Before the construction of the Ballachulish Bridge (that now carries the A82, the main route between Glasgow and Inverness) in the West Highlands of Scotland, the only way to cross the narrows between Lock Leven and Loch Linnhe was by ferry.
The video shows ME 1699 crossing from North Ballachulish to South Ballachulish, reportedly in 1926. In the distance we see the Ballachulish Hotel on the Argyll side.
In later years the standard of the boat was improved as the vehicle traffic on the ferry increased. By the 1960s the crossing was operated by three turntable roll-on, roll-off ferries, each capable of carrying six cars. However, this all came to an end in 1975 with the opening of the Ballachulish Bridge.
Can anyone tell us more about ME 1699 seen in the video?
Watch video:
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