Travel Information

Scotland ports

Scotland is permeated with legend and romance. Its ruined castles, standing amid fields of heather and bracken, speak of a past full of heroism and struggle and events that still ring across the centuries.

Aberdeen is one of Britain's busiest ports and is the chief commercial port for the North East of Scotland. NorthLink Ferries connects Aberdeen to Lerwick in the Shetlands, stopping en-route at Kirkwall in Orkney. There is one sailing a day, with some sailings skipping the Kirkwall stop and sailing directly to Lerwick - the Kirkwall stop is skipped during the winter months. The journey time for this crossing is roughly 12 hours.

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The port of Stranraer is situated in the south west of Scotland, in the Dumfries and Galloway region. Stena Line offers a connection to Belfast in Northern Ireland, which is serviced a maximum of eight times a day, with departures varying seasonally. Check-in is 30 minutes prior to departure.

Rosyth is a former naval base that offers new and modern ferry facilities and is located in the beautiful county of Fife. Superfast Ferries offers daily crossings to Zeebrugge in Belgium. Journey time is 17 ½ hours.

The Port of Troon is located just north of Ayr and Prestwick on the West coast of Scotland and is the principal fishing port in the west of Scotland. The port is owned and operated by Associated British Ports. Seacat Ferries offers up-to four daily crossings to Belfast in Northern Ireland, with sea crossings taking two hours. This route is serviced up-to three times a day. P&O Irish Sea offers the Troon to Larne, connection. There are twice daily crossings, one in the morning and one in the evening, with crossings taking just under two hours.

Adrossan is located 24 miles south west of Glasgow on the West coast of Scotland. The Port of Ardrossan is a small, but busy ferry port located on the edge of the Firth of Clyde. The ferry terminal and services are operated by P&O Irish Sea Ferries. Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries operates multiple daily crossing to Broderick, in Arran, with a crossing time of roughly 55 minutes. This is a passenger only service.

The Cairnryan port is situated on the northern edge of Loch Ryan, in the south west of Scotland. P&O Irish Sea Ferries operates a service to Larne, up-to nine times daily during the summer, with journey times of one hour to two, depending on the type of ferry.

Scrabster in the north of Scotland has frequent links to the Orkneys. Northlink Ferries services the route to Stromness in the Orkneys. It sails up-to three times daily, with a journey time of 90 minutes. Passengers with cars must be at the ferry terminal one hour prior to departure.

Useful Links:

Edinburgh Travel Guide
Glasgow Travel Guide