Ferry details

To really catch the flavor of Scotland, it’s good to take a boat or two during your travels. The high season sees augmented schedules on many routes, as well as one or two unusual ferry links that only run in the peak season. Here’s the gen on five fine Scottish ferry trips for this summer.

Bicycles are carried for free on all five routes mentioned here. Cyclists should always mention the need for bike space when making a booking. For foot passengers advance booking is possible, but by no means essential on most of the routes mentioned below. The one notable exception is Route 5 (to Jura) where seats must always be booked in advance.

1. A Viking voyage: Shetland to Orkney

We were blessed with good weather when we sailed from Lerwick in the Shetland Islands to Orkney. It is a perfect journey for a mid-summer evening, when you can expect superb views of Fair Isle. It is a route that runs year-round, but during the high season the frequency rises from twice to thrice weekly. Departures this summer are at 5.30 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Lerwick.

Single fare: £17.10
Crossing time: 5 hrs 30 mins
Cars carried: YES
Operator: NorthLink Ferries

The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry cruising through Oban Bay. Photo: Ian Britton

2. Island hopping: Kennacraig to Oban

The bus journey from Kennacraig (a small port towards the northern end of the Mull of Kintyre) takes less than three hours and is a very fine ride through stunning Highland scenery. But there is another option. During the high season, there is a twice-weekly ferry from Kennacraig to Oban. It stops at the islands of Islay and Colonsay, affording along the way very fine views of Jura. The service operates until late October.

Single fare: £15.45
Crossing time: 6 hrs 25 mins
Cars carried: YES
Operator: Caledonian MacBrayne

3. Away from Kintyre: Campbeltown to Ardrossan

As last year, Caledonian MacBrayne are running an occasional service from Campeltown (at the southern end of the Mull of Kintyre) to Ardrossan (on the mainland south-west of Glasgow) until late September 2014. The Saturday sailing from Campbeltown is really one for early birds (it leaves at 7am), but in good weather it’s a fine way to see the Firth of Clyde. It skirts the south coast of Arran, making a stop at Brodick.

Single fare: £9.80
Crossing time: 3 hrs 40 mins
Cars carried: YES
Operator: Caledonian MacBrayne

4. Out to the Outer Hebrides: Oban to Castlebay

There are plenty of boats to the Outer Hebrides, with Caledonian MacBrayne offering a good range of services from Oban and Ullapool (both on the mainland) as well as from the port of Uig on the Isle of Skye. But there is one sailing in particular in the current schedules which warrants attention this summer. The Thursday morning sailing from Oban to Castlebay (on the island of Barra) takes an unusual routing via the islands of Coll and Tiree.

Single fare: £14.25
Crossing time: 6 hrs 45 mins
Cars carried: YES
Operator: Caledonian MacBrayne

The view from the Jura Passenger Ferry. Photo: bazzarrgh

5. The back route to Jura

There was a time when the only way to Jura was via the island of Islay. But nowadays there is a seasonal direct service to Craighouse on Jura from Tayvallich on the mainland. It’s not cheap, but this community-run venture gives fast access from the Scottish mainland to one of the remotest parts of the Inner Hebrides. The service runs twice daily from Mondays to Saturdays except Wednesdays. There is also one run on a Sunday. The route operates until the end of September.

Single fare: £20
Crossing time: 1 hr
Cars carried: NO
Operator: Jura Passenger Ferry

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Getting to Ærø by ferry

Every island has its own special appeal, and for us Ærø ticks all the right boxes. It is sufficiently far from the mainland and other islands to have a genuine sense of isolation. Yet with three year-round ferry routes connecting Ærø to the rest of Denmark, the island is easy to reach. The journey time on each of those three ferry links is much the same: about 70 to 75 minutes. So long enough to communicate a sense of distance, but no time-consuming voyage.

Island pleasures

That’s the thing about islands. It is all a matter of psychology. When God designed Ærø, he clearly had in mind that the islands’ residents should be forever reminded of their offshore status. For the roads twist and turn, run up and down, but it’s never long before you crest another summit to reveal a gorgeous view of the Baltic. The hilly nature of Ærø means that from higher ground you often catch sea views in every direction at once.

