A scheme to help cut the cost of ferry journeys to and from
the Western Isles has been announced by the Scottish Government. It currently
costs £140 for the return car ferry from the mainland to Stornoway with local
people saying this cost holds back tourism and development. The new scheme
which will run as a pilot will cost £22 million to operate over three years but
could see the cost of journey cut by a third. The routes chosen for the trial
are Stornoway to Ullapool, the routes between Uig on Skye, Tarbert on Harris
and Lochmaddy in North Uist and the routes linking Oban, South Uist, Coll Barra
and Tiree.