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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 paper and the Islands on blue.
These were small booklets measuring but five inches by four inches.
In later years (from 1959 I believe) 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, 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 South Uist the
services of Angus McKinnon of Askernish were taken over in January
1947. Also in 1947 the operations of Alex Ferguson of
Clachan, Locheport on North Uist were acquired. A year later
in April 1948 the routes of A. McDonald, Sollas, North Uist
were acquired. March 1948 saw the take over of the business
of McLean & McDonald of Ardvasar, Skye, together with
their route from Ardvasar and Armadale to Kyleakin. This
included three buses and five lorries. The other Skye route
from Armadale to Portree came from Neil
Beaton in 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.
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| Services
on Islay, timed to connect with steamer landing on alternate days at
Port Ellen and Port Askaig. The runs to Glenegedale served
the airport. Until 1941 the Islay operator was Neil McGibbon of Bowmore. |
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| 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. 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. |
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| One of
the two services on North Uist, from the steamer landing at Lochmaddy
along the southern coast and around to the west at Baleloch, where
xonnection was possible with the other route via Sollas and Grenitote.
These were the roads once served by Ferguson of Locheport.
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! |
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other service on North Uist, along the north coast. Once
served by MacDonald of Sollas. Again the timings 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. |
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| The two
routes on the Isle of Skye, 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 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 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. |
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| Some of
the steamer connections to the islands. The Islay connection
from Glasgow was by train to Gourock, then the Macbrayne's
Ardrishaig mail steamer to Tarbert (East). This was
usually the "Lochfyne". A connecting bus for the five minute journey
across the isthmus to Tarbert (West) and then lastly the mail steamer
"Lochiel" to Port Askaig or Port Ellen. The Inner
Islands mail steamer "Claymore" from Oban served the islands
of Mull, Coll, Tiree and Barra as well as South Uist, whilst the Outer
Islands mail steamer "Lochmor" from Kyle of Lochalsh and Mallaig served
Eigg,
Rum, Canna, Scalpay and Harris on its way to or from North Uist
(Lochmaddy) and South Uist (Lochboisdale). Not shown below
are the Stornoway ("Loch Seaforth") and Portree ("Loch Arkaig") mail
steamers, both of which sailed daily from Kyle and
Mallaig. And the Tobermory mail steamer "Lochearn" sailed
daily
from Oban via calling points in the Sound of Mull. For more
information visit Ships
of CalMac. |
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| And
fares for the island bus routes (in £sd of course) . . . |
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