Location
Location and Travel Information
The Isle of Luing is 16 miles south of Oban, accessible by a three minute ferry ride from North Cuan, on the southerly tip of Seil Island. Seil is connected to the mainland by the famous "Bridge Over the Atlantic". Whilst many of our guests travel by car, it is possible to come using public transport but it does need a little planning! Below are links to all the main transport providers - it is well worth checking details before you travel, and often you can get cheaper fares if you book in advance. We have bike hire available on site, so if you would like to combine that in your travel plans then please let us know in advance so that we can make sure they are reserved for you.
Ferry
Luing is served by the car/passenger ferry MV Belnahua on its regular crossing from North Cuan on the Isle of Seil. You can bring your car over on this ferry, or park for free at North Cuan and come over on foot. The entrance to Sunnybrae is just 50 metres from the ferry slipway on Luing.
The car/passenger ferry runs every half hour from 7.30am - 6:00pm Monday to Saturday all year.
The passenger only ferry runs at 7.30pm or 10:00pm Monday to Thursday (must be pre booked) with an extra sailing at 10.30pm on a Friday and Saturday.
The Sunday car/passenger ferry runs between 11:00am - 1.00pm and 3.00pm - 6:00pm
There are also additional evening car/passenger ferry sailings during the summer months of June, July and August.
The "Grey Dog" is our relief ferry when Belnahua goes for her annual service during the Spring.
A copy of the timetable is available online on the Argyll and Bute Council website. Cuan Commerce (argyll-bute.gov.uk)
If you are planning on exploring the area a lot during your stay then it can be a good idea to buy a book of five tickets when you come over on the ferry the first time. This works out significantly cheaper than buying individual tickets each time you cross. You can also save money by parking your car in North Cuan and coming across as foot passengers when possible.
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
| Approximate distances from the Isle of Luing: | |
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Glasgow - 112 miles
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Birmingham - 400 miles |
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Edinburgh - 135 miles
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Bristol - 480 miles
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Aberdeen - 195 miles
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Ipswich - 510 miles
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Newcastle - 240 miles
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London - 510 miles
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Manchester - 330 miles
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Exeter - 550 miles
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How to get here
Car
When travelling by car it is worth bearing in mind that the roads in the west of Scotland are slower than you may be used to so allow plenty of time for your journey. Expect to take at least 3 hours from Glasgow to Luing regardless of the route you take.
Bus
There is a regular bus service from Oban to the ferry slipway at North Cuan. The 418 service connects Oban with North Cuan ferry slipway and is run by West Coast Motors. A timetable is available on their website. During the summer holidays, and on Saturdays the service runs four times a day.
Train
The train service from Oban goes via Crianlarich to Glasgow Queen Street Station, with six journeys a day all year, timetables are available online from ScotRail. Now that the West Coast Line has been upgraded Virgin Trains are offering an even quicker service with the journey from London to Glasgow taking as little as four and a half hours. Prices differ widely depending on when you want to travel, but booking in advance can be a third of the price of buying a ticket on the day you travel!
Trainline is Europe’s leading train and coach app, it works with 270 rail and coach companies to offer customers travel to thousands of destinations in and across 45 countries in Europe.
Coach
Citylink runs a service from Glasgow to Oban that runs up to 7 times a day. It is possible to come via Inverarary or Crianlarich. Timetables and fares are available on the Citylink website.
By Air
Glasgow is well served by economy flights from throughout the UK and further afield. The airport is easy to reach alongside the M8, and is approximately two and a half hours from Luing by car. General information about the airport is available on their website. Airlines operating from Glasgow to UK destinations include EasyJet, British Airways and Aer Lingus
Car Hire
If you would like to come by public transport, but hire a car while you are here then the main options are to use one of the hire companies in Glasgow or Edinburgh (for example, Avis, EasyCar, Hertz or one of the smaller independent companies. You can also search for car hire through travelsupermarket.) or to hire a car from Oban. The Oban company that offers car hire is Flit.