The Small Isles - Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna
One CalMac ferry from Mallaig serves all four islands on a pattern that changes every day of the week and rarely calls at more than two or three of them on any one day; the Arisaig summer passenger boat covers Eigg, Muck and (May-Aug only) Rum; once ashore there is almost no vehicle to catch, only a bike, a taxi or your own two feet.
- Researched
- 29 September 2026
- Reviewed
- not yet
- Ways of moving
- 9, 20 sources
- Not confirmed
- 7
- Fares seen
- 2025–2026
9 ways of moving, each with its rule
We confirmed seven ways of moving to, from or around The Small Isles: two by water, one by road and four under your own steam, from 20 sources. Two entries are not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. One of them runs only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. Two need a phone call or a message before you turn up.
The fares were seen in 2025 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Seven fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 7 of the 9 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 29 September 2026, and ends with seven things we could not confirm.
By water
CalMac Mallaig to Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna
Mallaig to whichever of Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna are on that day's rotation, foot passengers plus a handful of resident/contractor vehicle spaces
CalMac ferry terminal in Mallaig, on the pier by the town; free long-stay car park next to it
- When
- Different islands every day: April-Oct Monday is Eigg/Rum/Canna, Tue & Thu is Muck/Eigg, Wed is Rum/Canna, Fri is Muck/Eigg then Rum/Canna, Saturday calls all four, Sunday is Rum/Canna then Eigg/Muck; Nov-March collapses to Mon (Eigg/Muck/Rum), Tue & Thu (Rum/Canna), Wed & Fri (Eigg/Muck), Sat (Rum/Muck/Eigg), Sun (Canna only)
- Takes
- 90 minutes to 4 hours depending on which island and how many calls that sailing makes
- Fare 2025
- Return fares differ by island and were quoted (until end of March 2026): Eigg £10.50 adult/£5.25 child, Rum £11.40/£5.70, Canna £14.20/£7.10; Muck's is not separately confirmed
SeasonYear-round; a shorter, sparser winter timetable runs from late October to late March, and the CalMac app's own service-status page is the way to check on a given day since cancellations are commoner in winter. BookingBook online or by phone (CalMac reservations, route confirmed live as "Mallaig - Eigg/Muck/Rum/Canna" in CalMac's own route lookup); no reservation needed for foot passengers on most sailings but recommended in summer. Run byCaledonian MacBrayne (CalMac).
Arisaig Marine MV Sheerwater to Eigg, Muck and (summer only) Rum
Arisaig harbour to Eigg and Muck several times a week; Rum only May-August
Arisaig Marine's own marina and ticket office at Arisaig Harbour, half a mile from the Arisaig bus/train stop; book online or call 01687 450224
- When
- Several crossings a week to Eigg and Muck; additional sailings to Rum May-August only; day trips only, one island per day
- Takes
- About one hour to Eigg
- Fare 2026
- Not confirmed for 2026; booking fee applies to all online reservations, and overnight island parking at Arisaig costs a separate permit fee
SeasonScheduled sailings run mid-April to end of September; as of late September 2026 Rum's season had already finished while Eigg and Muck sailings continued to end of September. BookingBook both outgoing and return online or at the marina office; luggage over one small bag must be pre-booked and collected as a token at check-in. Run byArisaig Marine Ltd (MV Sheerwater, 80-passenger vessel).
Rules, permits and closures
Day trip vs overnight: the rotation decides, not the traveller
Whether a same-day return to Eigg, Muck, Rum or Canna is even possible depends entirely on which day of the week you sail
Read the individual island's Wikivoyage "Get in" section or CalMac's own timetable before booking anything else, since the hours ashore a given sailing allows swing from 90 minutes to a full day
- When
- On-demand reading of the timetable, not a service itself: e.g. Eigg gives 4h ashore on a Monday day trip but only 2h on a Thursday; Canna gives 8h ashore on the one day (Saturday) it allows a day trip at all; no day trips are possible on any island in winter
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- n/a
SeasonThe April-Oct summer pattern allows day trips on specific islands and days only; the Nov-March winter pattern removes day trips entirely. Run byCaledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), timetable set centrally.
Highland Council Small Isles Vehicle Permit Scheme
Governs whether any visitor vehicle can go on the CalMac ferry to Eigg, Muck, Rum or Canna at all
Apply through Highland Council before travel; islands themselves discourage it
- When
- n/a, a standing rule not a timetable
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- Not confirmed
SeasonYear-round. BookingApply for a temporary permit in advance unless you hold a Blue Badge or are a resident. Run byHighland Council, enforced island by island.
