MACBRAYNE'S ISLANDS AREA TIMETABLE 1955
The complete timetable booklet for the buses of the Islands Area
Macbrayne's published a series of three bus timetable booklets in post-war years for the Southern, Northern and Islands Areas. The Southern printed on pink paper, the Northern on yellow and the Islands on blue. These were small booklets measuring but five inches by four inches. In later years (from about 1959) the three separate timetables were combined into one comprehensive book. Of the three timetables the Islands Area was unique in printing its timetables in 'landscape' rather than 'portrait' layout.
At this period Macbrayne's buses operated on Islay, South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist and Skye. Services on Mull and Harris were yet to come in 1964. Although mainland bus services had started as early as 1906 from Fort William to North Ballachulish, the services on Islay were Macbrayne's first venture into island bus operation when the services of Neil McGibbon of Bowmore were acquired in 1941 on his retirement. On South Uist the services of Angus MacKinnon of Askernish were taken over in January 1947. Also in 1947 the operations of Alexander Ferguson of Clachan, Locheport on North Uist were acquired, whilst a year later in April 1948 the routes of Angus MacDonald, Sollas, North Uist were acquired. March 1948 saw the take over of the business of MacLean & MacDonald of Ardvasar, Skye, together with their route from Ardvasar and Armadale Pier to Kyleakin. This included three buses and five lorries. The other Skye route from Armadale to Portree came from Neil Beaton at the end of the summer of 1953. Operations on Skye were considerably expanded with the takeover of Skye Transport in 1958.
By scrolling down through this webpage illustrations of all sixteen pages of this timetable booklet will be found, covering the times and fares for all of their island routes. You may need to allow enough time for all the pictures to load!
ISLAY
Services
on Islay were timed to connect with the Macbrayne steamer landing on
alternate
days at
Port Ellen and Port Askaig. The runs to Glenegedale served
the airport. Until 1941 the main Islay operator was Neil McGibbon of
Bowmore, who had held the Port Ellen to Port Askaig mail contract since
1907, passing from horse drawn to motor vehicle operation in 1913.
Bridgend was linked to Port Charlotte by motor in 1926 and Portnahaven
in 1931. The timetable as shown operated virtually unchanged throughout
post-war years. Ken Cameron recalls that when Macbrayne withdrew from
bus operations here in 1972 the routes passed in the main to Highland
Omnibuses initially. Harold Caskie, a shopkeeper in Bowmore, also
participated for a while - he was the brother of Donald Caskie, the
Tartan Pimpernel of Vichy-occupied France in the second world war.
SOUTH UIST Services
on South Uist, meeting the Inner Islands mail steamer from Oban which
called at Lochboisdale from 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday evenings. Interconnection was also possible with the
Outer Islands mail steamer which was also moored at Lochboisdale at
these times. There were also connecting buses for flights at Balivanich
Airfield on Benbecula. Unusually for Macbrayne the bus services on the
Uists were not supported by mail contracts, these having been lost in
the late 1940s. The islands of South Uist and
Benbecula were connected by road in 1942, whilst the footnotes
refer to a ferry between Gramsdale on Benbecula and Carinish on North
Uist, which could only operate at high tide. In more recent times
a five mile road causeway was
constructed between these points in 1960, enabling a through Lochmaddy
to Lochboisdale bus route to be operated. Not shown in this
timetable are the several different busy church service runs on
Sundays. Angus Mackinnon (1886-1964) of Askernish introduced the first
public and
mail bus on South Uist in 1924, running with a second hand 12-seater
Ford Model T from Eochar (later Carnan) south to Lochboisdale pier for
the
steamer. The Mackinnon route was extended north to Benbecula and
Gramsdale in 1942 when the bridge bewteen the two islands opened. The
Mackinnon bus and lorry business was sold to Macbrayne in 1947 on
Angus' retirement. Macbrayne withdrew from
South Uist in November 1971 with the operation passing to Macaulay
Brothers.
