Ferry at Ballachulish, Scotland (1926)

Prior to building of the bridge the ferry was the only way to cross Loch Leven. This scene shows the ferry going from North to South rather than south to north (the direction fo the journey), presumably to show a view of the hotel in the distance.

This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally resto This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally resto This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally restored by the BFI National Archive. Britain seen in colour for the first time was heralded as a great technical advance for the cinema audience - now we can view a much improved image, but one which still stays true to the principles of the colour process.

The rather haphazard journey from Land's End to John O'Groats creates a series of moving picture postcards. Look out for shots containing the component colours - red and blue-green - such as when a little girl in a red coat and hat walks among peacocks in the grounds of a castle, and three girls with red curly hair pose by the sea at Torquay.

The car is a Vauxhall D-type - considered a sporty model at the time. A long-distance journey by car was a relatively new concept, with none of the amenities en route now taken for granted. The visit to a petrol station shows smoking on the forecourt: no health and safety issues back then! The travelogue ends with a series of recognisable London landmarks. Much remains the same - one major exception being the volume of traffic on the roads. (Jan Faull)

For more information about 'The Open Road' see http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/openroad/

To buy the DVD click here - http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmstore

You can watch the whole of 'The Open Road' and 1000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the new BFI Mediatheque - http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Open
• Road
• travelogue
• Ballachulish
• Ferry
• Car
• Sea
• Boat
• Crossing
• Scotland

[archiebluenose1]

My grandfather worked on the Ballachulish ferry up until the 1950's or 60's and must be on this film as my dad was born in 1928 when the family lived in Onich. My grandmother worked in the Ballachulish Hotel.

[BillDFC]

Near Ballachulish is the site where James Stewart was hung after being found guilty by a Campbell jury for the murder of "The Red Fox".

[Musicgutbucket]

This i amazing. I was up there last year....& want to go back this year.

[donkeynews]

When we used to go on the ferry - about 50-60 years ago, my brother and I used to hide behind the front seats of the car as we were terrified it would land in the water. I remember the steep slope down and the sharp turn on to the boat but it must have been the replacement ferry mentioned below as I can't think we went on such a wee boat. Wonderful memories though.

[douldy]

Great video. The quality is exceptional given that is was apparantly shot in 1926. Good to see the Ballachulish Hotel on the other side but the Highland cow clip looks like an addition as the building on the far side is unrecognisable to me.

Thanks to Terri for sending me this.

[ecat68k]

As a family we went back there this year (2010), but I remember the (much newer) ferry in the mid 70s, when the bridge was being built.

This, however, is film from a couple of years before my mother was born in Ballachulish...she took the ferry, maybe this one, in the 30s and 40s to go to Fort William schools and shopping.

The drive around the loch, via Kinlochleven was beautiful but long and winding.

Many thanks to the uploader

[tocaat2410]

The Ballachulish Ferry was the scene of an important incident in the plot of Freeman Wills Crofts' crime mystery "The Groote Park Murder". Although fictional, Crofts' novels were always set in real places and always with plenty of real-life detail. Having just re-read the Groote Park story (set partly in South Africa and partly in Scotland) for the nth time, I'm fascinated to see the scene of this incident - at about the time it (supposedly) took place.

[Donnie303]

The turntable ferry from glenelg actually is an old ballachulish Ferry

[BillDFC]

@ILUV74 You had to drive all the way round by Kinlochleven.

[motte1168]

What an adventure! I would have died of fear!