But the hills are not so steep as to defy keen cyclists. The island is small enough to cycle from one end to the other (and back) in a single day. The dense network of minor lanes is tailor-made for walkers. And visitors can hike from one village to another and then ride back in the comfort of the local bus. Bus services on Ærø are all completely free (yes, where did you last see that?).

The island boasts a wonderful medley of colorful houses. Photo: © hidden europe

An island with ideas

Small island communities around Europe’s coast have often been wonderful incubators of innovation. And Ærø even more than most. This is an island with a buzz—a very good buzz. A keen maritime history has ensured that Ærø is outward-looking. It keeps in touch with wider trends. The island has been a leader in alternative energy and is now set to cut a dash in the slow food movement.

For after island adventures and recreation, visitors demand Ærø on a plate. A local champion for real local food on Ærø is Louise Badino (who has far more Ærø blood in her than the Italianate surname might imply). Louise describes herself as a “learning-by-doing” entrepreneur. She already has a niche in the Ærø marriage market but has latterly created the island’s first serious store for local produce. With a plum spot on the main square in the island’s ‘capital’ of Ærøskøbing, Louise’s shop is the obvious first stop for visitors wanting a bite of Ærø. “Buy local,” is Louise’s clarion call as she leads visitors to shelves laden with locally-brewed beer (made at Rise brewery on the island), tempting displays of Ærø mustard and honey, organic herbs and local lamb.

“Can we really say we are a community when most people go shopping at the local supermarket,” Louise asks. It’s a point we might all take on board as we travel. Supermarkets are soulless, impersonal places. If we are to breathe new life into our town squares, we need them to bustle with business, with energy and with enthusiasm.

Making a difference & where to stay

We ran across energy and enthusiasm aplenty in Ærø last week. It was there in the voices and faces of men like Erik Kroman who runs the marvellous maritime museum in Marstal. We saw it in the dedication of Maria and Steen Larsen who in 2006 “came from across the sea” (Maria’s nice way of describing their move from urban Denmark to the island of Ærø) to revive an inn called Vindeballe Kro in a great location in the very middle of the island. While Steen demonstrated the wonderful things that can be done with local Ærø beef, Maria told the tale of how the couple had shaped new lives on the island.

We discovered how Ærø’s own peculiar magic has a way of catching hold of incomers. When Susanna Greve moved to the island in 1974, she could barely have imagined that 40 years later she would still be on Ærø. Susanne now runs an extremely comfortable small hotel (called Pension Vestergade 44) in Ærøskøbing.

Island challenges

It is people like Susanna Greve, Louise Badino and Erik Kromann who are the life and soul of Ærø. And the island relies on dozens more like them. Ærø is exceptional—and very well deserving of a visit. And yet there is a sense in which Ærø is not exceptional. For the story of Ærø is replicated in dozens of island communities around Europe. It is the challenge of having loyalty to community, a sense of being rooted in a particular place and being able thrive locally in a global economy. Ærø just seems to have found particularly good solutions to that trinity of challenges.

The post Portrait of a Danish Island: Ærø appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

City Tour

There are numerous boat companies plying the central waterways on sunny summer days. Such tours typically last one hour and take passengers past the city’s major sights: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, government quarter including Chancellery and Reichstag, Hauptbahnhof, Berlin Cathedral, Museum Island, and Nikolaiviertel.

Boat companies include: Stern & Kreis and Reederei Riedel. The most convenient location with regular departures is Friedrichstrasse station. Cost: Around €10

• Cheapo tip: Have a local friend or host with a transportation ticket subscription? Such “Abo” customers are eligible for 2-for-1 tours on BWSG boats. Print the coupon here.

Canals Tour

Stern & Kreis offers a “bridges” tour through Berlin’s canal system, taking you through Mitte, Friedrichshain, Treptow, Kreuzberg and Charlottenburg, before returning through the center of the city. It’s an excellent three-hour excursion. Wait for a fine day and slap on sunscreen! Click for departures from Friedrichstrasse or Jannowitzbrücke. Cost: 20€.

• Cheapo tip: Score 20% off your ticket price with a coupon from the Berlin Stars booklet, distributed with paid admission by participating attractions (Fernsehturm, Madame Tussaud’s, SeaLife, Legoland, etc.).

