There are 5 ways to get from Cairnryan to Islay by bus, train, plane, ferry, or car
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Line 360 bus, train to Glasgow Airport, fly
best- Take the bus from Old Pier to Inglis Way
- Take the train from Ayr to Paisley Gilmour Street
- Fly from Glasgow Airport (GLA) to Islay (ILY)GLA - ILY
5h 38m£106–237Bus, ferry
cheapest- Take the bus from Stena Terminal to Buchanan Bus Station923
- Take the bus from Buchanan Bus Station to Argyll Arms Hotel926
- Take the ferry from Kennacraig Ferry Terminal to Port Askaig Islay Ferry TerminalCm9
10h 20m£33–88Drive, ferry
- Drive from Cairnryan to Campbeltown
- Take the ferry from Campbeltown to Ballycastle
- Take the ferry from Ballycastle to Port Ellen
8h 3m£211–234Drive to Campbeltown, fly
- Drive from Cairnryan to Campbeltown (CAL)
- Fly from Campbeltown (CAL) to Islay (ILY)CAL - ILY
11h 1m£171–484Bus, ferry via Ayr
- Take the bus from Old Pier to Henrietta Street358 / ...
- Take the bus from Henrietta Street to Ayr Bus Station60 / ...
- Take the bus from Ayr Bus Station to Buchanan Bus StationX77
- Take the bus from Buchanan Bus Station to Argyll Arms Hotel926
- Take the ferry from Kennacraig Ferry Terminal to Port Askaig Islay Ferry TerminalCm9
11h 25m£37–96
Glasgow Airport (GLA) to Islay (ILY) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Cairnryan to Islay is to bus and ferry which costs £30 - £90 and takes 10h 20m.
The fastest way to get from Cairnryan to Islay is to line 360 bus and train and fly which takes 5h 38m and costs £100 - £240.
The distance between Cairnryan and Islay is 156 miles.
The best way to get from Cairnryan to Islay without a car is to bus and ferry which takes 10h 20m and costs £30 - £90.
It takes approximately 5h 38m to get from Cairnryan to Islay, including transfers.
There are 44+ hotels available in Islay.
What companies run services between Cairnryan, Scotland and Islay, Scotland?
There is no direct connection from Cairnryan to Islay. However, you can take the line 358 bus to Inglis Way, take the line 60 bus to Rail Station, walk to Girvan, take the train to Ayr, take the train to Paisley Gilmour Street, walk to New Sneddon Street, take the bus to Sanderling Road, walk to Glasgow Airport (GLA) airport, then fly to Islay (ILY). Alternatively, you can take a bus from Stena Terminal to Port Askaig Islay Ferry Terminal via Buchanan Bus Station, Argyll Arms Hotel, Ferry Terminal, and Kennacraig Ferry Terminal in around 10h 20m.
Transport is disrupted due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Read more
- Website
- loganair.co.uk
Flights from Glasgow Airport to Islay
- Ave. Duration
- 42 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- £80–200
Flights from Campbeltown to Islay via Glasgow Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 50m
- When
- Monday to Friday
- Estimated price
- £120–410
- Phone
- +44 344 811 0141
- Website
- scotrail.co.uk
Train from Ayr to Paisley Gilmour Street
- Ave. Duration
- 39 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- £7–14
- Website
- https://www.scotrail.co.uk/
Bus from Old Pier to Inglis Way
- Ave. Duration
- 45 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- £4–6
- Website
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com
Bus from Old Pier to Henrietta Street
- Ave. Duration
- 53 min
- Frequency
- Every 2 hours
- Estimated price
- £4–7
- Website
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com
Bus from Henrietta Street to Ayr Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 1m
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- £4–7
- Website
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com
Bus from Ayr Bus Station to Buchanan Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 7m
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- £5–8
- Website
- https://www.stagecoachbus.com
- Phone
- 0141 352 4444
- info@citylink.co.uk
- Website
- citylink.co.uk
Bus from Stena Terminal to Buchanan Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 10m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- £13–19
- Website
- https://www.citylink.co.uk/
Bus from Buchanan Bus Station to Argyll Arms Hotel
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 44m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- £10–14
- Website
- https://www.citylink.co.uk/
- Phone
- +44 (0)1475 650 397
- enquiries@calmac.co.uk
- Website
- calmac.co.uk
Ferry from Kennacraig Ferry Terminal to Port Askaig Islay Ferry Terminal
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 55m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- £6–50
- Website
- Caledonian MacBrayne
- Passenger Fare
- £6–9
- Car Fare
- £40–50
- Phone
- +44 1586 555895
- info@kintyreexpress.com
- Website
- kintyreexpress.com
Ferry from Campbeltown to Ballycastle
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 40m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- £80
- Schedules at
- kintyreexpress.com
Ferry from Ballycastle to Port Ellen
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 15m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- £80
- Schedules at
- kintyreexpress.com
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