The ferry tickets have arrived, and to our delight they are slightly over half the cost of last years. I should explain that this is not a credit-crunch beating move from CalMac, but is instead a result of something called the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) which has been introduced as a trial on some of the main Hebridean routes. Our Uig - Lochmaddy route is, thankfully, one of those included in the trial. RET is already making a massive difference to those Island residents who have to commute regularly to and from the mainland for work - to give an idea of the difference the tickets which cost us £125 last year have come in at just £64 this year. Same route, same car, same people, even the same ferry! The theory is that it's likely to significantly boost the Islands economies through the summer with increased tourism also - just how much of a difference this makes however remains to be seen.
The picture above shows the ensign of Calmac Ferry MV Hebrides - taken in brilliant sunshine on our crossing over to Lochmaddy last year. Fingers crossed for such a pleasant crossing this year too!
Robyn
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