Comment posted Western Ferries delivers Dunoon dream: two new vehicle and passenger ferries by george.
What advantages does Dunoon now have at it’s disposal?
Take advantage of what ?
” what’s done is done “, brush it under the carpet.
george also commented
- I’m not really ‘into’ computers or websites but this was pointed out to me some time ago…go to, UTUBE, search, Dunoon breakwater, watch the video of water breaking over the breakwater….scarey! The water behind the breakwater looks calm and this was exceptional weather but it will be like this again. Be afraid, be very afraid!! The breakwater was constructed to protect the pier, yet on completion part of the pier was demolished to allow access to the new blue linkspan! Plans were displayed years ago of the proposed new waiting room and piermasters office and there was public outrage as they resembled a watchtower from a WW2 prison of war camp. These plans were shelved with the excuse of being ‘too costly’. ABC don’t give up easily though and I can see the same plans being dusted down and presented once again.
- Robert..”type of setting enjoyed by Dunoon pier”, have you seen it recently? As said earlier it is now altogether spoiled by the linkspan and ‘stairs’ on the Castle hill,and will be marred further by the proposed piermasters office and waiting room. Of course our pier did have a bar and tea rooms at one time, I wonder why they closed?
Newsroom…Western talked about a ferry from Ardyne to Bute years before there was any mention of a holiday village. - Newsroom, what would be the point of building a conference centre when there are less and less beds available in the area? O.K. perhaps a SMALL conference! That would be maybe two weeks of the year of use. Have you been shopped at the Queens Hall building recently? One Indian restaurant,one jewellers shop, one empty shop and the rest charity shops!! Welcome to Dunoon.
I agree that the Victorian pier is crucial, but ‘coffee bars and bistros’, outdoor tables? I think not, this is the wet West coast of Scotland we’re talking about. We HAD a lovely welcoming vista approaching Dunoon pier from the sea but, that has now been spoiled by the Linkspan and the inappropriate new steps and handrail up the front of Castle Hill from Highland Mary. Who thought up that one? There are two other sets of steps at the back of the hill. Just wait and see what monstrosity they erect for the new piermaster’s office and waiting rooms. - Newsroom, I don’t think you are in tune with the people of Dunoon regarding ferries……we were stitched up, good and proper. The restrictions on Calmac sailings were put in place during the reign of the “privatise everything” Iron Lady (1984?) so let’s blame her!! There are clever people who will know exactly what Dunoon needs, but do you really think that ABC will listen?
For Gus, I was speaking with tongue very much in cheek! - How do McGill’s survive as a company? It’s usually pensioners I’ve seen on the buses,and even with the travel card subsidy, paid by taxpayers, it must cost McGill’s a pretty penny for a bus on Western going on what they charge for cars !!??!!?
Recent comments by george
- Does the new ticketing arrangement for Gourock-Dunoon ferries make Argyll Ferries redundant?
Newsroom, you are sure showing your colours now………definately not for the common people. - Indicative costs for Struan Lodge: were officers overegging it?
Neil…you were employed as ???
My blue collar company pension for 38 years is about £1k more than you. For 18 years ‘extra’ !! - Indicative costs for Struan Lodge: were officers overegging it?
How do public sector wages compare with private ? An hours wages for a labourer or tradesman or secretary in both sectors ? - Indicative costs for Struan Lodge: were officers overegging it?
Now I understand why some people would give their right arm for a council job !! - Indicative costs for Struan Lodge: were officers overegging it?
Jamie….why the difference in employer contributions ?
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Well done to Western for committing to such a large capital expenditure in this route. I am sure the new ships will be needed in a few years time. Do we know what car and passenger capacities will be?
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For DunoonLad: As we understand it, Western Ferries themselves cannot yet say exactly what the car and passenger carrying capacities will be.
They’ve committed to bigger and faster and the final specifics will probably come from design and performance issues based on the optimum relationship between speed (within the legal limit), loaded weight and fuel usage.
