Island Crossings

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The story of the ferry service that is vital to Scotland's west coast and its islands.

Caledonian MacBrayne serve 26 islands along Scotland’s west coast with their 35 ferries. Island Crossings tells the stories of staff and islanders whose lives and livelihoods depend on them.

BBC Scotland

Dougray Scott

Mark Downie

Abi Judge

Aideen O'Driscoll

Island Crossings: Series 1: Tiree Cattle Mart

Tiree Cattle Mart

Series 1

BBC Scotland - Island Crossings, Series 1, Tiree Cattle Mart

Tiree crofters ready their cattle for the final island market of the season.

Twenty new apprentices join the ranks of CalMac, while Tiree crofters ready their cattle for the final island market of the season, drawing buyers from across Scotland.

Every year, Caledonian MacBrayne run a nationwide search for the best and brightest candidates to join the fleet. Twenty new recruits have made it through the rigorous selection process to become this year’s cohort of modern apprentices in the engine, deck, retail and catering departments.

It’s the first few days of the scheme for this new group of 17– to 24-year-olds as they are inducted into college. They take a tour of the MV Caledonian Isles, where they get a glimpse into island life and working at sea. Two of the recruits are sisters Tanya and Natalie, with Tanya joining as a deck trainee, and Natalie joining up with retail and catering. In their first few weeks, the sisters are taught sea survival and how to tackle fires on board a ship as they progress towards joining their first vessel and a potential lifelong career at sea with CalMac.

It’s the final cattle sale of the year on the Inner Hebridean island of Tiree, and local crofters are getting their cattle ready for market. With buyers coming from all over Scotland, the cattle farmers on Tiree are hoping to get a good price, as this is the final sale of the season. One in 60 people on Tiree work for CalMac, and they often have more than one job, so in between tying up and letting go the MV Clansman, pier assistant Iain MacInnes is a crofter. Iain and his father are getting their herd primped and primed for the big sale. This is one of many livestock markets on the islands that CalMac are contracted to deliver services to, and we discover the logistics involved for the ferry team both in Oban and on Tiree as numerous cattle floats arrive empty for the market and leave full of calves and cows.

Island Crossings: Series 1

A BBC TV channel for Scotland which will broadcast every evening and will show drama, factual, comedy and news programmes made in Scotland


Caledonian MacBrayne serve 26 islands along Scotland’s west coast with their 35 ferries. This series tells the stories of staff & islanders whose lives and livelihoods depend on them.

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Island Crossings

Series 1

Tiree Cattle Mart

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