Not my favourite terminal
3
3
Date of visit: July 2026
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment, accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: changing places toilet, disabled toilet, hidden impairment, powerchair, toilet with hoist, toilets, walking aid, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Average
I debated whether to rate this location as poor or average, and ultimately chose to be kind. The terminal is basic, which is to be expected at a small passenger ferry port, but there are several glaring issues that left me feeling less than welcome as a disabled person.
Disabled Access In and Around
Average
To access the ferry, we joined the queue and I remained in the car, so there was little to document. The waiting room is accessed via a ramp, with a light wooden door at the entrance. Inside are two long wooden benches for seating and two toilets marked with male and female symbols. Oddly, both are accessible toilets, but this is not indicated on the signage, which could lead people to assume that neither is accessible. There are no alternative formats in use.
Accessible facilities: Single-level venue, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free entrance
Parking & Transport
Poor
I travelled to this place by personal vehicle
Parking is limited, with only one accessible parking space. It has hatched markings on the left-hand side only, while the adjacent EV bay has hatched markings on both sides. This gives the impression that EV drivers are more welcome than disabled drivers or disabled people who are being driven. The EV charger is largely inaccessible, as it is located on grass, set back from the parking area and beyond a kerb.
Accessible facilities: Electric Vehicle Charging, Drop-off or pick up point, Dedicated on-site parking
Accessible Toilets
Poor
I have rated both accessible toilets as poor because, in both cases, the emergency pull cords were obstructed. In the right-hand toilet, the upper bangle had been attached to the grab rail, meaning that pulling the lower bangle would not have activated the alarm. In the left-hand toilet, the cord was wrapped around the adjustable rail in such a way that lowering the rail would have set the alarm off. Both toilets have a right-side transfer space. A sign on each door indicating the transfer side would be a helpful addition. Both toilets have a toilet with a padded backrest and white grab rails on either side. However, the grab rails do not contrast with the wall, and there is no contrasting toilet seat. The sinks have small basins, lever-operated taps and a grab rail to the right in the left-hand toilet and to the left in the right-hand toilet. There is enough space for a manual wheelchair, although larger powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters may struggle. No RADAR key is required for either toilet. A visual indicator for the emergency cord iinstalled above each door.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
Staff
Poor
I interacted with one member of staff earlier in the day. We had plenty of time to kill and thought we'd park at the terminal. I was told we couldn't park our van there, even with a Blue Badge, because disabled passengers were coming off the ferry and needed the space to access the toilets. As there was only one space available, I accepted this. However, I didn't appreciate that he clearly wasn't listening while my wife and I were speaking, so determined was he to get his point across. As I was reversing the van to leave, he walked behind it. Had the van not been fitted with collision detection, I fear I might have caused him harm. The van stopped itself just in time to prevent what could have been a serious accident. When we returned later, he asked to see my ticket. I retrieved it from my bag, but he simply walked off, started speaking to another traveller and never came back. I waited with my ticket ready the whole time, but he never actually looked at it, and I wasn't about to follow him around the car park.
Additional Information
Overall, this was the most disappointing terminal of the many I visited during my tour of the islands. The only positive was that I never had to leave my vehicle during the crossing to Barra.
