The Isle of Skye & MV Glenachulish!

We visited Skye for the first time this summer, and I was blown away with the magnificence of the mountains, the sparkling fairy pools and beautiful calm lochs, there was so much inspiration to take in!

We were staying at Morvich on the mainland, just a short distance from Skye, and so to turn back the clock to the days when there was no Skye bridge, we decided to go across on the old ferry.

There has been a ferry crossing from Glenelg to Skye since the Eighteenth century, and the vessel now operating across the Kylerhea straits is the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world! So, with ‘over the sea to Skye’ playing away in my head we set off for Glenelg. After leaving the main road we enjoyed ten miles of a single track road (with a few ‘hairy’ moments!) across the beautiful heather, and that in itself was worth taking the trip for.

As we rounded the final corner, we were not disappointed! It was so exciting to see the MV Glenachulish manoeuvring across the straits towards the slipway for the waiting cars (just two!). Built in 1969, she can take six cars across to Kylerhea on Skye. It really was amazing to see the turntable swing around slowly as the volunteer crew manually pulled and pushed at its sides.

When the turntable was in place, Kim and Spot, two very energetic border collies, who had been keeping us busy with driftwood to throw, jumped onboard to greet the everyone with great excitement. They were so lovely!

The crossing was all over within 10 minutes (it’s the shortest crossing point), but it was worth every single minute. We felt like we were part of history thanks to the community of trained volunteers that are keeping this wonderful vessel running during the summer months.

It’s so worth it, the bridge is quick and convenient, but to experience the only remaining manually operated turntable ferry in the world was really something else, it made our day!

(1) Undiscovered Scotland, Glenelg Ferry

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/skye/glenelgferry/index.html

Accessed 29th Oct 2021