‘Our day doesn’t stop at 6.30pm’: Jura islanders fight to restore axed ferry

‘Cancelling the late ferry shows total contempt for our community’

Published 17th Oct 2026, 05:00 BST

At 6.30pm, the day is far from over for many of the 200 or so people who live on the Isle of Jura. But that is when islanders, known as Diurachs, feel forced to end their day if they want to avoid being stranded away from home.

Argyll and Bute Council recently axed Jura’s late 9.30pm ferry, cutting residents off from neighbouring Islay in the evenings. Islanders rely on Islay for services ranging from after-school clubs and leisure facilities to weekly shopping. It is also their gateway to mainland Scotland, via CalMac ferries and Loganair flights.

For Andy McCallum, a father of three, the impact has been felt across almost every aspect of family life. His children, all aged 15 or under, along with other children on the island, have lost opportunities to attend extracurricular activities such as football and swimming on Islay. The islander, who, with his wife, Cath, founded Wild Jura, a venison-processing business on the island, said the decision was taken without meaningful consultation with those affected.

“The late ferry crossing is essential to us all feeling connected,” he said.

“The only people who are affected by this is the community, not those in the council. They and the crew have no idea what it is like to live on Jura. Cancelling the late ferry shows total contempt for our community.”

The dispute centres on two additional sailings connecting Jura with Islay, one being a 6.15am departure and the other a 9.30pm return crossing. Both were available by booking for years, supplementing the regular service, which operates between 7.35am and 6.30pm from Monday to Saturday.

In June, council officers told Jura Community Council (JCC) that the early and late sailings could no longer operate together, citing increased demand for the morning crossing. The JCC says it understood residents would be consulted on which sailing they preferred. Instead, islanders discovered in July that the late service had been removed without formal notification.

Residents have challenged the council’s claim that the early sailing was more heavily used. Council figures published for January to July 2026 show the 6.15am ferry carried 81 passengers across 22 sailings, while the 9.30pm service carried 468 passengers across 96 sailings - roughly five times more.

The late sailing also provided a crucial connection home for those returning from the mainland via Islay. Without it comes an extra costs for residents who will may have to pay for an additional night’s accommodation on the mainland or Islay, where rooms are not always available.

Pi Davidson, who runs holiday lets and a wild sauna business on Jura and Islay, said the change had already cost her bookings.

“I've already had to refund two guests because they simply couldn't get to us on the same day as their CalMac crossing and didn’t want to find somewhere to stay on Islay,” she said. “That's lost income for a small business, and a holiday on Jura that never happened.

“Without it, Jura is effectively closed to new arrivals from 6.30pm.”

Tourism is an important source of income for the island, supporting accommodation providers, deer-stalking estates, the shop, hotel, distilleries and other local businesses.

Mrs Davidson said visitors to the Jura Music Festival at the end of September had to choose between leaving Islay at 6pm, when the music started at 7pm, or finding somewhere to stay at short notice. She said the community ended up 10 Norwegian visitors up for the night.

“But you can't build a tourism economy on goodwill and spare duvets” she said. “Every booking lost has a knock-on effect for the shop, the hotel, the distillery and local jobs. Cutting the late ferry without any consultation puts all of that at risk.”

For Dr Kirsten Gow, a Jura resident and islands researcher, the change raises wider questions about accountability for publicly funded transport.

“Alongside the local issues there are also big questions around why, when large amounts of public money are involved, there is no customer charter or service level agreement that lays out what ferry users can expect from the service,” she said.

“It is unclear what scrutiny is being applied to how Argyll and Bute Council run this service. If they are marking their own homework that is worrying,” she said, adding that the council’s figures showed greater demand for the withdrawn late sailing than for the retained early boat.

The council defended its decision on safety grounds, saying current staffing levels mean the late-evening sailing cannot operate while complying with maritime regulations on crew working hours and rest periods. Recruitment and training are continuing, it said, with the aim of increasing crew numbers to support longer operating hours.

Islanders say they recognise the importance of safety but argue that the service was withdrawn without adequate consultation, an assessment of its impact or a workable alternative.

“They’ve removed the service with zero debate on it or even suggestion of a workable solution,” Mr McCallum said. “They never ask for our opinion. They just seem to think that they know best.”

Residents have questioned whether the council should have carried out an Island Communities Impact Assessment under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 before making such a significant change.

A petition calling for the late ferry to be reinstated has attracted more than 1,100 signatures. At a meeting last month, about 40 islanders representing 34 households expressed what the minutes described as zero confidence in the council’s willingness to find a solution.

Mr McCallum has lodged a formal stage-one complaint with the council. He said while local councillors have supported the petition, and the issue was raised at the SNP conference on Friday, residents said they are yet to receive the wider political backing they had hoped for.

“As a community at the moment we have no voice,” Mr McCallum added.

“There has been no support to make it easier to live and work on the island which is the very thing the council should be doing.”

Some islanders told The Scotsman that they feared speaking publicly against the decision.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The council remains committed to the service and has secured £19.6 million for a new ferry and upgrades at Feolin and Port Askaig. We are continuing recruitment and training efforts to increase crew numbers, which could support longer operating hours. The community council has also been invited to help establish a ferry forum and lead a survey to gather local views on service priorities.”