Ultimate Cheapo Tour

For the price of a regular AB public transportation ticket or included in any day or week ticket, Cheapos can take the ferry F10 across Wannsee to Alt-Kladow. The harbor is a quick walk from Wannsee station, located 20-30 minutes from Friedrichstrasse (S1/S7) or Zoo (S7) stations.

The ferry ride takes 20 minutes in one direction; either enjoy a stop in one of Alt-Kladow’s harbor-side biergartens for an hour, or disembark and immediately join the line reboarding for Wannsee. Consider stopping on an excursion to or from Potsdam. Cost: 5.20€ (or free). More information.

The post How to save on Berlin’s boat tours and river cruises appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Flash forward to Saturday, though, and I’d already found my first Cheapo tip to write back home about. The Bateaux-Mouches, simple boat tours of Paris from the Seine, are well-worn tourist territory. But this doesn’t mean you should hesitate to board one of the barge-looking vessels for a quick, convenient and inexpensive introduction to the City of Lights.

Sit, relax, and ogle

As a very sore, very jetlagged traveler, being able to sit on a boat and ogle the major sights of Paris without having to walk or worry about planning was a blessing. The Bateaux-Mouches (and other similar boat services) cruise by the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Hotel de Ville and a number of other sights in a brisk hour or so. No other service can offer so comprehensive a tour more quickly or cheaply.  A Seine River cruise is never a bad idea, but for the tired traveler, it can’t be matched.

And if it’s hot out, which does happen in Paris (90 degrees two weeks ago), it’s much nicer on the water than in city streets. Be forewarned, though, that in chilly weather, the wind up the river can make the tour almost unbearably cold.  I first took a Bateaux-Mouche two Februarys ago. I don’t think I could’ve penned a glowing review then.)

For information on the best Paris river cruises, along with prices, check out our post from June.

As for the rest of my trip, I’ll be getting to it soon. My itinerary so far hasn’t allowed for much quality blogging time. But while you’re waiting for these longer updates, you can follow my movements on Twitter and Facebook. It’s been a ton of fun so far and there’s plenty left to talk about!

The post Paris’ Bateaux-Mouches are the perfect tour for a tired traveler appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Time to think

We are not talking posh cruises here, but thinking rather of the regular ferries that ply the seas and inshore waters of Europe. Boats are a chance to take time out and think. We love boat trips.

It may be a simple hop on a ferry from Calais in France to Dover in England – where shipping stalwarts P&O bring cruise ship luxury to a 90-minute journey which in good weather is a sheer delight. Those famous white cliffs at Dover are quite something. (Read our previous post about P&O’s ferry service from England to France.)

Or it may be the long haul, such as the weekly voyage with the Smyril Line vessel Norröna from Denmark to Iceland. Depending on the time of year, the voyage to Iceland takes two or three days.

Shipping links

Europe is a continent that has been shaped by its maritime heritage and shipping links. Ferries are still a major component of the continent’s transport network, taking heavy freight off crowded highways and allowing discerning travelers a chance to swap the rush of modern life for a few quiet hours on board a comfortable ship.

For many island communities, of course, ferries provide lifeline links to the wider world. And, at this time of year, the weather is quick to remind us of the fragility of those links. This week, for example, shipping services from the Scottish mainland to Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides have all been heavily disrupted by storms.

Ferry schedules

Sadly, there is no comprehensive guide to Europe’s passenger shipping and ferry routes, but the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable (ERT) does cover more than just trains. Each monthly edition of this wonderful book includes details of several hundred ferry routes in European waters.

For the majority of these routes, the ERT gives the full schedules but for a few routes it is no more than a tantalizing hint of a connection. The vessels of Bumerang Shipping, the ERT advises, sail irregularly from Yalta (in the Crimea) to Novorossisk (in Russia). The timetable tracks the twice weekly sailings of Siremar to Stromboli, and it waves the flag for the Virtu catamaran to Valletta.