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Good luck to the Holiday Village and Holy Loch Marina, but how exactly does this benefit Dunoon?
As for Mr Russell’s “excellent vote of confidence in Cowal”, it’s a monopoly for goodness sake how can they fail? Keep digging Mr Russell……
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Unless this for a town centre to town centre operation there will be little benefit to Dunoon. At the moment Dunoon has lost all of its through vehicle traffic due the Western bypass, the only beneficiaries are pensioners who can shop in Braehead and IKEA for free,McGills buses and Western Ferries,hardly a boost to the local economy.
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For Campbell Cowan: The reality is that Western Ferries already carried around 95% of the vehicle traffic for Dunoon.
The other part of the equation is Dunoon itself.
Where traffic bypasses the town it is because Dunoon has serious work to do to be a place people want to visit and to stay in.
At the moment Dunoon has an imported crime scene, looks fraying at the edges and has a town centre which is incoherent, uninteresting and less than accessible.
It has two challenges.
It has to reshape itself with imagination and sensitivity – to its assets, to its location and to what sort of experiences of towns peple find enjoyable and memorable.
Then it has to market itself to the appropriate markets with strategic imagination and skill – neither of which require a big budget.
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Disagree Dunoon needs through traffic with tourists,stopping shopping and spending money. You cant get improvements without the cash being spent first of all. The money and those that spend it have to be there first,then the improvements will come.The problems you mention,are the result of the loss of vehicle through traffic assisted in the main by the restrictions placed on Calmac.
How can you blame Dunoon for a loss that was forced on the town?
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Your right,Western carried more vehicles because of the restrictions on cal-mac,this was never a level playing field so Western were able to build on this.As for the description of Dunoon, makes you wonder if forargyll is really for Argyll. This type of character assassination of the town is unnecessary and one wonders if the writer has even been to Dunoon. The wish list of improvements needed, if only, how much would it all cost and who would pay for it? Perhaps the Scottish Government could fund this, after all it was they who have caused the problem by not providing the two new ferries for cal-mac, as promised.
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For Gus MacKay: Of course our analysis of Dunoon is not what Dunoon wants to hear – but if it were fundamentally wrong, Dunoon would be thriving.
The sustainable growth of the whole of Cowal depends upon Dunoon and there is no one who does not wish to see a dynamic Dunoon. But pretending it’s fine – or that if it isn’t, it’s someone else’s fault – is never going to help. If For Argyll does plain speaking, we also do constructive thinking to help get the juices flowing.
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Jeezo! Can you shop at Braehead and IKEA for free when you’re a pensioner? I thought you just got a bus pass! LOL
jk jk
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How do McGill’s survive as a company? It’s usually pensioners I’ve seen on the buses,and even with the travel card subsidy, paid by taxpayers, it must cost McGill’s a pretty penny for a bus on Western going on what they charge for cars !!??!!?
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For George -
How do McGill’s survive as a company? That’s easy, you just need to look at the number of buses they have accross the water.The question is why would they want to run a service from Dunoon with so few passengers? this is clearly not financially viable.Who stands to benefit from taking foot passengers away from Argyll Ferries? Who might want to subsidize that service? Think about it.
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FA – thanks for info. Why do all the passengers, cars, vans, works vehicles, caravans, coaches, motorbikes etc, not contribute to Dunoon and Cowal’s economy? These users must be spending some £’s in the area! Fair enough, some will bring food and other items with them, but surely the shops, restuarants, cafes, chip shops, taxis, cinema, leisure facilities etc, must be getting extra customers? Does all the traffic from the ferry at Largs not help the Millport economy? O.K., Cowal is a large area, but as Dunoon is the largest town, it must be getting more business throughout the year. Can someone please explain why this would not be the case?
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For DunoonLad: They do contribute – but not as much as they might.
The hard reality is that there’s no great reason to visit Dunoon. It’s not alone in this but it is the challenge to confront.. Every one of Argyll’s key towns – and we call them key towns, not main towns, because each governs the success of its hinterland.
