Scottish Islands

[welshbairn]

3 hours ago, The Mantis said:

Rona, Muck, Shiants

Scabies next on the list? 

[CarrbridgeSaintee]

On 12/11/2022 at 12:02, Black Dug said:

Took myself off to Harris for a week in September. Harris itself was as majestic as always but the reason for going was to give myself a chance of getting out to St Kilda. The week was pretty windy with the trip cancelled at the first attempt. However, it was a go for the following day. I will admit the 2hr 45min boat journey to get out there was fairly tortuous with 9 of the 13 on board suffering from sea sickness, luckily enough not me but it was very rough going across the northerly swell. 

St Kilda is awesome, I've wanted to go for a long time ever since I flew around it years ago in the RAF. You get about 4 hours on Hirta which is long enough for a good look around and to walk up to the top of the cliffs etc. You then get back on the boat for a trip around the sea stacks and Boreray which was amazing.

Stunning photo mate.

St Kilda is definitely on the bucket list.

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

Finally made good on my long held intention of getting myself over to Orkney with my wee boy.

Not been here for even 24-hours yet, but I’m already a touch smitten.

The weather this morning was impressively wet, but since I’d pre-booked us onto the Hoy ferry as foot passengers, off we went into the storm.

The Scapa Flow Museum is outstanding. It’s as good a museum as any I can think of visiting. For war history, I’ve always thought the Verzetsmuseum in Amsterdam was quite a high bar for leading you with a sense of place and time. Scapa Flow is in another league entirely. Think it’s had a recent makeover and that money has been very well spent indeed. Brilliant! We managed well over two hours in there plus lunch, which is about 1:50 longer than I lasted in V&A Dundee! 

The sun finally came out, the ferry crossing back to Houton was a stunner.  It has been a pretty decent day all round, despite the sodden clothing!

[CarrbridgeSaintee]

19 hours ago, Le Tout P'ti FC said:

Finally made good on my long held intention of getting myself over to Orkney with my wee boy.

Not been here for even 24-hours yet, but I’m already a touch smitten.

The weather this morning was impressively wet, but since I’d pre-booked us onto the Hoy ferry as foot passengers, off we went into the storm.

The Scapa Flow Museum is outstanding. It’s as good a museum as any I can think of visiting. For war history, I’ve always thought the Verzetsmuseum in Amsterdam was quite a high bar for leading you with a sense of place and time. Scapa Flow is in another league entirely. Think it’s had a recent makeover and that money has been very well spent indeed. Brilliant! We managed well over two hours in there plus lunch, which is about 1:50 longer than I lasted in V&A Dundee! 

The sun finally came out, the ferry crossing back to Houton was a stunner.  It has been a pretty decent day all round, despite the sodden clothing!

 

It has been on my radar for quite some time!  How long are you over for?

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

33 minutes ago, CarrbridgeSaintee said:

 

It has been on my radar for quite some time!  How long are you over for?

Over for a week.

Today started with a trip out to Skara Brae. I was more taken with the wee farm shop nearby selling cakes and milkshakes, than the 4,000 year old village. Clearly I’m not a fan of those “shuffle slowly around an ancient site with two tour bus loads, exit via the gift shop and cafe” experiences which Historic Scotland specialises in.

Afternoon in Stromness, mainly to join the Ness Battery tour. An army barracks from the war with huge guns sighted over the entrance to Scapa Flow. Much of the buildings still intact including the stunning paintings inside the Mess. Another strong recommend for this tour.

https://nessbattery.co.uk

As we waited for the tour a whole load of cars sped up as word had got out in the wildlife community that there were Orcas spotted in the bay. Some excitable pointing out to sea followed their competition of “who has the biggest binoculars”, but I was clearly always looking the wrong way.

Weather has continued to verge on atrocious at all times, but I can live with some rain. 

[CarrbridgeSaintee]

3 hours ago, Le Tout P'ti FC said:

Over for a week.

Today started with a trip out to Skara Brae. I was more taken with the wee farm shop nearby selling cakes and milkshakes, than the 4,000 year old village. Clearly I’m not a fan of those “shuffle slowly around an ancient site with two tour bus loads, exit via the gift shop and cafe” experiences which Historic Scotland specialises in.