Back in the more familiar waters of western Europe, the ERT gives the schedules for most major ferry routes. But still there are gaps. There is simply no space to include small routes of real character. Kintyre Express runs a year-round passenger link between Campbeltown in Scotland (on the Mull of Kintyre) and Ballycastle (in Northern Ireland). This is a route to clear the head. Life jackets are compulsory as the 11-metre RIB speeds over the North Channel on its two-hour run. Not for everyone, perhaps, but it’s certainly an antidote to the deadening boredom of air travel.

A taste of the sea

On longer journeys around Europe, an overnight hop on a ferry makes perfect sense. Here is our pick of a handful of long routes that run all year round. These are all routes run by leading shipping operators with vessels that offer every possible creature comfort.

Each of these five routes feature in this month’s ERT. But they are just five of a vast range of maritime connections that help keep Europe on the move:

Oslo (Norway) to Kiel (Germany):
Every night — 20 hrs — Color Line — ERT Table 2372

Hirtshals (Denmark) to Bergen (Norway):
Thrice-weekly overnight service — 19 hrs — Fjord Line — ERT Table 2237

Rotterdam (Holland) to Hull (England):
Every night— 12 hrs — P&O — ERT Table 2245

Stockholm (Sweden) to Tallinn (Estonia):
Every night — 16 hrs — Tallink Silja — ERT Table 2475

Civitavecchia (Italy) to Barcelona (Spain):
Nightly ex Sundays — 20 hrs — Grimaldi Lines — ERT Table 2520

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Boulogne is situated in the northeast corner of France near Calais.

But onward travel through France was slow and so, for a generation of Brits, this little fragment of France abutting the English Channel was the only portion of the country that they really knew.

The Nord / Pas-de-Calais region

But what a lovely corner of France it was… and still is today. Its charms are too easily overlooked by British travelers today, whose arrival in France is often all-too-hurried. They are too intent to rush on, keen to head south to the Dordogne or Provence. Insofar as they stop at all in the Calais or Boulogne region, it is usually only on the way home and then merely to load the car with the cheap wine that has become the Brits’ favorite import from France.

Viewed from the perspective of Paris, and even more so from the salons of the Riviera, the cities and ports of the far north of France are still seen as impossibly remote. It’s a sentiment nicely captured in the hugely successful film Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (“Welcome to the Sticks”). “North of Paris lie only the boondocks,” says our Avignon friend, going on to recount stories of pungent Maroilles cheese, cauliflowers and mining communities in terminal decline. Such are the prejudices of one too pampered by life in the sunny south.

Boulogne’s Old Town

Visiting Boulogne

So we told her that was nonsense and hopped on the next train to Boulogne, the one-time ferry port that once thrived on its links with Britain. The cross-Channel steamers have gone, now focusing their commercial efforts on Calais just 35 km up the coast. And, without the day trippers, that makes Boulogne all the more enjoyable.

The local tourism authorities still have a sharp eye on the British market, ever conscious that in terms of travel time Boulogne and Calais are closer to London than they are to Paris. “Real France, real close” run the ads prepared for the UK market.

Boulogne highlights

And this is real France, for Brits just a quick hop from London with Eurostar or a pleasant 90-minute cruise from Dover on P&O’s magnificent ferries.

Boulogne in particular is something special. We wandered the Gambetta Quai each morning, which boasts a superb fish market. And each evening we ate fresh fish in whatever manner Tony Lestienne favored that day. Lestienne is the most accomplished of chefs in a town with a rich culinary tradition. If you eat at the La Matelote restaurant, you are in for a treat. But if budgets are tight, head to the restaurant in the nearby Nausicáa Centre, where Monsieur Lestienne runs the in-house catering.

With its ramparts, walled Old Town and maze of narrow streets, Boulogne is pure France. And there are enough sights to detain you for three or four days.

The castle museum is a gem, with its oddly eclectic mix of exhibits. The range runs from a hall devoted to the funereal rites of Ancient Egypt through a stunning collection of Alaskan masks to delicately beautiful paintings of local Opale Coast beaches and dunescapes.

The big-draw sight in town is of course Nausicáa, an aquarium and environmental education center that lies on the northern fringes of town. It is justifiably celebrated.