By road
Eigg taxi and mini-bus meeting the boat
Galmisdale pier to accommodation anywhere on Eigg's main road
Phone Charlie's Taxi ahead of your sailing, or ask at the pier; the island's own site lists taxi hire and mini-bus service among Eigg's transport options
- When
- On demand, timed to meet ferry and Sheerwater arrivals
- Takes
- A few minutes to about 20 for the far end of the 4.5-mile main road
- Fare
- Not published; ask the driver
SeasonYear-round. BookingPhone ahead, +44 1687 482404 for the taxi. Run byCharlie's Taxi (private operator); a separate mini-bus service is also named but not otherwise detailed.
On foot, by bike, or otherwise
Eigg Adventures bike and e-bike hire
From Galmisdale pier along Eigg's roads and tracks
Eigg Adventures shop right at the ferry pier
- When
- Open Monday-Saturday 10AM until the ferry departs, briefly on Sunday
- Takes
- n/a
- Fare
- Not confirmed
SeasonYear-round. BookingWalk-in at the pier shop; e-bikes and regular bikes both available. Run byEigg Adventures.
Rum: walking is the transport
Rum ferry pier at Loch Scresort to Kinloch village and the hill tracks beyond
Off the ferry, the only route is on foot; no vehicle hire or taxi found
- When
- n/a
- Takes
- About a mile, roughly 20 minutes, from the pier to the village
- Fare
- Free
SeasonYear-round; the interior tracks need stout footwear and are rough beyond the village. BookingNone needed. Run byn/a.
Rum: bring your own mountain bike
Cross-island tracks from Kinloch to Kilmory (5 miles) and Harris (6 miles)
No hire found on Rum; bring a bike on the CalMac ferry (dogs and bikes are welcome, no cars)
- When
- n/a
- Takes
- Kilmory 5 miles, Harris 6 miles of rough track
- Fare
- n/a beyond the ferry's own bike-carrying terms
SeasonYear-round, tracks rougher in wet weather. Run byn/a.
Canna and Sanday: walking only, bikes not worth bringing
Canna ferry pier east end of the island, along the unpaved lane to the bridge onto the tidal island of Sanday and beyond
Off the ferry at Canna Ferry Pier; the bridge to Sanday is about a mile west
- When
- n/a
- Takes
- Canna is 4.5 miles east-west; allow a full day to see both Canna and Sanday
- Fare
- Free
SeasonYear-round; Sanday's bridge is on a graded but unpaved track, rougher beyond it. Run byn/a.
What we could not find out
7 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.
- 01
The brief's premise that some Small Isles calls are 'by small boat transfer rather than pier' was not confirmed anywhere in CalMac's own materials or Wikivoyage - all four islands have their own ferry pier/slipway and Wikivoyage describes every landing as a pier or slipway call, not a boat transfer; treat this detail in the brief as unconfirmed.
- 02
Eigg's community electricity grid (Eigg Electric) is real and documented on isleofeigg.org but is a power system, not a transport service, so it is not written up here as an option; no fuel-delivery-by-ferry detail was confirmed either.
- 03
Muck's own return ferry fare was not separately confirmed on any page found; only the Small Isles page's rough 2024 'about £11 adult, £6 child' average across islands could be cited, and that was left out of the fare option here as too imprecise to attribute to Muck specifically - ask CalMac directly for Muck's fare.
- 04
CalMac's precise winter (Nov-Mar) call pattern for 2026-27 was not separately verified beyond the Wikivoyage summary; check CalMac's live timetable close to travel, since the API's routes(status) field shows the route is currently flagged DISRUPTIONS.
- 05
No fare was found for the Eigg mini-bus/taxi or for Rum's bike-carrying policy beyond 'welcome'; ask at the pier or phone Charlie's Taxi directly.
- 06
Bruce Watt Cruises / other Mallaig-based day-tour boats to the Small Isles, sometimes mentioned in older guides, were not found live on any current site and are not included here.
- 07
Canna's National Trust for Scotland property page (nts.org.uk) returned HTTP 403 to both a browser user-agent over HTTP/2 and HTTP/1.1 and could not be used as a source.
What the planner can route today
The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for The Small Isles is this.
- N
- Scheduled flightsnearest airport GLA is 169 km away
- Y
- Trains and coachesTransitous carries 3 timetable feeds for this country, 2 with real-time
- Y
- Ferriesferry terminal, 8 km, Caledonian MacBrayne; sailings estimated
- Y
- Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
- N
- Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
- N
- Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere
Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Paisley, 172 km.