Afternoon in Stromness, mainly to join the Ness Battery tour. An army barracks from the war with huge guns sighted over the entrance to Scapa Flow. Much of the buildings still intact including the stunning paintings inside the Mess. Another strong recommend for this tour.

https://nessbattery.co.uk

As we waited for the tour a whole load of cars sped up as word had got out in the wildlife community that there were Orcas spotted in the bay. Some excitable pointing out to sea followed their competition of “who has the biggest binoculars”, but I was clearly always looking the wrong way.

Weather has continued to verge on atrocious at all times, but I can live with some rain. 

All sounds very interesting, and I suppose the rain is to be expected.

Regarding Historic Scotland sites, you are spot on.

[welshbairn]

20 hours ago, Le Tout P'ti FC said:

Today started with a trip out to Skara Brae. I was more taken with the wee farm shop nearby selling cakes and milkshakes, than the 4,000 year old village. Clearly I’m not a fan of those “shuffle slowly around an ancient site with two tour bus loads, exit via the gift shop and cafe” experiences which Historic Scotland specialises in.

We had a pleasant time wandering about the hobbit settlement and café until word came that a cruise ship had offloaded in Stromness and at least 6 tour buses arrived. We scarpered. Had been considering a cruise holiday before that but realised every place you arrived at would be the same, massive queues of fellow cruise passengers elbowing each other aside.

[The Mantis]

4 hours ago, welshbairn said:

We had a pleasant time wandering about the hobbit settlement and café until word came that a cruise ship had offloaded in Stromness and at least 6 tour buses arrived. We scarpered. Had been considering a cruise holiday before that but realised every place you arrived at would be the same, massive queues of fellow cruise passengers elbowing each other aside.

Orkney has always been more “developed” for tourism than other places, e.g. Shetland. (Un)fortunately  since the trendy southern colour supplements “discovered” Scotland about a decade ago and it’s no longer a miserable grey place where it rains all the time, tourism has exploded faster than the infrastructure can cope. In Stornoway there’s hardly a day now in summer without a cruise ship.

Off topic but we never fancied cruising either, but I’d absolutely recommend the Classic Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage. From Bergen to near the Russian border and back, over 12 days. Only about 300 passengers although the ships are designed for 500. In a way it’s more like Calmac as they deliver Mail, cars, virtually anything up the Norwegian coast, to a strict timetable. They source all the food on the way which means local businesses can rely on them as every port gets a visit every day at the same time as there are 11 ships. You actually get people coming on as day passengers. They visit 34 ports although some are only for half an hour in the middle of the night, but otherwise you get 3 hours ashore each day, which is probably enough for small towns like Hammerfest and Trondheim.

[welshbairn]

4 hours ago, The Mantis said:

Orkney has always been more “developed” for tourism than other places, e.g. Shetland. (Un)fortunately  since the trendy southern colour supplements “discovered” Scotland about a decade ago and it’s no longer a miserable grey place where it rains all the time, tourism has exploded faster than the infrastructure can cope. In Stornoway there’s hardly a day now in summer without a cruise ship.

Off topic but we never fancied cruising either, but I’d absolutely recommend the Classic Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage. From Bergen to near the Russian border and back, over 12 days. Only about 300 passengers although the ships are designed for 500. In a way it’s more like Calmac as they deliver Mail, cars, virtually anything up the Norwegian coast, to a strict timetable. They source all the food on the way which means local businesses can rely on them as every port gets a visit every day at the same time as there are 11 ships. You actually get people coming on as day passengers. They visit 34 ports although some are only for half an hour in the middle of the night, but otherwise you get 3 hours ashore each day, which is probably enough for small towns like Hammerfest and Trondheim.

My Mum and Dad did one of their cruises and loved it, things like kids getting on and off to go to school, like a coastal bus. Did they have a smoking deck anywhere though?

[The Mantis]

41 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

My Mum and Dad did one of their cruises and loved it, things like kids getting on and off to go to school, like a coastal bus. Did they have a smoking deck anywhere though?

