Bluemull Sound Ferry
Bluemull Sound Ferry | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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The ferry | |||
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From: | Gutcher, Shetland | ||
To: | Belmont, Shetland | ||
Distance: | 2 km (1.2 miles) | ||
County | |||
Zetland | |||
Toll | |||
£8 (Cars) | |||
On road(s) | |||
• A968 | |||
Crossings related to the A968 | |||
The Bluemull Sound Ferry carries the A968 on a 2.0km journey across the Bluemull Sound. It sails from Gutcher at the northern end of Yell to Belmont on Unst. Two vessels serve on the route, Bigga and the slightly smaller Geira, which can carry 16 and 12 cars respectively. Additionally, the same vessels are used to go from Gutcher and Belmont to the nearby island of Fetlar where they link to the B9088. On some crossings, Fetlar traffic loads at Gutcher, crosses to Belmont where it has to disembark and reload before travelling onto Fetlar. A similar process can be encountered on the return sailing. The Yell to Unst sailing takes a mere 10 minutes, while sailing to Fetlar takes 25-30 minutes.
History
Old maps show that the original crossing between Unst and Yell was from the pier at Cullivoe on Yell to Snarra Voe on Unst. While Cullivoe is on the road network, a footpath around the north shore of the Loch of Snarravoe connected to the roads on Unst. In the 1940s and 50s, a number of different ferry routes are shown on maps, using Cullivoe and Gutcha on Yell and Snarra Voe, Belmont and Uyeasound on Unst. In addition, the original car ferry services appear to have originated in Lerwick and called at Mid Yell and Baltasound (Unst) for cars, while also calling at Gutcher and Uyeasound. These routes are depicted on the OS Travel Maps throughout the 1960s, while Gutcher to Belmont is noted as a passenger ferry in 1961 and again in 1972, despite being on the route of the A968, which was routed this way in the 1950s.
The first known car ferry to sail on the current route was the Fylga, which was built in 1975, perhaps the year when the service began.
Ferries
Name | IMO | Operator | Dates | Notes |
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Geira | 8712489 | Shetland Islands Council | 2005-date | 15 cars |
Fivla | 8410237 | Shetland Islands Council | ?-date | 15 cars |
Bigga | 9000821 | Shetland Islands Council | 2004-date | 15 cars |
Fylga | 7347342 | Shetland Islands Council | ?-2005 |
Links
Bluemull Sound Ferry | ||||||||
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