There are calls for a year-round ferry service to help mitigate the problems caused by one of Scotland’s most enduring road problems.
Landslips have plagued the A83 Tarbet to Campbeltown road at the Rest and Be Thankful for 13 years.
Tonnes of rock, mud and debris have tumbled onto the carriageway time again, forcing regular closures, lengthy detours and huge disruption to the lives of residents.
And though the route could be replaced, there are fears that project could take a decade to become a reality.
In the meantime, Argyll and Bute Council will be asked to back a petition for an all-year-round freight and passenger ferry service from Campbeltown to Ardrossan when it meets on Thursday.
When there is the threat of landslips, the road is closed and a convoy system is put into action via the Old Military Road diversion route through the glen.
And amid heavy rainfall, motorists are forced to take a 60-mile diversion via Loch Lomond to Dalmally to access Argyll.
Significant efforts have been made to mitigate the threat in recent years and last month Transport Scotland announced a new route through Glen Croe, near the existing road, is the preferred permanent solution.
Five options through Glen Croe are currently under review, but there are fears the project could take as long as 10 years to deliver.
Behind the petition are Councillor Donald Kelly, based in Campbeltown, and Lochgilphead-based Councillor Douglas Philand.
Disruption
Councillor Kelly said: “We can’t go through another 10 years of disruption.
“In the last year we have had 280 days when there have been issues on that road, whether the Old Military Road emergency diversion route has been used or the 60 mile diversion put in place.
“We need another way in and out of Argyll.”
Last year the seasonal ferry operated by CalMac between Campbeltown and Ardrossan was cancelled due to Covid.
In previous years it has operated from May to September.
But Councillor Kelly said it was unreliable and a year-round-seven-days-a-week service must be put in place.
He said: “Half the time it wasn’t running. If another vessel was down somewhere else it would be taken off service. The timetable wasn’t really up to much.
“What we are looking for is a full time ferry service to run seven days a week, capable of carrying passengers and freight, with RET applied so that it is affordable.
“It is not a solution to the problems at the Rest but it would give people in Campbeltown, Kintyre, Mid Argyll and further afield another opportunity to get to the Scottish mainland.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be Ardrossan, it could be Greenock or somewhere else.
“We are calling on all of the political candidates in Argyll and Bute to support this.
“There are milk tankers running from Campbeltown to Lockerbie daily. Whisky coming from Islay. This would be a greener way of transporting it than by road.
“Later this year we will be submitting another petition calling for a reduction in the timescale associated with finding a solution for the Rest.
“The area committee backed it unanimously. When it gets to council I would expect it to get nodded through.”
