Craignure
Craignure Creag an Iubhair | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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County | |||
Argyll | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Argyll and Bute | |||
Craignure is barely even a village, being just a scattering of buildings along the shore at Craignure Bay on the Isle of Mull. However, for the islanders it is one of the most important places on the island, for it is the main ferry port. Mull is perhaps unusual in having three ferry connections with the mainland, but it is Craignure which links directly to Oban on the mainland. The village, therefore, is the start of the adventure for most of the thousands of tourists who visit the island each year, some arrive on coaches, some cross to join coach parties, and some arrive in their own cars, or even just to explore by bike or on foot. For those who make the crossing, there are two main destinations - the isle of Iona and the island capital of Tobermory.
The main road through Craignure is now the A849. However, this is a comparatively recent change, and for many years it was the B8035 that passed through. The two routes swapped with the arrival of roll-on roll-off car ferries in the 1970s. Through the village, and heading north west towards Tobermory, the road is generally a good quality S2 route, however heading south west for Iona, it quickly drops to a single track road, which can get very busy in the peak summer season, with coaches maneuvering past each other at every other passing place.
The ferry that arrives at Craignure crosses from Oban on the mainland, the busiest of the west coast ferry ports. The MV Isle of Mull has almost single handedly served the route since she was introduced, but for summer 2016 a second ferry was added to the crossing to carry ever more visitors to the island. This was an attempt to cope with the anticipated higher visitor numbers generated by cheaper fares under the RET scheme. In the winter months, when the vessels are away for annual services, Mull is occasionally served by other ferries, just as the Isle of Mull also serves Colonsay on some days.
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
Salen, Tobermory (A848) | formerly B8035 | |
Bunessan, Fionnphort (Iona Ferry) | formerly B8035 | |
Oban and the A85 |