I’m sure there was a small covered section where people were free to kipper themselves

eta - although applying stereotypes you’d think all Norwegians were non-smoking, clean living types who put the planet before themselves. But going by the talks we got it’s just a myth. They’re just as messy as the rest of us.

Edited July 17, 2023 by The Mantis

[I'm Brian]

13 hours ago, welshbairn said:

 Had been considering a cruise holiday before that but realised every place you arrived at would be the same, massive queues of fellow cruise passengers elbowing each other aside.

I've been the same as you, but being in Norway recently has put me right off. It's ridiculous some of the places you found them. And they don't half spoil the views. 

Summed up perfectly by this scene, relaxing at a waterfront hotel in Molde, enjoying a very reasonably priced £10 beer on a beautiful outside seating area, gazing in an awestruck manner at the panorama of mountains across the fjord. Pretty much as chilled as you could be...when this chap rocks up. Thankfully it docked further down. It was at this point I decided to rush to a restaurant for my dinner, just in case.

 

Flam in particular was a rotten experience. If you don't know it, the village is about the size of Plockton. Arrived to see the good ship Britannia with hordes of the older generation sitting around. I guess if you don't do the tours, and you can't get about, that'll be your experience. Visiting a few gift shop and sitting on a bench, before going back to the ship a few hours later. That's pretty much hell on earth for me.

 

And then there was Alesund and Bergen. Heaving masses of people, and in Bergen in particular a real struggle to get into a restaurant.

Alesund has some stunning views, but not with two big eff off cruise ships in the scene

 

 

 

8 hours ago, The Mantis said:

 

Off topic but we never fancied cruising either, but I’d absolutely recommend the Classic Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage. From Bergen to near the Russian border and back, over 12 days. Only about 300 passengers although the ships are designed for 500. In a way it’s more like Calmac as they deliver Mail, cars, virtually anything up the Norwegian coast, to a strict timetable. They source all the food on the way which means local businesses can rely on them as every port gets a visit every day at the same time as there are 11 ships. You actually get people coming on as day passengers. They visit 34 ports although some are only for half an hour in the middle of the night, but otherwise you get 3 hours ashore each day, which is probably enough for small towns like Hammerfest and Trondheim.

 

eta - although applying stereotypes you’d think all Norwegians were non-smoking, clean living types who put the planet before themselves. But going by the talks we got it’s just a myth. They’re just as messy as the rest of us.

 

They are mighty proud of the Hurtigruten. May do it one day. The whistlestop tour experience would be right up my alley. 

The one thing I never saw in Norway was a shop selling tobacco. Only one that had long since shut down. They must exist, but they were certainly well hidden. I'm a vapist these days for all my sins, and I even struggled to find a vape shop.

 

Anyway as the P&B masses would tell me, Norway Cruise Ship Ranting Thread for this pish... back to Scottish Islands 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by I'm Brian

[The Mantis]

5 hours ago, I'm Brian said:

I've been the same as you, but being in Norway recently has put me right off. It's ridiculous some of the places you found them. And they don't half spoil the views. 

Summed up perfectly by this scene, relaxing at a waterfront hotel in Molde, enjoying a very reasonably priced £10 beer on a beautiful outside seating area, gazing in an awestruck manner at the panorama of mountains across the fjord. Pretty much as chilled as you could be...when this chap rocks up. Thankfully it docked further down. It was at this point I decided to rush to a restaurant for my dinner, just in case.

 

Flam in particular was a rotten experience. If you don't know it, the village is about the size of Plockton. Arrived to see the good ship Britannia with hordes of the older generation sitting around. I guess if you don't do the tours, and you can't get about, that'll be your experience. Visiting a few gift shop and sitting on a bench, before going back to the ship a few hours later. That's pretty much hell on earth for me.

 

 

And then there was Alesund and Bergen. Heaving masses of people, and in Bergen in particular a real struggle to get into a restaurant.

Alesund has some stunning views, but not with two big eff off cruise ships in the scene

 

They are mighty proud of the Hurtigruten. May do it one day. The whistlestop tour experience would be right up my alley. 

