International Removals from the Scottish Highlands and Islands
Book the ferry in advance, size decides the booking route, and the council figures are not all confirmed
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
How do removals and movers book a ferry for a lorry in the Highlands and Islands?
In advance, and through the port you leave from. For international removals from the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and for movers bringing a household back to the islands, CalMac says: “All commercial and haulage vehicles travelling on our services must reserve travel in advance through the port of departure.” A removal lorry is a commercial vehicle, which is our reading, not a quotation.
Weight and length decide the rules. “Any vehicle weighing over 3.5 tonnes will be charged as a commercial vehicle for the purpose of shipment.” For length, the booking page says “if you are booking a vehicle that's 6m or over, please contact us directly”. A lorry of that size, which most removal vehicles are, is therefore booked by telephone, not online. Transport Scotland's Road Equivalent Tariff fares cover “cars (including small commercial vehicles up to 6 metres in length)”, so a full-size lorry sits outside the flat fare.
If the lorry crosses without its driver, “the customer must ensure that a properly qualified driver is available at the ports of departure and arrival”. The same rule applies on the way back, so a returning household needs a driver at both ends of the return crossing as well.
What does NorthLink ask of a moving company sending a container to Orkney or Shetland?
A container service with a daily timetable. NorthLink says “we can now offer a daily freight service to Orkney and Shetland, 7 days a week”, and “Containers can be loaded at the ports of Aberdeen, Kirkwall and Lerwick.”
A container that goes onto a roll trailer needs paperwork first: “All container movements requiring loading onto a roll trailer are subject to an approved Risk Assessment and Permit to Work prior to delivery to the port.” The customer also arranges the lifting and lashing onto the trailer. Unaccompanied vehicles follow the opening hours of the Orkney lairage: “Collection and delivery of unaccompanied vehicles should coincide with the Hatston Lairage opening times”.
We read only the freight pages. Prices, cut-off times and the rules for the return leg from Kirkwall or Lerwick were not read, so they are not confirmed here.
What does Highland Council expect for a removal lorry on the mainland?
The council's parking enforcement protocol, in its appendix on dispensations and suspensions, sets out two tools. A dispensation lets a vehicle stay beyond the loading allowance: “Dispensation is an extension of the half - hour loading/unloading period that is permitted on a single yellow line”. It adds that the vehicle must be required as part of the activity and that details go to the central parking service at least 48 hours before work begins.
A suspension keeps a bay clear. The protocol says where possible the council wants “two days notice for the suspension of public parking bays” for public bays, with a charge that may apply. The notice for permit bays shows only "at least 7" in the text we saved, with the unit lost, so we do not give a figure.
The protocol is a council-wide document, not a rule for Inverness alone, and it does not name house removals. Pay and display tariffs, the Inverness city centre loading bays and the dispensation policy PDF were not read, so none is quoted. A browser read of those pages is still needed.
Inverness, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Inverness is the largest place on the mainland leg, and its address is covered here, not by a page of its own, because no Inverness-only rule has been read.
Kirkwall and Lerwick appear in this guide only as NorthLink container ports. We did not read pages for Stornoway, Ullapool, Portree or Fort William, so we say nothing about their ferries or bays. Further south, the Argyll and Bute island ferries and movers deal with the Mull and Islay crossings, and at Aberdeen the Aberdeen NorthLink departure rules cover the port. For the east coast, see the Dundee bay tariff for removal lorries, and for the whole country the guide to removals and moving company rules. Perth has its own page for the city centre, in the Perth city centre bay rules, and Stirling has one for its resident permit zones, in the Stirling permit zones.
Questions about removals and movers in the Highlands and Islands
Must a removal lorry book a CalMac ferry in advance?
Yes.
CalMac says all commercial and haulage vehicles must reserve travel in advance through the port of departure.
Can a long lorry be booked online with CalMac?
Not if it is 6 metres or over: the booking page says to contact CalMac directly.
Does NorthLink carry containers to Orkney and Shetland?
Yes.
It describes a daily freight service, with containers loaded at Aberdeen, Kirkwall and Lerwick.
Tell us about your Highlands or Islands move
Say which island or Highland town, your target month, whether you are leaving or returning and how much there is to carry.
About International Removals Companies
International Removals Companies is an enquiry and introduction service run by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, in partnership with AGM Group. We don't move goods ourselves: the removal company quotes for your move and carries it out, so check its credentials and terms before you book. Our service is free. Discuss the quotation and booking terms directly with the removal company.
- Email[email protected]
- In partnership withAGM Group (agm.group)