Ferry cancellations this week: Lerwick's next sailing Wednesday, Arran via Lochranza only
If you are trying to get to or from an island this week, the question is less "is my ferry cancelled?" than "is there another way?". On Tuesday 27 October, under a Met Office yellow wind warning for most of Scotland from 03:00 to 21:00, the answer changes island by island. Arran keeps one door open, the small Claonaig–Lochranza ferry. Skye has its bridge, but Mallaig–Armadale is off. Lewis, Barra, South Uist, Gigha and the Small Isles have no boat at all. Harris and North Uist have sailings, but every vehicle space is already taken by people stranded at the weekend. Shetland's next NorthLink departure is at 17:30 on Wednesday. For Ireland, Holyhead is running while both Pembrokeshire ports lose most of Tuesday. Here is each island group as the operators showed it between 23:45 GMT on Monday and 00:20 GMT on Tuesday.
Tuesday at a glance: which islands still have a way in
Grouped by what you can actually do on Tuesday, not by operator. "Way round" means another crossing or road that the operator's pages showed as running, or that the operator itself suggests.
| Island | Usual crossing on Tuesday | Way round |
|---|---|---|
| Arran | Ardrossan and Troon to Brodick cancelled | Claonaig–Lochranza, turn up and go. Busier than normal and at risk itself |
| Bute | Wemyss Bay boats diverted to Gourock all day | Colintraive–Rhubodach from 07:00, after a power cut stopped the first sailings |
| Cumbrae | Every sailing up to 09:20 cancelled | Wait for CalMac's 09:00 update on the 09:40 from Largs |
| Rosneath peninsula (Kilcreggan) | Gourock–Kilcreggan cancelled, slip damaged in Boelo | By road only; Wednesday also at risk |
| Lewis | Ullapool–Stornoway cancelled, freight too | Uig–Tarbert to Harris, then by road, but it is full for vehicles |
| Harris | Uig–Tarbert running, full for vehicles; Berneray–Leverburgh cancelled | Standby only, not guaranteed. Foot passengers: check the 09:00 review |
| North Uist | 07:30 Lochmaddy–Uig cancelled; the rest full for vehicles, 18:15 to Lochmaddy at high risk | Standby only. Review at about 09:00 |
| South Uist and Barra | Oban–Lochboisdale and Oban–Castlebay cancelled for sea swell; Sound of Barra mostly cancelled | None on Tuesday: CalMac says there is no space on the MV Hebrides |
| Skye | Mallaig–Armadale cancelled; Armadale port office closed | The Skye Bridge by road. Armadale reopens Wednesday |
| Eigg, Muck, Rum, Canna | Cancelled | None |
| Mull | Oban–Craignure at heightened risk, review about 06:30 | Oban–Craignure if it runs; Lochaline–Fishnish from 08:45 |
| Iona | Starts the day suspended | Review about 08:30 |
| Coll and Tiree | One amended round trip from Oban at 07:00 | That boat only; one call at Coll |
| Islay and Colonsay | No weather notice, shown as normal | Port Ellen is closed: Islay boats use Port Askaig only |
| Gigha | Cancelled | None |
Why the Uig boats are full. CalMac says the weekend's cancellations "as a result of storm Boelo" have filled every vehicle space on both Uig routes for Tuesday, and that it expects "a large volume of standby customers". On the Barra and South Uist pages it adds that there is no space on the MV Hebrides at all. On the Tarbert route it asks customers not to go to the port until after the 09:00 update.
Orkney and Shetland: NorthLink's morning boats for Orkney, Shetland waits for Wednesday
NorthLink has warned of possible disruption every day from Monday 26 to Thursday 29 October. For Tuesday it has already taken decisions on its Shetland sailings.
The Hrossey, which left Aberdeen at 16:43 on Monday, is due in Lerwick at 07:30 on Tuesday. Its 19:00 return to Aberdeen is cancelled. Tuesday's Hjaltland from Aberdeen stops at Kirkwall and does not go on to Lerwick. NorthLink's next departure from Lerwick is the 17:30 to Kirkwall and Aberdeen on Wednesday 28 October.
On the Pentland Firth, NorthLink expects Tuesday's morning sailings between Stromness and Scrabster to run, perhaps late, and says all afternoon sailings are under review "with a high probability of cancellation". From Aberdeen, the 17:00 still sails to Kirkwall and comes back from Kirkwall at 23:45, due in Aberdeen at 07:00 on Wednesday.
The 07:45 from St Margaret's Hope and the 09:30 from Gills Bay are cancelled. Pentland Ferries says it will update the rest of Tuesday's sailings through the day.
Orkney Ferries has cancelled the 07:00 to Stronsay, the 07:20 to Westray, the 07:40 to Sanday and Eday and every sailing to Moaness on Hoy. Shapinsay, Houton–Lyness–Flotta, Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre and the afternoon North Isles boats are under review. Graemsay's 07:30 should go ahead if it can berth.
We could not load Shetland Islands Council's ferry page, so the inter-island boats to Yell, Unst, Bressay and Whalsay are not covered here. Check with the council before you travel.