People do like the countryside – and Cowal and Argyll and the Isles at large have assets in this field that are astonishingly rich and varied.
But people also like the experience of being town-centred, of having the facilities (good facilities) of a town – of an attractive town – to hand and using that as a base to explore.
Also those who choose self-catering holidays in the countryside make their choice of which area to go to on the basis of good nearby towns that offer them: all the the retail resources they need and that they also want for pleasure; intriguing and enjoyable days out for variety on their holiday; and a place to head for with the family on wet days. And how many of those do we get?
We have long argued that for Cowal to work Dunoon must work.
Dunoon needs to look at itself with the eyes of a stranger, see what they see and act on that.
The town is unfocused: the heart of it pinched, less than accessible with nothing of any kind that is uniquely attractive and compelling. Its greatest assets have long been left to run down; and it largely turns its back on the water – then and now its reason for existing.
It needs an imaginative town plan – and that means not one devised by Argyll and Bute Council. Local authorities do not have the skillsets required. They are not built for sensitivity or creativity or business. They are built for the management of regulatory regimes and for providing bottom line services.
It would make sense to shoot the Queen’s Hall, replace it with a shopping mall and conference centre with great views. Make this genuinely central area the town centre. It has the Argyll Hotel, the Pier, the Clydeside views, the ferry, the shops already leading the way to what is now the main street, the swimming pool nearby and parking to hand, The current ‘centre’ would then be a pedestrianised, ‘individualised’ shopping and eating precinct, offering real choice in close proximity.
The old pier is crucial. No other town on Clydeside or Argyll has anything like this – but it has been left without serious maintenance for a very long time. It is Dunoon’s standout unique selling point. Take it away or castrate it – and what is Dunoon?
Imagine the pier, in the condition it should be in and with its lovely buildings in attractive and appropriate use as first class coffee bars and bistros, with outdoor tables in season and first class service to match the first class fare. And what better place to have outdoor entertainments in season, for all ages – pierrots and a piano bar?
The pier is the image to market Dunoon – as McCaig;s Tower is the image that identifies Oban. Anywhere in Argyll has castles but nowhere has a pier like Dunoon’s. And, by its nature, it’s on the water which is Dunoon’s raison d;etre – and it has fabulous views that include the Isle of Arran.
At the moment, Dunoon is singularly blessed in its access services. It has a specialist passenger ferry service righ to its town cetre. It has a specialist vehicle service to its northern fringe. It has – if it were kept properly maintained, the best main road access of any town in Argyll and one that qualifies as the most scenic.
The A815 is broad, with long straights as well as the series of chicanes the topography dictates. It sweeps down and from Loch Fyne, along the length of the glorious and powerful inland Loch Eck – easily arguable as the most beautiful of Scotland’s accessible freshwater lochs – past the great trees of Benmore Botanical Gardens to the head of the Holy Loch and on down to Dunoon.
That last approach needs thought in its current scrappy visual impact – and this doesn’t mean ‘gentrification; but giving it a clear identity.
Dunoon has substantial advantages no other Argyll town has but it needs to raise its game by a considerable margin and, as things stand, the integration of a clear policing policy is very important.
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I couldn’t agree with Newsroom more. The Queens Hall needs to go and be replaced with an indoor shopping center. Some shops from Argyll Street could relocate there, giving the main street over to cafes and restraunts and be partly pedestrianised to allow outdoor seating.
The fact is at the moment Argyll Street is deserted by tourists on an evening becaues there is nothing for them to do there but avoid drunk locals. Give them a reason to use the street and they will. It really is that simple.
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DunoonLad.
Essentially, the Cothouse and adjacent diner are probably the best business’ who benefit. Dunoon is obviously not seen as a destination because IT IS SEEN AS A TOWN. Tourists are coming from towns to escape to the country.
