George Nugent Travels

ADVICE: If you have not already ready my Loganair post from last week I would recommend reading this first as there will be a number of comparisons to that post.

Having decided I wanted to fly with Loganair either to or from Campbeltown I did my research to plan my day. Having considered time and cost I decided I would take a coach ride to Campbeltown and fly back.

Scottish CityLink in partnership with West Coast Motors offer several services a day between Glasgow and Campbeltown and provide residents and tourists with another way to travel as well as connecting several rural towns and villages on the way.

Journey Details

Operator: West Coast Motors on behalf of Scottish CityLink

Date of Travel: 12/10/2023

Journey Time: 4 Hours 30 Minutes

Price: £25.90

Buchannan Bus Station Experience

Buchannan Bus Station is the main bus hub in Glasgow and is somewhere most tourists will find themselves visiting at some point, it is here you catch buses to the airport and to major cities across the UK.

Like most bus stations it was designed to do its job and not be glamourous, something which it does very well. I would recommend arriving no more than 30 minutes before departure, however I arrived just 10 minutes before thanks to ScotRail being delayed.

When you arrive look for the screen pictured above and find your service, remember it is organised alphabetically and not by departure time. Personally I am not a fan of this and would rather they organised it by time.

If you are from outside of Scotland and are confused by the word stance it means stand so look for the number, there is an information point you can ask for help, or ask a local and we will do our best to help.

The Journey Experience

Boarding began approximately 10 minutes before departure and was efficient. Our friendly driver opened the baggage area and gave instructions on where passengers should put their bags.

I showed my pre-booked ticket and the driver crossed me off a list and made a friendly comment about “you cant get much further than that” a good way to make an introduction to passengers.

There is no assigned seating on this journey so I made my way towards the back and took a seat on the right of the bus. My bag and jacket easily fit in the overhead rack and I made myself comfortable in the seat.

I did not realise until much later in the trip that the seat also has a USB charger in-between the seats, this was very well hidden but did work when I eventually found it – my phone battery was low as I was checking I would actually make the coach because ScotRail decided that they should not communicate to passengers during a delay.

Each coach also has a toilet located at the rear of the bus – I didn’t use it but I would imagine it was clean as the rest of the bus was spotless.

We departed Glasgow on time and made our way west towards Campbeltown. Due to the unique geography of the area this bus actually covers 138 miles compared to the Loganair flight which covers 57 or so miles.

As we passed through Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park I realised that I had made the right choice by sitting on the right side of the bus, some people sitting on the left moved so they could get some pictures.

Do not be fooled, there is not really a better side of the bus to sit on, however I would recommend following the rough guide included below to maximise photo opportunities.

• Glasgow to Arrochar – Sit on the right side
• Arrochar to Kennacraig Ferry Terminal – Sit on the left side
• Kennacraig Ferry Terminal – Sit on the right side

If you are not sure when you are in Arrochar you can wait until you arrive in Inverary, the bus stops here for 10 minutes so you can stretch your legs and the driver can get a break.

Speaking of Kennacraig Ferry Terminal that is where the majority of passengers on this journey got off the bus, allowing them to connect onto the 1pm CalMac sailing to Port Askaig in Islay.

This was a busy stop as the Glasgow bound bus is scheduled approximately 5 minutes later to allow passengers from Campbeltown to catch the same ferry. If the bus is delayed I am not sure what happens, my assumption is that some level of communication takes place to make CalMac aware and the final decision lies with them when it comes to holding the ferry or arranging for passengers to travel on the next sailing.

After this I counted 6 passengers including myself and the rest of the journey passed uneventfully and without any problems.

Arriving in Campbeltown

Our arrival was delayed by 8 or so minutes, no matter given the distance covered and the fact I was arriving as a tourist into a seaside village in Scotland in October – it was rather empty and was really cold.

The coach drops you off at the village “bus station” which in reality is a bus stop for terminating buses and a stop for departing buses.

I thanked the driver – always do this in the UK if you are visiting! – and got off, I made my way to a local café where I wrote down my final thoughts on the journey.

My Final Thoughts

I would say this journey was marginally better than my Flixbus experience – but that could be down to the fact that I could understand the language and was not sitting there always thinking something was going wrong when in actual fact the driver was just going to the toilet.

The price I paid was excellent value and was more than half the price of the flight I took home with Loganair. The bus was perfectly comfortable, however, I do wish the USB chargers were more clearly noticeable.

The big issue with this journey comes down the the weather during the few days before your journey. The route this bus takes was actually closed right up until the night before I took the journey meaning the service took a diversionary route further north, adding up to an hour onto the journey.

Overall, I think the service provided was excellent and I would absolutely recommend travelling on this service. I would also recommend flying back to Glasgow, this allows you to maximise your day – but again, do the journey in summer.