Scotland's main ferry operator CalMac has announced a four-year high in the number of passengers using its services last year.

The figures are up from 4,594,520 in 2013 to 4,653,958, a difference of 1.29 per cent. The last time passenger numbers topped this figure was in 2010 at 4,736,552.

It was even better for cars, with the highest carrying figures since 2009 with 2014's 1,095,816 representing a rise of 2.96 per cent over 2013.

Commercial carriage in 2014 was 92,734, a marginal rise of 0.16 per cent, while the only area to see a minor drop was the fall of 60 coaches from 2013's 11,210 to 11,150 in 2014, a fluctuation of -0.54 per cent.

Overall, the Clyde route of Ardrossan to Brodick on Arran carried the most passengers, 715,048, while another Clyde favourite of Wemyss Bay to Rothesay carried more cars and commercial vehicles than any other , 147,501 and 12,902 respectively.

The route with the lowest carriage was the new Mallaig to Lochboisdale run, though, it was a winter-only new addition in 2013 which was particularly badly hit by cancellations due to bad weather.

Another new route, the summer-only Ardrossan to Campbeltown sailing, also introduced in 2013, carried 11,343 passengers on the Ayrshire coast to Kintyre connection, a 15.46 per cent increase on 2013. This was accompanied by a 14.2 per cent jump for cars, a rise of 300 per cent for coaches from three to 12 and a hike of 19 commercial vehicles to 31, a 158.33 per cent increase.

There was also an upward trend, too, for the Small Isles of Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna, with a 15.46 per cent rise in passenger figures taking the annual total to 29,865, as well as a 22.13 per cent increase for cars to 1,126 in 2014.