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Newsroom, I don’t think you are in tune with the people of Dunoon regarding ferries……we were stitched up, good and proper. The restrictions on Calmac sailings were put in place during the reign of the “privatise everything” Iron Lady (1984?) so let’s blame her!! There are clever people who will know exactly what Dunoon needs, but do you really think that ABC will listen?
For Gus, I was speaking with tongue very much in cheek!
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For George: What’s done is done. We’re pointing to the advantages Dunoon now has at its disposal and saying that it is self-mutiliating not to gear up to take advantage of them. Who knows what Argyll and Bute Council will do – but you’re in a sellers market with an election coming up next year.
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What advantages does Dunoon now have at it’s disposal?
Take advantage of what ?
” what’s done is done “, brush it under the carpet.
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If ferry through traffic is one of the main issues here, why not then lease the new linkspan and marshalling area to Western Ferries for a nominal sum, with the proviso that they must use the facility as their main terminal? I seem to recall £1.000.000 being mentioned as charges per year to use the facility, a sum that Western would obviously not be interested in.
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For DunoonLad: That’s the most imaginative and possibly achievable suggestion yet,
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With respect – wouldn’t that essentially be subsidising a vehicle service, which has been deemed impossible by the EC? Isn’t that a huge part of why the ferry issue is an issue, after all?
We have just been through a tender process where Western could have chosen to submit a vehicle-carrying bid shifting its operations to the town centre linkspan (not a requirement of the tender, but a choice open to Western, if it felt it was a viable option. Its commercial focus is sharp so one would assume it had looked quite closely at all options before submitting its bid. I don’t know the details of its tender submission and can only speculate here).
It would surely be highly inappropriate to offer one particular company the use of the linkspan or indeed any publicly-owned infrastructure at a nominal sum without going through the correct process.
No matter what any outside observer thinks (and an objective view can often be useful of course) there is no getting away from the fact that feelings about the ferry debacle run extremely high in the Cowal community. To enter into the solution proposed above would be seen by many as ‘betrayal’ – that’s how deep feelings run here.
For Argyll is always keen to find out why our local authority behaves in the way it does on occasion – and, on such topics, publishes screeds of opinion, questions and answers if it gets them. Perhaps, on the Dunoon-Gourock ferry issue, For Argyll should appreciate that the community of Dunoon is equally keen to find out just why it’s been let down time and time again by administrations of various colours.
This website purports to be ‘For Argyll’ and while ‘following the party line’ is something it claims to abhor, it could, I feel, on this particular matter, be a little more understanding (or improve its knowledge) of the very strong feelings of one of the Argyll communities it wishes to serve with news.
It is easy to say ‘look forward and get on with it’ and that is of course vital to keep a community alive. At the same time, the people of Dunoon want some answers as to just how the whole ferry situation has been handled. The community deserves to be given those answers, and not to be fobbed off with ‘stop moaning about the past and get on with it’.
I have not enough coffee to make a more coherent reply; I could write a lot more. But I am so mired in the ferry issue that it becomes hard to make sense.
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For cailleach: The linkspan speculatively built by Argyll and Bute Council is headed fast for white eleohant status. It cannot effectively serve the passenger ferries as more than a temporary measure. Realistically, who is going to pay to use it for what purpose?
If it were judged to be in the interests of the town for Western Ferries to use this linkspan for its Dunoon-side operations, it would be a case of market forces rather than subsidy to try to attract it to do so.
Western don’t need it. They’re amazingly well set up at the moment with their entire operation under their own control and they’ve got the traffic.
We’re not campaigning for this, simply noting that DunoonLad’s idea shows a creative response which is interesting for that reason as well as for its practicality.
The council will certainly have serious thinking to do about the linkspan, either finding some genuinely useful function for it to fulfill in the interests of Dunoon or accepting that it will remain a permanent reminder of yet another infrastructural mistake, well meaning but ill [judged.
In respect of who did what to whom, even in the recent past – it is wasteful and self-mutilating to expend energy continually picking the scabs off sores. Stuff happens. The positive accept that and get going – and that is what Dunoon would clearly be advised to do. Whatever happened, the town now has an unrivalled menu of attractive and useful routes and means of access. It can waste these or it can rise to meet their availability.