Riding the coast: North to Calais

We left by bus, taking the morning local service up the coast to Calais. This is a roller coaster of a route that takes in cliffs and bays aplenty, the entire run enlivened by wonderful views of the white cliffs of the Kent coast just across the Channel. It is a good reminder that this is a corner of France whose fortunes have been forever shaped by its proximity to England.

Getting to Boulogne

From England, we strongly recommend the P&O ferry link from Dover to Calais. This is travel as it should be – relaxed, sedate and stylish. From Calais Port, it is an easy (if not exactly beautiful) hike into town to take one of the regular local trains from Calais Ville station to Boulogne.

Calais Ville station wins no prizes for grace or grandeur, but do take a few minutes to see Calais town hall, just south of the station. It is one of the most strikingly beautiful buildings in all of Flanders.

The rail route from Calais down to Boulogne runs inland, which means that you will only get occasional glimpses of the sea. So you might consider taking the none-too-frequent local bus service that departs from the Place d’Armes in Calais and hugs the coast all the way down to Boulogne. (Just note: No Sunday services on that bus route.)

From London St Pancras (and for that matter also from Brussels Midi), there are Eurostar trains direct to Calais Fréthun, in each case with a travel time of just one hour, where you can walk down to the very spartan local platform for the onward train to Boulogne. Calais to Boulogne takes just 30 minutes.

And if you are in France and can overcome local prejudices about the far, far north, you’ll find great rail connections from Paris to Boulogne. We recommend the line via Amiens, used by classic old-style but very comfortable InterCité trains, which take about 2hrs 45mins for the journey.

There are also five-times-daily TGV services which speed from Paris to Boulogne in just over two hours. The route they take is less immediately appealing than the more traditional Amiens line, but you do get some nice views of the landscapes of Picardie and Flanders.

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But for many journeys by boat to and from Britain there are some credible alternatives which deserve a look. This week we explore shipping routes across the North Sea.

Dutch Flyer

Stena Line offer twice-daily sailings from Harwich to Hoek van Holland (a Dutch port that Brits still colloquially refer to as “The Hook”). One of the two services is by day, the other an overnight crossing. The ferry terminals at either end of this shipping route are well served by trains, so this makes an excellent rail-sea route linking London with Amsterdam, Rotterdam and northern Germany.

A Dutch Flyer ticket from just £39 allows you to travel from London Liverpool Street (or more than 160 other train stations in eastern England) to anywhere in the Netherlands. The fare covers the rail journey to Harwich, the 7- to 8-hour journey on the ship and then the onward train ride from Hoek van Holland to any train station on the Dutch network.

This really can be tremendous value. Rail fares in the Netherlands can be pricey, but with the Dutch Flyer ticket you effectively get onward travel within the Netherlands at no extra cost. Travelers using the overnight ferry option will need to pay a modest supplement for cabin accommodation.

Directly to Denmark

A prime choice for travelers bound for Scandinavia or the Baltic region is the DFDS service from Harwich to Esbjerg. The 18- to 19-hour crossing is a real chance to relax. Fast trains to Harwich from London connect with the late afternoon departure of the ship. From Esbjerg there are convenient same-day train connections on to Copenhagen and Hamburg.

One-way fares for the ship start at £49.

By ship from northern England

If you are based in Scotland or northern England, it is a long haul down to Harwich to catch a boat across the North Sea. But there are three long-established daily shipping routes direct from the North to the continent. All three are overnight services.

They are:

1. With DFDS at 5 p.m. every afternoon from Newcastle (North Shields) to Ijmuiden on the Dutch coast. DFDS lay on a connecting coach service which will speed you from Ijmuiden to the middle of Amsterdam.

2. A 6:30 p.m. P&O Ferries ship from Hull to Zeebrugge in Belgium, perfectly placed for access to Flanders. A bus collects foot-passengers from the ship in Zeebrugge for a shuttle transfer to Bruges railway station.

3. A second P&O Ferries daily departure from Hull, this one at 9 p.m. bound for Europoort in Holland. P&O offer real cruise-ferry luxury on this route. This route offers a choice of onward bus connections from the Dutch port of disembarkation: a direct express coach to Rotterdam and one to Amsterdam.  You can link onto the Dutch rail network in both cities with same-day onward connections to destinations across central Europe.

