Richard Walter speaks to Roddy MacDonald, Director of Lochs Motor Transport, about a seasonal contract to provide a shuttle bus service for visiting Cruise Ships to Stornoway’s new Deep Water Terminal, which saw the arrival of the first ever double-deck buses on the Western Isles
For many years Stornoway has been an established cruise destination, ideally positioned on popular cruise ship routes. During 2024, the opening of newly built multi-purpose facilities at the Deep Water Terminal has provided a berth for vessels up to 360m long, a ferry berth, and 6.5 hectares of land for unloading, storage and industrial use. The major development aims to establish Stornoway as the only port in the north-west of Scotland where large ships can moor, and in turn enable the islands to realise their full potential as a compelling location for cruise itineraries around the UK.
A number of notable ships have already used the terminal since its opening in April, including the 48,000 gross-tonne Ambassador Ambition, which alone disgorged 1,200 passengers upon the Hebridean island’s shore, the Seabourn Venture, Oceania Sirena, Compagnie Francaise de Croisieres Renaissance, Fred Olsen’s Borealis, Holland America Line’s MS Rotterdam, Seven Seas’ Splendor and the Azamara Quest. As the season drew to a close during October, it was hoped that ships from famous names including Cunard, P&O and Princess will grace Stornoway during the 2025 cruise season.
On arrival
One business that has already felt the benefit of the new facility is Lochs Motor Transport, which has signed a contract to transport cruise travellers into nearby Stornoway, a short journey of about 15 minutes along a freshly-laid tarmac road leading to a drop off and pick up facility in the town’s Cromwell Road. To facilitate the service, the company acquired four double-deck buses in the form of Alexander Dennis Enviro400s – one is a former demonstrator, SK71 CKX, and still in its grey/silver livery, the others being brand new YX24 OVW, YX24 OVY and YY24 ELO, which all received the company’s livery and fleetnames. There is an excited buzz on arrival of the ships into the terminal, where they are met by the shuttle buses. Some of the arrivals are dispatched on modern coaches for short pre-booked tours. But for many of the other passengers wanting to go straight into the town of Stornoway it will be their first ride on a British double-deck bus and although it is a relatively short journey, the top deck seats are taken very quickly. What better way to see your first glimpses of the Western Isles?
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