A passenger ferry service linking Arran with Bute and Cumbrae could be up and running as early as the summer.
In a joint initiative tourist bosses on three islands have come up with the ferry link plan which they believe could benefit all of the islands. They are now in talks with a Bute firm which could provide a small vessel capable of carrying 12 passengers and six bikes.
VisitArran executive director Sheila Gilmore, who has been involved with the plan, said: ‘We get loads of requests from visitors asking how they can get to Bute and Cumbrae. When we tell them they have to go via the mainland they are really surprised.’