Our view is that these North Sea shipping routes offer an imaginative way to make journeys from many parts of Britain to the eastern Alps, the Rhine Valley, central European capitals and much of eastern Europe. They are all certainly a lot more fun than shuffling through long lines at airport security.

The post From Britain to the Continent: North Sea Ferries appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Of course, there are plenty of other ferry options, many of them with much longer crossing times than the short but sweet shipping routes which we highlight here. Those longer options includes several North Sea crossings from the eastern England ports of Harwich, Hull and Newcastle to the continent. And there are also a range of routes linking the south and southwest England ports of Newhaven, Portsmouth, Poole, Weymouth and Plymouth with France and Spain. The “short-sea” routes on which we focus below are all year-round services.

Four companies compete with ferry services from the Kent coast to the continent, three running from Dover to France and the fourth operating out of Ramsgate to Belgium.

Cruise-ferry comfort with P&O

Top choice from Dover to Calais is P&O, which offers cruise-ferry comfort on the 90-minute crossing to France. The company currently shuttles to and fro 46 times each day, but services will be a shade less frequent in the quieter winter months (from early January to mid-March 2012).

These are wonderful, well-appointed ships. Crossing the Channel by sea is a chance to relax, see the White Cliffs of Dover and recall how that short stretch of water separating Kent from the French coast so powerfully shaped English identity.

Daytime-only for foot passengers

This P&O ferry route to Calais is the only route from Dover on which foot passengers are permitted. And remember that foot passengers may not use night services. They are restricted to daytime sailings (viz. sailings that leave Dover between 8:10 a.m. and 7:35 p.m. or those that leave Calais between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.).

One-way fares for a car (including up to nine passengers if you can squeeze that number in) start at £25 single, and that fare also applies to car travelers wanting to return the same day – good for shoppers making a day excursion to France to stock up on cheap wines and French deli produce.

By coach and ship to France: Eurolines

Selected departures on Eurolines’ London to Paris express bus service also use the P&O shipping service from Dover. (Others take the less romantic option: the Eurotunnel vehicle shuttle). Services using the ferry are marked as such on the Eurolines timetables.

Grab one of Eurolines’ Advance Single fares and you may pay as little as £29 for the one-way ride from London to Paris, with a short cruise with P&O along the way.

DFDS and Sea France

Two other companies operate from Dover to French ports, namely Sea France (to Calais) and DFDS (to Dunquerque). Neither carry foot passengers, although the DFDS services will carry cyclists – and they have a very reasonable £10 one-way fare that covers both cyclist and bike.

Ramsgate: A link to Belgium

Kent’s second port at Ramsgate is very much smaller than Dover. Ramsgate is north of Dover and the travel time from London to both ports (whether by car or by train) is broadly similar.

Transeuropa Ferries offer thrice-daily services from Ramsgate to Oostende in Belgium. Crossing time is 4hrs 30mins (so more than twice as long as on services from Dover to France). Transeuropa do not carry foot passengers – a travesty as the ferry port in Oostende is right by the train station and this route would be so convenient for rail-sea travellers.

And – surely this must be against the law – Transuropa say that, for the time being, they will not accept cars that have a passenger who relies on a wheelchair. We have never used a Transeuropa ferry, but we understand from those who have that there is little by way of creature comforts.

The post England to France by Ferry: A few short routes appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Shetland

Several of the smaller islands in the Shetland archipelago have long relied on lifeline air services that were for four decades operated by Scottish airline Loganair. Nowadays Directflight operates these services with regular links to seven Shetland airports using 8-seater BN2-Islander aircraft. A quick look at Directflight’s 2011 fares and schedules shows fully flexible (and refundable) one-way fares from just £11 (about $18).

Inner Hebrides

BN2-Islanders are also a regular sight at Oban airport on the Scottish mainland where they are used on all the services operated by the airport’s sole scheduled airline: Hebridean Air Services. The company provides flights to four islands in the Inner Hebrides: Islay, Tiree, Coll and Colonsay.

Hebridean Air Services also offer links between selected islands. Pick of the routes for scenery is the afternoon flight from Colonsay to Islay which affords superb views of the Paps of Jura. This flight operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays this summer and tickets cost from £20 one way. The twice-weekly year-round air service augments the summer-only ferry service which operates just once each week.

