Three and a half hours from Mallaig or five and a half from Oban: that is the choice CalMac gives South Uist, and in most weeks the shorter one wins. This winter MV Lord of the Isles sails from Mallaig every day except Tuesday and Thursday, but for about six weeks in all, starting with 23 October to 22 November, Lochboisdale is served from Oban instead and there is no Mallaig boat at all.
CalMac winter timetable 19 October 2026 – 25 March 2027 (PDF last updated 7 July 2026), with the end of the summer timetable to 18 October; both checked against CalMac's live sailing data on 13 October 2026. CalMac — Mallaig/Oban – Lochboisdale winter 2026–27 timetable (PDF) · 2026-10-13
Compared with Oban, Mallaig saves about two hours each way and sits at the end of a railway line, which is why CalMac's summer service runs between Mallaig and Lochboisdale only. In winter the picture is mixed: the Mallaig weeks have one round trip a day, five days a week, with Tuesday and Thursday left out, while the Oban weeks have three or four sailings each way, some via Castlebay on Barra.
The time of day differs as well. Mallaig sailings in winter leave Lochboisdale mid-morning and come back the same afternoon, except on Mondays when the ship sets off at 07:00. Oban sailings leave Lochboisdale early, between 06:20 and 08:10, and the return gets in after dark.
The route has also been the one to give way when the fleet is stretched. In spring 2026, with overhauls running late, CalMac replaced Mallaig with a combined Lochboisdale–Oban–Castlebay timetable from 27 March to 16 April.
Every traveller, walk-on passengers too, needs a ticket before boarding, bought online, over the phone or at a CalMac port office. Vehicle fares leave out the driver, who buys a passenger ticket as well.
Two adults sharing a car therefore pay £106.15 one way. Blue Badge holders get a reduced vehicle rate that can be applied online.
| Adult (16+), single | £ 14.05 |
| Adult, return | £ 28.10 |
| Child (5–15), single | £ 7.05 |
| Infant (0–4) | Free |
| Bicycle | Free |
| Car | £ 78.05 |
| Car, return | £ 156.10 |
| Blue Badge car | £ 58.54 |
| Motorcycle | £ 39.05 |
| Motorhome or campervan up to 6 m | £ 78.05 |
| Motorhome or campervan 6–8 m | £ 195.15 |
| Caravan 6–8 m | £ 117.10 |
CalMac's Mallaig–Lochboisdale fares 'Summer 2026, valid from 27 March 2026', the sheet still shown on the route page on 13 October 2026; no separate winter fare list has been published. CalMac — Mallaig–Lochboisdale fares, summer 2026 (PDF) · 2026-10-13
Lochboisdale lies roughly 90 kilometres west-north-west of Mallaig as the crow flies, across the open Sea of the Hebrides south of Skye. From Oban the ship has to go round the Ardnamurchan peninsula as well, which is where the extra two hours come from.
South Uist has other ways in. CalMac itself suggests Oban to Castlebay on Barra followed by the short Barra–Eriskay crossing, or Uig on Skye to Lochmaddy and a drive south through the Uists; travellers continuing north to Harris can use the Berneray–Leverburgh ferry. From Mallaig itself the Armadale boat is the half-hour hop to Skye.
Mallaig is the end of the West Highland line and the base of MV Lord of the Isles. The CalMac office opens from 8.10 on Mondays and Saturdays, 7.40 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8.10 on Wednesdays and Fridays and 8.30 on Sundays until 2 November.
The Skye boat to Armadale uses the same port, and the Knoydart ferry has its own separate berth.
The terminal stands at the end of the A865 on South Uist's east coast. CalMac says arrivals without a reservation may still be carried if there is room, but strongly recommends booking vehicles.
Freight bookings for this end go through the Lochboisdale office on 01878 790218.
CalMac wants every passenger, on foot or not, to hold a ticket before travel; eTickets can be scanned from a phone. A party booked on one ticket has to sail together.
The Western Isles council wants motorhome and caravan users to stop overnight only at official campsites or designated sites, and CalMac operates standby arrangements for such vehicles.
Text alerts for South Uist come under code 37. With weather and vessel swaps common in winter, the service status page is worth checking on the morning of travel.
Mallaig is the terminus of the West Highland line, and CalMac points travellers to ScotRail for connections. Allow for the 30-minute foot passenger check-in.
Lord of the Isles has a café at the bow of deck 4, a coffee cabin with a small shop, free wifi, accessible toilets and a lift serving the vehicle deck.
MV Lord of the Isles has worked CalMac routes since 1989 and is based at Mallaig, from where she makes this crossing. CalMac's March 2026 update also mentioned berthing trials for MV Glen Sannox with a view to supporting the route.
Mallaig's other identity is as the terminus of the Jacobite steam train, and CalMac describes it as one of the busiest ports on its network. Lochboisdale, by contrast, is the ferry port on South Uist's east coast, and CalMac's port page lists the island's other links: Eriskay and Barra to the south, Lochmaddy on North Uist to the north.
About 3 hours 30 minutes; the Sunday crossing to Mallaig is timetabled at 3 hours 35 minutes. From Oban the voyage is 5 hours 30 minutes, according to CalMac's Lochboisdale port page.
Every day except Tuesday and Thursday, in the weeks it runs from Mallaig. The only Thursday sailings are on 24 and 31 December.
From 23 October to 22 November CalMac serves Lochboisdale from Oban instead, combined with Castlebay until 16 November and direct from 17 to 22 November. The Mallaig sailings resume on Monday 23 November.
£78.05 single for the car on the summer 2026 sheet, plus £14.05 per adult, the driver counted as one.
Neither the 25th of December nor the 1st of January has a sailing. Thursday 24 and 31 December have a special round trip: Lochboisdale 07:00 and Mallaig 11:10.
CalMac asks foot passengers to book in advance too. At Lochboisdale it says people who arrive without a reservation may still be carried if space allows, but that is not guaranteed.