NORTH UIST One
of
the two bus routes on North Uist, running from the steamer landing at
Lochmaddy
along the southern coast and around to the west at Baleloch, where
connection was possible with the other route via Sollas and
Grenitote.
Unusually for Macbrayne the bus services on the Uists were not
supported by mail contracts, these having been lost in the late 1940s. The Claddach roads were once served by the bus of Alexander Ferguson
(1867-1950) of Clachan, Locheport, from September 1920 until October
1947.
The timetable is primarily designed to connect with the Outer
Islands mail steamer from Mallaig and Kyle, which called at Lochmaddy
on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. The steamer also arrived
very late evening on Monday before sailing again for Kyle of Lochalsh
at 5.30 am on Tuesday. Claddach garage must have been a very
welcome sight for the bus driver at 1.50 am on a Tuesday
morning! Murdo Macpherson recalls that the regular driver was
Duncan Robertson and the garage was small and next to Duncan's croft.
One of the usual buses was Bedford OLAZ KGB 265, fleet number
154. Ken Cameron recalls the Macbrayne operations on North Uist
passing to
Maclean of Grimsay (a haulage operator) in January 1972; the runs on
North Uist being the very last remaining of all the former widespread
Macbrayne operated bus services.
NORTH UIST The
other service on North Uist, running along the north coast. Once
served by Angus MacDonald of Sollas whose father Alexander held the
mail contract for this route since 1910. From 1931 a bus service was
provided, driven by the son in 1946 until he was taken ill and died in
1947. Alexander wished to retire and disposed of the business to
Macbrayne in February 1948. Again the timings of the departures are set
by
the arrival and departure times of the mail steamer at Lochmaddy.
Not apparent from the timetable is the connection available
at Newton Ferry road end at 5.45 pm on Wednesday and Friday in the
summer months, enabling travel from Lochmaddy at 5.30 pm to Sollas; and
also at 5.30 pm from Sollas to Newton Ferry. It was from here
that it was possible to cross to Berneray and Harris. Macbrayne
withdrew in 1972 and Ken Cameron recalls the north side route on the
island of North Uist passing to (John?) MacCuish of Sollas.
SKYE
The
two
routes on the Isle of Skye were worked from the garage at Ardvasar,
once
the base of operations for the bus and haulage businesses of MacLean
and MacDonald, and their bus route from thence to Kyleakin.
From
Kyleakin Pier it was but a short five minute crossing by ferry to Kyle
of Lochalsh and the train to Inverness. The 7.45 am from
Armadale and the 3.15 pm from Kyleakin were timed for rail connections.
Other journeys on this route reveal a quite involved pattern
of days of operation in the winter months. On the Portree
route the timings at Armadale connected with the thirty
minute ferry crossing from Mallaig, which was connected by rail with
Fort William and Glasgow. The restriction on carriage of
local passengers between Broadford and Portree was to 'protect' the
Skye Transport buses on their Kyleakin - Broadford - Portree
route (taken over by Macbrayne in 1958). Macbrayne withdrew from
Skye in 1970 as part of their total withdrawal from motor bus operation
and Highland
Omnibuses operated from September of that year.
| Timetable of special runs on Sundays for
church services on South Uist from the October 1951 timetable |
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| After
the causeway between Benbecula and North Uist was completed in 1960
through bus operation from Lochboisdale on South Uist across the isle
of Benbecula
to Lochmaddy on North Uist became possible. This is the May 1961
Macbrayne timetable for the new through route - primarily focused on
mail steamer
connections at Lochboisdale - with the 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm journeys
operated from the Lochmaddy end for that purpose. The Uig to Lochmaddy
car ferry
would not start until 1964. |
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| Much
of the story of the development of Macbrayne's bus services on the
islands (and the antecedent operators) is to be found in the book "O'er
Highland Highways", by Alan Nightingale, published by Adam Gordon in
2015. |
