Loch Baghasdail
| Lochboisdale Loch Baghasdail | |||
| Location Map ( geo) | |||
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| County | |||
| Inverness-shire | |||
| Highway Authority | |||
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | |||
| Places related to the A865 | |||
Loch Baghasdail or Lochboisdale is the main settlement on South Uist, sort of. It is a strange place to arrive at from the Lochboisdale Ferry, as you are confronted with a big hotel, row of shops and visitor centre, but very quickly it all peters out and you realise that the village is really quite small. However, a couple of miles west, at Dalabrog / Daliburgh, is the other half of the town!
The main route from Lochboisdale to Daliburgh, and then north across South Uist is the A865, a road which eventually leads across Benbecula and North Uist to reach the ferry port of Lochmaddy. This is the Uist spine road, connecting all three main islands via causeways. The only other classified road near Lochboisdale is the B888, which turns south from Daliburgh to the south coast of South Uist. However, it is an unclassified road which continues the journey along the coast to the Eriskay Causeway, from where the Island of Eriskay and so the Sound of Barra Ferry to Barra can be reached.
The Ferry Service into Lochboisdale has had a chequered history over the last few decades, with the locals frequently fighting for a short crossing to Mallaig, whilst Calmac, the ferry operators, prefer the longer crossing into Oban as it gives them more flexibility with vessels and timetables. In Summer 2016, the islanders secured a small victory, with the summer service providing a return sailing to Mallaig, the ship helping on the Mallaig - Armadale Ferry during the day, allowing islanders to reach Fort William, and get home again the same day. The winter service is less secure, with a mixture of Oban and Mallaig sailings, depending on which vessels are having their annual service. For the previous 3 winters, two return sailings to Mallaig were offered twice a week (the ferry sailing to Oban on other days). However, poor weather saw over 50% of sailings cancelled in some months.
Routes
| Route | To | Notes |
| Dalabrog / Daliburgh, Loch nam Madadh / Lochmaddy | formerly B889 | |
| Eriskay, Sound of Barra Ferry | via Eriskay Causeway | |
| Mallaig and the A830 or Oban and the A85 |