And while Dunoon, like other towns, has had its raw deals, it has also had the comfort of being the carefully tended ward of the Council Leader and his closest bag carriers in the Alliance of Independent Councillors.
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Quote newsroom: “In respect of who did what to whom, even in the recent past – it is wasteful and self-mutilating to expend energy continually picking the scabs off sores. Stuff happens. The positive accept that and get going – and that is what Dunoon would clearly be advised to do.”
Firstly there are several initiatives in Dunoon which are positive and are ‘getting going’. I would agree 100 per cent that the town (any town or community, actually) needs to do what it can to help itself and get going instead of waiting to be ‘done to’.
However, there is no denying the fact that the community wants and needs answers. It’s not about picking over scabs or endlessly dwelling on the past. ‘Get over it and move on’ and ‘sweep it under the carpet’ are perhaps sides of the same coin here. There’s no reason why the town can’t ‘be positive and get going’ and at the same time get answers from those it helped to elect on just exactly what has gone on behind the scenes.
Because if we *only* fulfil the ‘moving on’ part and don’t bother looking for those answers, and potentially hold to account any body that warrants being held to account – then it could happen again. Remember that Dunoon faces another tender process in just under six years.
I’m honestly surprised at For Argyll’s approach on this particular issue – you don’t usually shy away from seeking answers or calling for accountability where a community feels it is due.
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Newsroom is right about the pier the best asset we have and we are letting it fall apart. Piers across the world are major attractions for any town or city with any sense to capitalise on them. People come to the seaside for piers as well as to the countryside for country. It could be the heart of Dunoon along with the Queens Hall area and strong linkages up to the town and Burgh Hall. I cannot understand the decades of inertia and ineptitude over this major asset.
A town does not ‘govern’ or drive its hinterland – it is a a much more symbiotic economic relationship than that. Hinterland should not be seen as an add on but as part of the dynamic. We neglect economic opportunities outwith Dunoon at our peril. The potential of Castle Toward, the success of Portavardie, the wonderful developments in Ardentinny capitalising on their walled garden. I would love to see a walled garden and fernery tourist loop in Cowal and Bute! We have a neglected set of architeture and war history here also, while Kilmun is increasingly showing off its stunning church. Town and country should feed each other and thrive off of each other.
But do NOT underestimate the importance of the town to town ferry service. Lots of people used to commute to the city on reliable transport – but we are killing that ‘communter belt’ opportunity to offer wonderful lifestyle within communting distance of cities and within easy commute to London for meetings ( done it lots!) We will shove people into cars and onto the roads, we will degrade the service to those who rely on public transport. It is not an either or – we need and want both Western and a good vehicle /passenger service in the town centre. We need to throw everything at our economic development and be holistic about it – the upward spiral is made up of lots of things, not just one or two.
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Newsroom, what would be the point of building a conference centre when there are less and less beds available in the area? O.K. perhaps a SMALL conference! That would be maybe two weeks of the year of use. Have you been shopped at the Queens Hall building recently? One Indian restaurant,one jewellers shop, one empty shop and the rest charity shops!! Welcome to Dunoon.
I agree that the Victorian pier is crucial, but ‘coffee bars and bistros’, outdoor tables? I think not, this is the wet West coast of Scotland we’re talking about. We HAD a lovely welcoming vista approaching Dunoon pier from the sea but, that has now been spoiled by the Linkspan and the inappropriate new steps and handrail up the front of Castle Hill from Highland Mary. Who thought up that one? There are two other sets of steps at the back of the hill. Just wait and see what monstrosity they erect for the new piermaster’s office and waiting rooms.
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What do you think the chances are of Western using the replaced ferries to rekindle their plans of a Toward/Ardyne to Ardmaleish/Port Bannatyne service?
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For Bob: This is an interesting one we’re not familiar with. Did it emerge when there was talk of a holiday village complex at Ardyne?