Orkney

Loganair may have lost the Shetland inter-island contract, but they are still a mainstay of Orkney life where they operate Islanders on short hops serving seven Orkney airports. Some inter-island itineraries may require three or four en route stops and fares start at £15 return.

Loganair claims a world record for the shortest scheduled flight with its link between Westray and the neighboring island of Papa Westray where the sector takes just two minutes.

Aran Islands

Across in western Ireland, ever-versatile Islander aircraft also link the mainland with the three beautiful Aran Islands. Services are operated by Aer Arann Islands and the adult one-way fare for the short hop from Connemara Regional Airport (Aerfort Réigiúnach Chonamara) on the mainland to any of the three island airports is €23.

Plane or boat?

We don’t suggest that the plane to the Arans, or any of the Scottish island communities mentioned in this article, is necessarily better than the corresponding ferry connections. Most times, we would opt for boat over plane.

But some of the communities we mention here are genuinely remote and ill-served by ferries. Between now and the end of September the direct Orkney ferry from Papa Westray to North Ronaldsay runs on just four occasions. The weekly non-stop flight (on a Thursday) is thus a key element of the islands’ transport infrastructure.

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1. St. Peter Line to Russia

The news last week that over 60 ships were trapped in thick ice in the Baltic for some days is probably no great incentive to go and book some ferry trips. But Baltic spring ice does melt–eventually–and this year sees some interesting new options for Baltic travel by ship.

Cypriot-owned St. Peter Line last year launched a thrice-weekly service from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and back. And next month the company expands its offering with twice-weekly sailings from Stockholm to St. Petersburg (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) and a weekly departure from Tallinn to St. Petersburg (on Sundays).

2. Brittany Ferries to Bilbao

French operator Brittany Ferries has long been one of the most adventurous operators in the Western Channel with a raft of routes linking England and Ireland with northwest France. Later this month, the company opens a new service from Portsmouth to Bilbao in Spain, so reviving a long established ferry connection that abruptly disappeared when P&O pulled off the route last September.

Last Saturday, Brittany Ferries also reinstated its Poole to Cherbourg service. This is a very useful short link from England’s south coast to Normandy’s Cotentin peninsula. At the moment, Brittany advertise sailings just to October, so the long-term future of the route is still in doubt.

3. Maltese Connections

Virtu Ferries are one of several operators serving the Maltese market. The company had a welcome dose of free publicity in late February as Virtu’s smart white catamarans were featured on many news reports as the vessels evacuating foreign workers from Libyan ports. Virtu operates a year-round fast-ferry link between Pozzallo in Sicily and Malta. This year the company will also offer a Saturday catamaran service from Catania to Malta, starting on May 7, 2011.

Virtu’s latest Australian-built catamaran hit the headlines in September 2010 when it encountered Somali pirates on its delivery voyage to Malta. Virtu prides itself on speed, and reports say that the pirates were easily outpaced.

4. Scotland-Northern Ireland: Kintyre Express

Not for many years has there been any direct ferry link across the North Channel between the Mull of Kintyre (in western Scotland) and Northern Ireland. The last operator to offer a service was the splendidly named Argyll & Antrim Steam Packet Company which turned out to have rather flaky finances, and the service stopped in 2000.

Now Kintyre Express will fill the gap with a new fast passenger ferry from Campbeltown to Ballycastle. Services start on May 27, 2011. The route will be operated by fast RIBs with a heated cabin, so the 90-minute crossing is surely going to be a whole lot more fun than the average ferry journey. We reserve judgment on whether this is an inspired idea by Colin Craig, the man behind Kintyre Express, or whether perhaps it might be the balmiest idea in the history of European ferry transport.

We hope it is a great success, but Kintyre Express really needs to get its act together in terms of publicity and having a functioning online booking system on its website. This new ferry link creates a raft of new travel opportunities allowing visitors to Kintyre and Islay to make an easy hop over to the most beautiful part of the coast of Northern Ireland. The Antrim Glens and the Giant’s Causeway are both within easy reach of the Ballycastle ferry terminal.

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