Ferry passengers have had their travel plans brought forward in a desperate attempt to beat the weather.
The CalMac sailing to Barra was cancelled today, but will sail during a weather window tomorrow.
It will leave Barra at 5am, and depart Oban at 10.45am.
This is due to strong winds which are expected to batter the area in the coming days – prompting CalMac to cancel sailings for Tuesday.
Regarding the cancellation to Castlebay, a CalMac spokeswoman said: “On Tuesday, due to forecast adverse weather, and associated sea conditions all sailings have been cancelled.
“Passengers are advised to travel on Monday’s sailing if possible.”
On Wednesday the service will be liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.
A further update will be provided on Tuesday afternoon, follow @CalMac_Updates for the latest.
Services cancelled today included Oban to Castlebay, Oban to Coll, Iona to Mull, and Tiree, Mallaig and the Small Isles, and between Mallaig and Lochboisdale.
The Barra to Eriskay sailing is also cancelled today, and tomorrow.
A yellow warning for freezing rain and ice is currently in place for much of the north until 9pm tonight.
A Met Office spokeswoman said: “A period of freezing rain and snow will lead to some disruption to travel and other activities, before turning to rain later.”
However, by tomorrow the weather is likely to exceed 10C across the region.
Train services cancelled
Train travel on the West Highland, Kyle and Far North lines were cancelled today.
A ScotRail spokesman said: “Due to severe weather, services have been suspended on the Far North, Kyle and West Highland Lines.
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused to customers. We’re working closely with Network Rail and will resume our services as soon as it’s safe to do so.
“There’s a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across Scotland today which will cause disruption to some services.
“If you’re planning to travel, remember to check our mobile app or visit JourneyCheck https://journeycheck.com/scotrail/ for live service information.”
🥶🌨️ There's a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across Scotland today which will cause disruption to some services. If you’re planning to travel, remember to check our mobile app or visit JourneyCheck https://t.co/J1m2DnhAEG for live service information. pic.twitter.com/UCyRicjJ19
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) December 18, 2022
Power restored in Shetland
Despite the travel disruption, there is some good news.
All homes in Shetland have now had their power restored after nearly a week of being left in the dark.
Heavy snow badly damaged the lines on Monday, leaving more than 5,289 homes without heat or light.
SSEN has today confirmed the final 118 homes have now had their power restored.
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