Vacation Scotland

Ferries to and from Scotland

Ferries to and from Scotland are provided by a number of companies, with the Northern Irish ports at Belfast and Larne the main point of embarkation. The Belfast to Stranraer service runs six times a day, with less frequent services between Larne and Troon or Cairnryan. Aberdeen port supports ferries to the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

The Shetland port of Lerwick serves five ferry destinations on the Scottish mainland at Aberdeen, Stromness, St Margaret's Hope, Gills Bay and Scraster ferry ports. Lerwick ferries also run to Bergen in Norway, the tiny island of Torshaven halfway to Iceland and the Icelandic port of Seydisfjordur across the wild North Atlantic as well as Hentsholm in Sweden.

Other ferries to and from Scotland include a service from the port of Rosyth on the country's eastern coast to Zeebrugge in Belgium. A search for links and more information of ferry services on vacation-scotland.co.uk will help plan your itinerary. Unfortunately, there are no ferry routes from Scottish ports to England or Northern France.

The main ferry companies offering ferries to and from various Scottish destinations are Stena Line, Smyril Line, P&O Ferries, Northlink and Norfolkline, all of which have online sites making pre-booking straightforward. For the smaller ferries and on the less frequent routes, booking online in advance is the best idea to avoid getting stranded.

If you're planning to travel in the late autumn or winter months, remember to check a little in advance of your boarding date as to possible weather disruptions to your journey. Storms in the North Atlantic can brew up very quickly and prevent sailings for several days. For more information on ferry travel in the region, please visit vacation-scotland.co.uk.