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The small red Cromarty ferry at its slipway, its ramp down, the Cromarty Firth and far hills beyond.
Ross and Cromarty

Cromarty Ferry

The little summer car ferry across the mouth of the Cromarty Firth between Cromarty and Nigg, sailing every twenty to thirty minutes, a short cut on the coast road.

Welcome

At the eastern end of Cromarty, a concrete slipway runs down into the mouth of the Cromarty Firth, and across the water lies Nigg.

In summer a little red car ferry shuttles between the two, saving the long drive round by Dingwall and turning the crossing into one of the pleasures of the Black Isle.

It is a small boat, so it runs back and forth every twenty to thirty minutes, from eight in the morning on weekdays and ten at weekends until six in the evening. Pay on board. Camper vans up to six metres can go, but motorhomes cannot.

The crossing takes only minutes. The season runs to the end of September, and sailings can stop in rough weather.

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Before you go

Runs in the summer season until the end of September: from Cromarty at 8am on weekdays and 10am at weekends, then every 20 to 30 minutes until 6pm.

Pay on board. No motorhomes; camper vans up to 6 metres.

Crossing
Cromarty to Nigg, across the Cromarty Firth.
Sailings
Every 20 to 30 minutes until 6pm.
Car and driver
£10 single, £15 return.

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Where it is

From the slipway at the east end of Cromarty, IV11 8XZ, across to Nigg.

Close byCromarty.
  1. The Renfrew Rose ferry docks at a slipway, an oil rig visible across the firthCromarty Ferry TerminalUnder a mile 1 min by road
  2. Ochre-painted shop with slate roof and outdoor benches under a grey skySutor Creek CaféFresh seafood and woodfired pizzas at Sutor Creek Café in CromartyUnder a mile 1 min by road
  3. Cromarty lighthouse's white tower and keepers' cottages behind the sea wall under a stormy sky.Cromarty LighthouseUnder a mile 1 min by road
  4. Groam House MuseumGroam House MuseumPictish stones in Rosemarkie.9 miles 13 min by road
  5. Walkers and a dog stroll along a wide sandy beach under clear skiesBeach at RosemarkieThe sands at Rosemarkie.9 miles 13 min by road
  6. Chanonry PointChanonry PointDolphins off the Black Isle, a short drive south.10 miles 19 min by road
Directions
Yellow "cinema" lettering on a dark corrugated building beside the waterAttractionsCromarty CinemaA step away
Terraced cottages line a narrow street, one house with a green corrugated gableAttractionsCromarty0.2 miles
Calluna clothing shop with hanging baskets on Church StreetShoppingCalluna0.3 miles
ShoppingIngrid's House0.3 miles
A hand-painted Cromarty Pottery dish with a striped cat, on a wooden shelf.ShoppingCromarty Pottery0.3 miles
Craft shop interior with jewellery cabinets, an RNLI lifeboat model and daffodils on the counterShoppinggallery480.4 miles
Inside the Fishertown Inn in Cromarty, a long bar of blue panelling and wooden floors with tables by the windows.BarsThe Fishertown Inn0.4 miles
A Micro Can canning machine fills tins beside steel brewery fermentation tanksAttractionsCromarty Brewing Company3.3 miles
Wooden cabin with sloped roof and ramp, surrounded by autumn treesAttractionsRSPB Udale Bay5.1 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the ferry, and when each is next free.

A long sandstone steading with a conical-roofed tower at its centre stands beyond a field of young crops, trees framing it on either side in evening light.Newhall Mains
  • To stay
  • In Balblair
  • 6 miles from the Cromarty ferry
Check datesA curved cabin clad in overlapping wooden shingles stands on gravel among wildflowers, arched windows and a door along one side.Boath Cabin
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Nairn
  • 11 miles from the Cromarty ferry
Free 14–17 NovCulbin Edge, Inverness-shireCulbin Edge
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Brodie
  • 13 miles from the Cromarty ferry
Free 23–25 NovA grand stone mansion glows with lit windows at dusk, bare autumn branches framing the facade.Links House at Royal Dornoch
  • To stay
  • In Dornoch
  • 14 miles from the Cromarty ferry
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Ross and CromartyAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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