Five Ferries Island Hopping Adventure

Five Ferries Island Hopping Adventure

Create your own unforgettable Five Ferries Island Hopping Adventure with CalMac.  It's the perfect way to enjoy the endless splendours of Arran and Bute - the beautiful islands in the Firth of Clyde as well as the wild, remote and unspoiled parts of the mainland at Cowal and Kintyre, via five distinct ferry routes.  It's the ideal itinerary for a multi-destination mini-break or the ultimate cycling challenge! 

The Five Ferries suggested itinerary island hopping adventure offers a memorable introduction to the Clyde Coast and the Cowal and Kintyre Peninsulas. 

Begin your adventure when you take the ferry to Arran, the island that's known as 'Scotland in miniature'. All the most famous aspects of Scotland's scenery are displayed on this small island. 

The next destination is Claonaig, from where you can explore the wild and beautiful Kintyre peninsula. After Kintyre, take the ferry from Tarbert to Portavadie to see the rich and contrasting landscape of the Cowal Peninsula, before taking the ferry to the beautiful and peaceful island of Bute. 

We suggest you can travel in either direction, between the following routes. This itinerary can be purchased using our multiple-journey ticket option, where you can purchase a ticket for each leg of the journey in one transaction:  

• Ardrossan - Brodick (Arran)

• Lochranza (Arran) - *Claonaig (Kintyre) or Tarbert (Kintyre) between 23 October 2023 and 28 March 2024 

• *Tarbert (Kintyre) - Portavadie (Cowal) 

• *Colintraive (Cowal) - Rhubodach (Bute) 

• *Rothesay (Bute) - Wemyss Bay

There's no one ticket in our system to cover the Five Ferries itinerary we've shared here, Instead, you can pre-purchase each separate leg of your trip in one transaction. Pre-purchasing your tickets in advance of travel is recommended. You can pre-purchase all routes of your journey online, using our multiple-journey option. When you book online, you'll receive an eTicket direct to your email wth a QR code, this can be scanned from your device, meaning you are instantly ready to board.  

Advance booking is a must recommended for vehicles on the Ardrossan to Brodick route all year around and on Lochranza to Tarbert during the winter season. On this itinerary - Ardrossan-Brodick is a bookable route, meaning you'll be booked onto a specific sailing. All other legs of the journey are Turn up and Go. * 

*Some of the routes within the suggested itineraries operate on a Turn Up and Go basis, *When you pre-purchase travel for Turn Up and Go, you'll be purchasing an 'open' ticket for a chosen departure date, valid for the season in which you've purchased it, but it won't have a specific sailing time. Please do give yourself enough time to get to the other ports for the sailing you had in mind. Plan ahead as your first choice of sailing may not always be available and wait times may be extended.