Pentland Ferries
Encyclopedia
Pentland Ferries is a privately owned, family company which has operated a ferry service between Gills Bay
in Caithness
, Scotland
and St Margaret's Hope
on South Ronaldsay
in Orkney since May 2001.
passenger and vehicle ferry Iona. Banks obtained a 99 year lease on the Gills Bay
terminal, about 3 miles west of John o' Groats
. After two years work improving the site, and further work at St Margaret's Hope
He started operating the short sea crossing with Pentalina B in May 2001. The service attracted new business because of its low fares and much improved frequency compared with any previous Orkney ferry link. For the first time Orcadians could make day return trips to the Scottish mainland with their vehicles with ample time to do business. The service was summer only in its first few seasons but is now operated year round with the custom built passenger and vehicle catamaran Pentalina. The full story of how Andrew Banks overcame the difficulties he encountered in establishing this well patronised route is described in the book Pentland Hero by Roy Pedersen .
An earlier attempt to operate the short sea crossing between Caithness
and Orkney had been abandoned in 1989 mainly because of the exposed conditions at Gills Bay
. By rebuilding the terminal at Gills Bay
Andrew Banks demonstrated that this route was a viable and efficient access between Orkney and the Scottish mainland.
Competing operator NorthLink Ferries
and their parent company, the state-owned Caledonian MacBrayne
receive millions of pounds in state subsidies for providing lifeline services. The company is one of only two Scottish ferry companies that receive no subsidy or other financial assistance. It is probably unique in having to finance and carry out its own improvements at the Gills Bay
terminal. Improvements at St Margaret's Hope
are through the local harbour trust to which harbour dues are paid but which give the company less control over what can be done there.
ferry, , was built in the Philippines for the Pentland Firth, where she entered service in March 2009. She brings new standards of passenger comfort and speed to the route, and is expected to improve reliability. She has a capacity of 350 passengers and either 32 cars and 8 articulated lorries or an increased number of cars, with a service speed of 18 knots.
The original ferry, an Ex-Caledonian MacBrayne
ferry, MV Iona
, was purchased in October 1997 and renamed Pentalina-B. The first drive-through MacBrayne ferry with both bow and stern doors, she carried around 50 cars, or 4–5 articulated lorries and fewer cars. During the off-seasons since 2006, she was chartered out, carrying livestock across the channel from Dover
and providing freight relief for CalMac. She was sold to an owner in Cape Verde in late 2009.
Another former CalMac
vessel, , was owned between October 2002 and March 2009. After another attempt at starting up the Orkney to Invergordon
route fell through, the vessel was put to work during the winter season in place of Pentalina-B. Claymore was sold in March 2009.
The fleet also includes a barge, used for dredging at Gills in the summer and an extension to The Hope pier in the winter, a former fishing boat, to tow the barge and a tug / workboat for general duties. In addition to the usual tractor units and tugs for moving trailers and other cargo equipment there are a number of pieces of construction and earth-moving equipment not usually required by a ferry company.
by car, taking under 1 hour. Due to the short sailing time the vessels have a cafeteria for meals and refreshments, but no cabin accommodation.
, from which the service could operate. The Burwick terminal would cut the crossing time to about 30 minutes, but would probably be used only during the summer months due to its exposed location.
There have been talks about installing a linkspan
at Wick
. Andrew Banks owns the old linkspan from Stromness
and has offered it to the harbour for a nominal sum. Wick is sheltered when Gills Bay
is closed by westerly winds and a reduced service could be maintained in all but the worst weather.
Gills Bay
Gills Bay, which is situated some 3mls. West of John o' Groats with the community of Gills close by, has one of the longest stretches of low-lying rock coast on the northern shores of Caithness. Its main features are a small harbour and the pier used as the mainland terminal for Pentland Ferries...
in Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and St Margaret's Hope
St Margaret's Hope
St Margaret's Hope, known locally as The Hope , is a village in the Orkney Islands, situated off the north-east coast of Scotland. It has a population of about 550, making it Orkney's third largest settlement after Kirkwall and Stromness....
on South Ronaldsay
South Ronaldsay
South Ronaldsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. It is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, running via Burray, Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm.-Geography and geology:...
in Orkney since May 2001.
History
Pentland Ferries was founded by its present managing director, Andrew Banks in 1997. In October that year he purchased the Caledonian MacBrayneCaledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
passenger and vehicle ferry Iona. Banks obtained a 99 year lease on the Gills Bay
Gills Bay
Gills Bay, which is situated some 3mls. West of John o' Groats with the community of Gills close by, has one of the longest stretches of low-lying rock coast on the northern shores of Caithness. Its main features are a small harbour and the pier used as the mainland terminal for Pentland Ferries...
terminal, about 3 miles west of John o' Groats
John o' Groats
John o' Groats is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. Part of the county of Caithness, John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants...
. After two years work improving the site, and further work at St Margaret's Hope
St Margaret's Hope
St Margaret's Hope, known locally as The Hope , is a village in the Orkney Islands, situated off the north-east coast of Scotland. It has a population of about 550, making it Orkney's third largest settlement after Kirkwall and Stromness....
He started operating the short sea crossing with Pentalina B in May 2001. The service attracted new business because of its low fares and much improved frequency compared with any previous Orkney ferry link. For the first time Orcadians could make day return trips to the Scottish mainland with their vehicles with ample time to do business. The service was summer only in its first few seasons but is now operated year round with the custom built passenger and vehicle catamaran Pentalina. The full story of how Andrew Banks overcame the difficulties he encountered in establishing this well patronised route is described in the book Pentland Hero by Roy Pedersen .