Crossing to Ireland: go north to Holyhead
Both Pembrokeshire ports lose most of Tuesday. Holyhead was the only Wales–Ireland port with every Tuesday sailing on time when we checked.
| If you were booked on | Tuesday 27 October | What the operator offers |
|---|---|---|
| Irish Ferries, Pembroke Dock–Rosslare | All cancelled: 14:45 from Pembroke, 08:45 and 20:45 from Rosslare | The 02:45 from Pembroke or the 08:45 from Rosslare on Wednesday 28, or the 19:45 Dublin–Holyhead on Tuesday. Wednesday's four sailings shown on time |
| Stena Line, Fishguard–Rosslare | 01:30 from Fishguard and 08:15 from Rosslare cancelled; 14:00 and 19:30 on time | Change online to another sailing or route with no change fee or fare difference; phone +44 3447 707070 |
| Stena Line, Holyhead–Dublin | All four each way on time | Monday's 22:15 from Holyhead and 16:30 from Dublin were cancelled; same free change applies |
| Irish Ferries, Holyhead–Dublin | All running, each at an earlier time than the timetable | Check your new departure time: Tuesday's run 35 to 70 minutes early, so check-in closes earlier too |
Moving from Pembroke Dock to Holyhead adds a long drive through Wales, so weigh it against waiting for Wednesday's sailings, which Irish Ferries shows as on time. Whichever port you use, check-in on the Wales–Ireland routes now scans every passenger's passport: our guide to the check-in passport scan lists what each company accepts.
Is "Storm Chloe" coming? What the Met Office actually says
Some headlines on Monday already used the name. The official list tells a different story so far.
Chloe has not been named
On the Met Office's Storm Centre page, read just after midnight on Tuesday, Austen (named 20 October) and Boelo (22 October) are the only 2026/27 storms with a naming date. Chloe is the next name on the list, followed by Dano and Evelyn.
Tuesday's wind is a yellow warning
The warning runs from 03:00 to 21:00 over most of Scotland, Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Antrim and Londonderry. Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are possible widely, and 70 mph or more on some exposed coasts in the north-west and far north, most likely over the Hebrides. The Met Office gives it a low likelihood of a significant impact.
When a name is given
The Met Office, Met Éireann or the Dutch KNMI can each name the next storm. In the UK, a storm is named when it could cause disruption or damage serious enough for an amber or red warning. No warning was in force for Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November when we checked.
Before you drive to the port this week
Four checks that save a wasted trip to a slipway, in this order.
1. Look at your phone before the website
Operators contact booked passengers by text or email first. Orkney Ferries, for one, says all customers affected by Tuesday's first cancellations have already been contacted.
2. Wait for the review time
Many of Tuesday's sailings hang on a review: Craignure about 06:30, Iona 08:30, Uig, Tobermory and Cumbrae around 09:00, Raasay 12:00, the Isle of Man's Liverpool sailings by 13:00, Eriskay 16:00. Don't set off for the port before it.
3. Standby? Have a plan B
On the Uig routes, standby travel is not guaranteed and CalMac says the crew and shore staff have the final word. Book a bed or a later sailing before you queue.
4. Cancelled? You choose: new sailing or refund
A cancelled booked sailing from a UK port still gives you the choice of another crossing or your money back, even in bad weather; only the hotel and the late-arrival compensation fall away. The rules, step by step, are in our Storm Austen refund guide, and they apply to this week's cancellations in the same way.
We follow this week on this page. When the operators change their notices we update the table and the time at the top. Also in this week's notices: Kilcreggan, Cumbrae, Rothesay, Mallaig–Armadale, Lochboisdale, Eriskay–Barra, Berneray–Leverburgh, Eigg, Raasay, Iona, Lismore and Colonsay. More routes on our Scotland and Wales pages.
Sources
- CalMac: service status and route sailings tabs (notices of 26 October 2026, 10:36–22:01), read 23:50 GMT on 26 October to 00:20 GMT on 27 October.
- NorthLink Ferries: service update and early disruption warning for 26–29 October.
- Orkney Ferries travel updates (26 October) and Pentland Ferries' disruption announcement for 27 October.
- Irish Ferries Rosslare–Pembroke and Dublin–Holyhead sailing updates; Stena Line FerryCheck for Fishguard–Rosslare and Holyhead–Dublin.
- Met Office: UK weather warnings (yellow wind warning for 27 October, updated 08:41 UTC on 26 October) and UK Storm Centre.
Updated
By uka.lauttainfo.com
An independent guide to British ferry crossings, from Hebridean island runs to tidal foot ferries. Every page is dated and taken from the operator's own information.
Taken from the operators' own notices: CalMac service status (each route's sailings tab), NorthLink's service update, Orkney Ferries, Pentland Ferries, Stena Line FerryCheck and Irish Ferries sailing updates, read between 23:45 GMT on Monday 26 and 00:20 GMT on Tuesday 27 October 2026; and the Met Office's UK weather warnings and Storm Centre. Alternatives are the ones the operators themselves point to, or routes their pages show as running. Notices change through the day: check your own sailing, text or email before you leave.