Ferry Tales of Argyll and the Isles

‘the book’s many tales of ferries . . . have warmth and humour as well as historical documentary value’ – Lloyd’s List

‘professionally and carefully researched . . . by any standards an excellent oral history’ – Navigation News

‘[Walter Weyndling] has researched the written history with almost as much enthusiasm as he’s mined the extensive anecdotal record’ – The Scotsman

Ferry Tales of Argyll and the Isles is a fascinating record of the ferries that ply the waters off the west coast of Scotland, and which have been part of the fabric of life in this part of Scotland for generations. For visitors these ferries are the ideal and, in some cases, the only way to get about.

In this new and expanded edition, Walter Weyndling, who worked with the ferries of western Scotland for many years after the Second World War, recounts with warmth and humour the real story of the ferries, their routes, the people who ran them, the people who used them and the communities they served. He includes a wealth of stories gleaned from archives and personal experience. The result is a marvellous portrayal of a subject of enduring interest for local inhabitants and visitors alike.

Walter Weyndling came to Scotland on leaving school, to study Naval Architecture at Glasgow University. Over the course of his career, he worked for the RAF, the Admiral Navy Construction Department and the Marine Survey Service of the Board of Trade. For over twenty years, he was the Senior Ship Surveyor at Greenock, responsible for the safety of commercial craft in the lower reaches of the Firth of Clyde, South and Mid Argyll and the Isles.