We did look at the plans for that scheme, the roads/access issues involved, the wind direction for sailors at Ardyne (not helpful) and the balance of likelihood that while planned as a residential village it would most probably end up as seasonal.
No one with any idea of the reality would ever back a plan for a seasonal complex. They suck the life out of a place out of season – which is most of the time – and the infrastructural costs of supporting their development, most of which have to come out of the public purse, would always be better and more organically spent elsewhere.
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If I remember correctly the ferry idea was suggested a while before McAlpine put forward their redevelopment plans. I don’t think it ever went any further than just talking and was shelved. The plan was brought up again and I believe incorporated into the Ardyne development when those plans were drawn up. I could well be remembering that wrong though.
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Great to see plenty of positive, constructive ideas being aired; The pier is hardly comparable to the traditional ‘seaside’ pier on a sandy beach, but there must be numerous examples around the world of restaurants, bars and cafes capitalising on the special atmosphere of the type of setting enjoyed by Dunoon pier, and it’s easy to imagine a really popular venue for not just eating & drinking but also functions and – dare I say it – small conferences, if the buildings provide sufficient space.
Such uses don’t depend on a mediterranean climate – You can find this type of development quite far north in Scandinavia, with provision for outdoor sitting when the weather allows, and a very cosy indoor environment with fine panoramic views of the scene outside.
Having said this, there’s only so much eating and drinking potential in downtown Dunoon, and I can’t see the length of a pedestrianised main street being able to depend that much on this type of development, whereas a pier venue could surely attract people from far and wide if skilfully managed.
It’s difficult to think of any sensible justification for keeping the Queen’s Hall as it is, but the replacement is open to question; does Dunoon need more retail space?
As for the ‘traditional’ ferry, Lorna Ahlquist is surely right to question the commitment to decent public transport; maybe people don’t like to think of Cowal as ‘commuterland’, but it’s not a dirty word, and a high quality integrated ferry and train service between Dunoon and Glasgow is surely absolutely essential to the economic health of Cowal.
This won’t happen until the government wakes up, and through Transport Scotland – and SPT if it can be cleaned up – gets to grips with the dismal arrangements at Gourock (and to a lesser extent at Dunoon) before they get (rightly) accused of presiding over a mismanagement fiasco up there with the Edinburgh tram ‘system’.
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Robert..”type of setting enjoyed by Dunoon pier”, have you seen it recently? As said earlier it is now altogether spoiled by the linkspan and ‘stairs’ on the Castle hill,and will be marred further by the proposed piermasters office and waiting room. Of course our pier did have a bar and tea rooms at one time, I wonder why they closed?
Newsroom…Western talked about a ferry from Ardyne to Bute years before there was any mention of a holiday village.
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Is it any surprise that we see no comment on this important issue from local councillors such as Councillor Dick Walsh -Leader of the Council, Councillor Bruce Marshall – Chairman of the Bute & Cowal Area Committee, Len Scoullar – Deputy Chairman of the Bute & Cowal Area Committee or from Councillor Duncan MacIntyre who is the Council’s Transport Spokesperson.
We certainly should not be surprised at the lack of interest from Duncan MacIntyre as the feedback we receive tells us that he is virtually never seen in Campbeltown, Rothesay, Helensburgh or Dunoon. A freedom of information request to the Council on how often he has visited any of these towns on official Council business over the past year would certainly be very interesting.
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There is of course the main problem that Dunoon Pier was not built in sheltered waters, and historically Hunter’s Quay has always been the most sheltered area for a Quay or ferry terminal. Having a proper harbour area like Ayr or Adrossan, may or may not have helped Dunoon Pier to be used more in rough seas. It will be interesting to see if the breakwater helps the passenger ferries use the new linkspan more often this winter.The reality is of course that most of the Cal-Mac fleet are coming up for renewal, so if any government in power can get a private company to provide ships without any subsidy, then that will save them millions of pounds.
