Why is there no Northern Ireland to Kintyre ferry?

Simon Calder looks at a missing ferry link, Atol protection and a carousel issue

The harbour in the village of Tarbert Loch Fyne in Scotland’s Kintyre peninsula (Getty/iStock)

Q Why is there no ferry service between Northern Ireland and Kintyre? It seems an obvious link, to me. It would allow a journey to be constructed through the west of the UK that allows Scotland to be easily combined with Northern Ireland. Imagine an itinerary that included Titanic Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway, Derry and the Western Isles. Londonderry to Islay or Campbeltown would be ideal candidates.

Mark Ogilvie

A The distance between the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland and the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula in western Scotland is only 12 miles at its closest. But all ferries from Northern Ireland to Scotland currently serve Cairnryan in the far southwest. The road journey from Cairnryan to the Kintyre peninsula takes many hours.