Monday so we packed up and headed back to Lochranza and once on the mainland had another tortuous but scenic three-and-a-half hour drive that got us home to Linlithgow at 9pm.

Writing this today I learn that all MV Caledonian sailings ended up being cancelled for Covid-related reasons.

I know of no other form of public transport where the method of transportation (as opposed

to the employee) is removed from service for Covid-related reasons.

Surely if this issue is so critical steps should have been taken to have all crew members double jabbed and Scottish Government approval obtained to allow unaffected staff to continue to work upon passing a simple Lateral Flow Test.

Yet again CalMac and the Scottish Government seem blindsided to the needs of islanders and the tourists who help to fuel the local economy and please do not get me started on the unfinished ferry fiasco.

I have copied this to my local MSP who hopefully will make the government’s transport minister aware of this ridiculous state of affairs.

Yours,

Jim Carlin Linlithgow