CalMac’s Arran ferry is to give a special public excursion round Ailsa Craig on Saturday 19 January.
The cruise by MV Isle of Arran, organised by shipping enthusiasts, will be the first time a CalMac ferry has circumnavigated the Craig, famous for its granite cliffs and gannet colony.
The vessel will leave Ardrossan at 11am and return at 4pm.
Clyde River Steamer Club (CRSC) decided to organise the cruise after the success of a chartering Isle of Arran last January for a Round Arran excursion.
The vessel is a favourite of ship enthusiasts. Due to a two-vessel Arran service in mid January, the ship has no other duties in the middle of the day, leaving her free to undertake the trip.
Wooden-hulled paddle steamers began sailing round Ailsa Craig nearly 200 years ago, and by the late 19th century the trip had become a regular feature of the Clyde summer excursion programme. Many still remember the Saturday afternoon Round Ailsa Craig cruises given in the 1960s by the turbine steamers Duchess of Montrose and Queen Mary II,
Tickets can be booked on the CRSC website https://crsc.org.uk/product-category/isleofarrancharter/ or by post from Neil Guthrie (CRSC), 51 St Andrews Drive, Law, Carluke, South Lanarkshire, ML8 5GB.
Alternatively you can email cruising@crsc.org.uk
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