Fly or drive to Glasgow, there are then two choices:

Air service
(click here for more information)
This service is now accessed through www.flybe.com
There is a 20Kg weight limit per person; ONE suitcase per person only. There are no Sunday flights.

Ferry service
(click here for more information)
Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) was introduced on trial from October 2008 and the trial will end in Spring 2011, so passenger and vehicle fares will be considerably reduced during this period. RET applies to the following routes :
Oban - Castlebay
Oban - Lochboisdale
Oban - Coll/Tiree
Uig(Skye) - Tarbert
Uig - Lochmaddy
Ullapool - Stornoway.

CalMac has introduced Island Hopper ticket No.27 for Summer 2010 for Oban-Castlebay-Ardmhor-Eriskay-Lochboisdale-Oban which will reduce the fare a little further.

Rental cars are available on Barra:

Hughie MacNeil (0) 1871 890313
R. MacMillan (0) 1871 890 366
(If you are intending to take a hire car off the island to Eriskay or The Uists, please check with the provider that it has a current M.O.T. certificate, otherwise it will not be legal to do so.)



Air Service - Fly Flybe to Barra

Loganair operates the Glasgow-Barra flights for Flybe. The baggage allowance has been increased to 20kg. for the time being but may be returned to 15kg. if passenger numbers are affected by the heavier allowance. Be warned. Flybe charge £10 flat fee for luggage over 20kg but it will only be carried if it does not make the payload overweight.


Information on baggage allowances with Loganair can be found on their web site www.loganair.co.uk, in the baggage section under the Site index.

Through flights can now be booked with Flybe from many of their destinations, but they do not fly from any London Airport. Southampton Airport (Eastleigh) could be an option as it has a good train service and the station (Southamton Parkway) is in the airport. It is still possible to book through flights with BA but BA has increased these fares considerably since they stopped operating the Barra flights with Loganair.


Plane Landing on Barra Beach
Click on the image for a larger photo




Ferry Service - Drive or take the train or coach to Oban and take the car ferry to Castlebay, Barra.
Click here for summer 2010 ferry timetables.


There are also car ferry crossings from Oban to/from Lochboisdale (South Uist) and Uig (Skye) to/from Lochmaddy (North Uist) which can tie in with the regular car ferry service between Eriskay and Barra (Ardmhor) - pictures below.

The way to leave Barra by ferry on a Saturday is via the Ardmhor-Eriskay ferry, and then the Lochboisdale –Oban ferry to the mainland.


CalMac Winter ferry timetable - Best travel days:

Oban - Castlebay: Sunday, Tuesday.
Castlebay - Oban: Monday, Wednesday. Also Fridays from January to March only. (Before January the sailings are on a Thursday, overnight via Lochboisdale, getting in to Oban at 6.00 a.m. on the Friday).

Eriskay ferry arriving at Barra