Photo © Alan R Hall. Please do not re-post without permission.

David MacBrayne's bus services and shipping activities hadn't been accounted for separately and, soon after acquiring most of the mainland services, Highland Omnibuses began to divest themselves of the more unremunerative (or geographically inconvenient) routes. One of these was that between Kyle of Lochalsh and Glenelg via the Old Military Road over Mam Ratagan pass (Bealach Ratagan in Gaelic) which was stunningly beautiful but not for the faint-hearted! The service was infrequent, little-used and disconnected from the rest of the network and, although Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye was only a few hundred yards away, it was separated from the mainland by a stretch of water.
The Glenelg service was taken over on 19 July 1971 by Clan Garage from Kyle of Lochalsh, who operated between Kyle and Letterfearn on Loch Duich, and Davidson of Glenelg, who operated between Glenelg and Shiel Bridge transferring passengers and mail at Shiel Bridge. Clan Garage at first used NS3924, a Bedford C4Z2 with Duple C29F bodywork, on its section of the route and it is seen at Kyle of Lochalsh railway station awaiting passengers and mail off the mid-morning train from Inverness which can just be seen in the background as well as schoolchildren who would arrive later.

The coach had been new in 1959 to Seaforth MacGregor of Dornoch who operated school contracts, hires and Sunday Church services from Dornoch to Rearquar and Birichen and from Dornoch to Embo, Fourpenny and Skelbo. Mr MacGregor sold his business to Highland in 1967 along with three vehicles and moved to Coatbridge.

Photo taken by Alan Hall, September 1971, Kyle of Lochalsh Station

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