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At the risk of triggering outrage, how about removing the Dunoon linkspan (there must be somewhere that really would benefit from it) to create a sheltered berth for a fit-for-purpose passenger service? And correct, I’m not aware of the ‘stairs’ on the Castle hill, but I think that with care passenger waiting facilities could be designed at the new berth without desecrating the setting of the historic listed structures. It needs care, and co-ordination – is that too much to expect?
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To Robert – I think your comment is what is planned for the future. Most passenger services have a floating pontoon system, which I am sure could be covered, giving suitable cover for the passengers in all weathers. I do think however that there would be an almighty outcry, as some have a deep seated idea that vehicle ferries can return in the future, from the new linkspan, which of course is not an ideal design to see when you sail in, with the iconic Highland Mary overlooking it.
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To Dunoon Lad: A floating pontoon system would be great at both termini – if Gourock is sufficiently sheltered – no more negotiating gangways more suited to (nimble) livestock, and genuine DDA compliance. This is how the old steam ferry operated across the estuary of the river Dart between the trains at Kingswear and the ‘station’ at Dartmouth, in my childhood memory.
Of course, half a century on, with the inherited infrastructure designed for classic passenger steamers and then butchered to cope with vehicle ferries, expecting near or totally stepless access to Clyde passenger ferries seems to be akin to Oliver Twist asking for ‘more’.
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I’m not really ‘into’ computers or websites but this was pointed out to me some time ago…go to, UTUBE, search, Dunoon breakwater, watch the video of water breaking over the breakwater….scarey! The water behind the breakwater looks calm and this was exceptional weather but it will be like this again. Be afraid, be very afraid!! The breakwater was constructed to protect the pier, yet on completion part of the pier was demolished to allow access to the new blue linkspan! Plans were displayed years ago of the proposed new waiting room and piermasters office and there was public outrage as they resembled a watchtower from a WW2 prison of war camp. These plans were shelved with the excuse of being ‘too costly’. ABC don’t give up easily though and I can see the same plans being dusted down and presented once again.
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Have looked at You Tube you refer to, I remember that day, very windy indeed.If my memory serves me correctly Western Ferries were off also. Poor weather this afternoon so went down to see how Argyll Ferries were doing in rough and windy conditions, the Argyll Flyer arrived just on time after what can only be described as a very scary looking crossing. Spoke with some passengers who disembarked and they confirmed the crossing was frightening and one man said if he has to make the journey in such weather he would have to go by bus then Western Ferries.We should remember this is only September, what can commuters who travel daily in the winter expect.
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For Gus Mackay: How was the approach to the linkspan and the disembarcation in these conditions today?
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Can’t think of a foolproof answer to the weather problem other than a tunnel, which – if we were in Norway – would likely have been built years ago.
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The Argyll Flyer had to almost go past the breakwater then turn towards the pier so that it was coming in from the south. The wind was from the west so a south wind would appear to cause more problems. It was bobbing up and down in the water and those of us watching were glad we were not on board,once it was tied up it seemed okay and the disembarcation went fine.But as i said earlier this is only September.Perhaps you could find out if all sailings went today.
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For Gus Mackay: Thanks for this detailed picture . You feel sorry for the crew as well. Tough to have to try to cope with anxious passengers on board and an audience on the slip of those about to embark.
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Not so much an audience, most were about to board, concerned with the journey ahead! Others were collecting friends or relatives.
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One was impressed by the speed with which Argyll Ferries abandoned ship today whilst Western kept going for a further 5 hours. Yes, the weather was vile but I rather think the larger old CalMac boats would have been sailing.
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Grant, 90% of CalMac’s fleet was off due to the wind and weather conditions, the Saturn probably would have been off as well.
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And is the newish linkspan now destined for the Ardyne to Bute new service I wonder……………
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For newsroom – you Sid you were not sure about the Ardyne ferry link. See your previous article on this- http://forargyll.com/2009/11/ardyne-point-development-white-hope-or-white-elephant/#
This development seems to have been put on hold or abandoned?
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