FERRY operator CalMac has warned that vehicles looking to travel to a Scottish island face a two-and-a-half hour wait – even with pre-purchased tickets.
CalMac said that the long wait time was due to the high volume of vehicles trying to cross from Largs, in North Ayrshire, to Great Cumbrae.
The crossing to the island, in the Firth of Clyde, usually takes just 10 minutes.
The CalMac website makes clear that the crossing is a “Turn Up and Go” route, meaning spaces are not reserved even for people who have purchased tickets ahead of time – which is encouraged.
CalMac wrote on social media: “Due to volume of traffic, there is currently a 2.5 hour wait for vehicles travelling from Largs and no wait time for foot passengers.
“There is no wait for vehicles or foot passengers travelling from Cumbrae.”
ℹ️ INFO #Largs #Cumbrae 01Aug Due to volume of traffic, there is currently a 2.5 hour wait for vehicles travelling from Largs and no wait time for foot passengers. There is no wait for vehicles or foot passengers travelling from Cumbrae.
— CalMac Service Info (@CalMac_Updates) August 1, 2024
Millport, on Great Cumbrae, is a popular tourist spot and seaside town and it is likely that the high traffic volume is due to people trying to enjoy the good weather.
The Met Office is predicting temperatures of 19C and sunshine on Ayrshire’s coast on Thursday, amid a spell of hot weather across the UK.
However, that sunny weather is set to break across parts of England and Wales, with thunderstorms and hailstorms to sweep across parts of the UK as temperatures reach up to 30C, the Met Office has said.
The forecaster issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms covering the majority of England and Wales for the whole day, which may lead to sudden flooding and disruption to transport.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: “Where those thunderstorms occur, that local area will probably get pretty much all of the rain that that thunder cloud is holding – so there could be very locally heavy downpours which bring along the risk of localised flooding and surface water problems for transport networks.”
Among the storms, there will be “a lot of fine, dry and sunny weather” and Thursday will feel “very warm, very humid and very muggy”, he added.
