Brodick to Ardrossan on MV Caledonian Isles
Date of travel: 27-December-2025
Departure: 13:55
At the time I travelled, the last call to board was 12 minutes before departure with no access from 10 minutes before departure time.
Admittedly I wasn't in Brodick for long on this occasion but I that impression that Brodick acts as a hub to the rest of the island .
You will lose signal at some point on this route . That's the reality of the terrain used on these crossings.
Costs , tickets , fares etc :
Rail & sail tickets to Brodick were withdrawn in summer 2023 I believe and haven't returned since .
The concept to other destinations on the Clyde cost does exist (but as far as I known , only via Scotrail's own website ) .I used it the day before to Cumbrae .
So you will need to book the ferry at Caledonian Macbrayne's website or at the terminal before buying rail tickets to Ardrossan or Troon.
If you are doing a return via different ports , you do not need to buy a single from( Glasgow or Stirling or wherever) to Troon then a single from Ardrossan . It's cheaper to buy a return to one port . I have tested this myself twice and had no problems .
If you buy the rail section via Trainpal , do not use the Troon (Any ) option as you run the risk of being sold a ticket to Barassie which is classed as a suburb on the Northern edge of Troon. Why is that a problem?
From Glasgow you've probably underpaid and you'd end up somewhere you don't want to be or buying another ticket .
From Ayr/Stranraer etc you may be paying more than you need to ride a section of track you don't need to.
When paying for the ferry tickets , if you are using different ports for the outbound and return journey , you will need to complete separate transactions.
The Brodick-Troon or Ardrossan ferry tickets cost £5.10 each way regardless of which port you use.
A return from Glasgow to Troon cost me £8.05 with my railcard . I used Trainpal and Topcashback to book this section however at the time of editing , Topcashback haven't paid up.