An earlier attempt to operate the short sea crossing between Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
and Orkney had been abandoned in 1989 mainly because of the exposed conditions at Gills Bay
Gills Bay
Gills Bay, which is situated some 3mls. West of John o' Groats with the community of Gills close by, has one of the longest stretches of low-lying rock coast on the northern shores of Caithness. Its main features are a small harbour and the pier used as the mainland terminal for Pentland Ferries...
. By rebuilding the terminal at Gills Bay
Gills Bay
Gills Bay, which is situated some 3mls. West of John o' Groats with the community of Gills close by, has one of the longest stretches of low-lying rock coast on the northern shores of Caithness. Its main features are a small harbour and the pier used as the mainland terminal for Pentland Ferries...
Andrew Banks demonstrated that this route was a viable and efficient access between Orkney and the Scottish mainland.
Competing operator NorthLink Ferries
Northlink Ferries
NorthLink Ferries operates daily ferry services between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland. NorthLink Ferries is a wholly owned subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd, whose sole shareholder is the Scottish Government.-History:...
and their parent company, the state-owned Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
receive millions of pounds in state subsidies for providing lifeline services. The company is one of only two Scottish ferry companies that receive no subsidy or other financial assistance. It is probably unique in having to finance and carry out its own improvements at the Gills Bay
Gills Bay
Gills Bay, which is situated some 3mls. West of John o' Groats with the community of Gills close by, has one of the longest stretches of low-lying rock coast on the northern shores of Caithness. Its main features are a small harbour and the pier used as the mainland terminal for Pentland Ferries...
terminal. Improvements at St Margaret's Hope
St Margaret's Hope
St Margaret's Hope, known locally as The Hope , is a village in the Orkney Islands, situated off the north-east coast of Scotland. It has a population of about 550, making it Orkney's third largest settlement after Kirkwall and Stromness....
are through the local harbour trust to which harbour dues are paid but which give the company less control over what can be done there.
Fleet
The current catamaranCatamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
ferry, , was built in the Philippines for the Pentland Firth, where she entered service in March 2009. She brings new standards of passenger comfort and speed to the route, and is expected to improve reliability. She has a capacity of 350 passengers and either 32 cars and 8 articulated lorries or an increased number of cars, with a service speed of 18 knots.
The original ferry, an Ex-Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
ferry, MV Iona
MV Pentalina-B
MV Pentalina-B was a fast and extremely versatile ferry operated on a variety of Scottish routes. Launched in 1970 as MV Iona, she was the first drive-through roll-on/roll-off ferry built for the David MacBrayne Ltd fleet. She was the first ship in the company's history to have bridge-controlled...
, was purchased in October 1997 and renamed Pentalina-B. The first drive-through MacBrayne ferry with both bow and stern doors, she carried around 50 cars, or 4–5 articulated lorries and fewer cars. During the off-seasons since 2006, she was chartered out, carrying livestock across the channel from Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
and providing freight relief for CalMac. She was sold to an owner in Cape Verde in late 2009.
Another former CalMac
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
vessel, , was owned between October 2002 and March 2009. After another attempt at starting up the Orkney to Invergordon
Invergordon
Invergordon is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:The town is well known for the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931. More recently it was also known for the repair of oil rigs which used to be lined up in the Cromarty Firth on which the town is situated...
route fell through, the vessel was put to work during the winter season in place of Pentalina-B. Claymore was sold in March 2009.
The fleet also includes a barge, used for dredging at Gills in the summer and an extension to The Hope pier in the winter, a former fishing boat, to tow the barge and a tug / workboat for general duties. In addition to the usual tractor units and tugs for moving trailers and other cargo equipment there are a number of pieces of construction and earth-moving equipment not usually required by a ferry company.
Route
The Short Sea Crossing is the quickest route across the Pentland FirthPentland Firth
The Pentland Firth , which is actually more of a strait than a firth, separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland.-Etymology:...
by car, taking under 1 hour. Due to the short sailing time the vessels have a cafeteria for meals and refreshments, but no cabin accommodation.
Future prospects
Talks continue over gaining access to the Burwick terminal on South RonaldsaySouth Ronaldsay
South Ronaldsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. It is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, running via Burray, Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm.-Geography and geology:...
, from which the service could operate. The Burwick terminal would cut the crossing time to about 30 minutes, but would probably be used only during the summer months due to its exposed location.
There have been talks about installing a linkspan
Linkspan
A linkspan or link-span is a type of drawbridge used mainly in the operation of moving vehicles on and off a RO-RO vessel or ferry.Linkspans are usually found at ferry terminals where a vessel uses a combination of ramps either at the stern, bow or side to load or unload cars, vans, trucks and...
at Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
. Andrew Banks owns the old linkspan from Stromness
Stromness
Stromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...
and has offered it to the harbour for a nominal sum. Wick is sheltered when Gills Bay
Gills Bay
Gills Bay, which is situated some 3mls. West of John o' Groats with the community of Gills close by, has one of the longest stretches of low-lying rock coast on the northern shores of Caithness. Its main features are a small harbour and the pier used as the mainland terminal for Pentland Ferries...
is closed by westerly winds and a reduced service could be maintained in all but the worst weather.