The one thing I never saw in Norway was a shop selling tobacco. Only one that had long since shut down. They must exist, but they were certainly well hidden. I'm a vapist these days for all my sins, and I even struggled to find a vape shop.

 

Anyway as the P&B masses would tell me, Norway Cruise Ship Ranting Thread for this pish... back to Scottish Islands 

 

Still off topic

Ah that’s a shame. We went the first week in October and got some great autumnal weather. We were always north of Bergen and it was never busy (2019). I think the fjords could be busy right enough. The only cruise ship we saw was that huge bugger Aida in your photo, once in Tromsø and once in Trondheim. Because of the timings it never affected us as it was very early morning or late at night, and we called at both places twice so we got some decent time ashore. 

Edited July 18, 2023 by The Mantis

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

Making our way around Orkney. Was quite overcome in the Italian Chapel, and it wasn’t just from the smell emanating from that party of cyclists. A truly stunning place.

Just a couple of full days left now and we’re aiming to get a couple of wee mini cruises on the Orkney Ferries out to the likes of Wyre and Stronsay. Let’s see how we get in with that.

Only gripe so far would be that none of the distilleries here seem to allow kids on their tours. Wee lesson for them: on Islay they welcome kids into their distilleries, always with the warm welcome at the door, and the result is that I leave with a car jingling away like a Bon Accord juice van. Here I’ll be leaving with zero whisky in the car. The money I’ve saved will likely be recycled back into my holiday pot for the next Islay trip. Something for them to ponder. It’s not just the cruise ship visitors who would buy their stuff if they got their proposition right.

 

 

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

Made it to the Isle of Gigha today. It was a mixture of superb and underwhelming. Only had time to explore the southern end (Achamore Gardens etc), so scope to revisit to complete the northern half of the island.

Bit disappointed to see some blockage of an established right of way at Cuddyport Beach. Haven’t seen that for a while. 

Evening mini-cruise to and from Islay. Had some Calmacaroni for tea, and waved to a pod of dolphins. Can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday evening!

 

 

[Black Pennel]

Aye, you absolutely must re-visit lovely wee Gigha.

It is a bit like Cumbrae but just without the casinos & nightclubs and all that noisy stuff.

The "top" end also has some lovely walks (disappointed to read about blocked paths) if you head up toward Ardailly then cut across to the shore, there is a brilliant wee bay to shelter from the breeze and open the coffee flask. Otters posing for photies everywhere among the rocks.

I am jealous.

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

Finished off a long weekend based at Tarbert with a trip over to Arran today. Third island of the weekend and my 7th and 8th ferry journey!

I’ve never really been to Arran. One previous trip which amounted to an over-and-back trip to Brodick. Also skirted around it on the Waverley once.

Have always imagined it to be overrated, and I’m still slightly sceptical about it (too busy; too close to feel like a proper Calmac adventure) but I did enjoy my wee walk today around the Fairy Dell.

Was only over as a foot passenger on the Catriona today and time limited by need to catch a particular ferry back to Claonaig to begin my long journey home.

Drove back via Kilberry Stones and found the place where they filmed the opening credits of the Crow Road.

Seems like a long time since I left the house on Friday morning, which is a good sign I suppose. Expect to sleep well tonight!

[CarrbridgeSaintee]

15 hours ago, Le Tout P'ti FC said:

Finished off a long weekend based at Tarbert with a trip over to Arran today. Third island of the weekend and my 7th and 8th ferry journey!

I’ve never really been to Arran. One previous trip which amounted to an over-and-back trip to Brodick. Also skirted around it on the Waverley once.

Have always imagined it to be overrated, and I’m still slightly sceptical about it (too busy; too close to feel like a proper Calmac adventure) but I did enjoy my wee walk today around the Fairy Dell.

Was only over as a foot passenger on the Catriona today and time limited by need to catch a particular ferry back to Claonaig to begin my long journey home.

Drove back via Kilberry Stones and found the place where they filmed the opening credits of the Crow Road.

Seems like a long time since I left the house on Friday morning, which is a good sign I suppose. Expect to sleep well tonight!

Nice one, I love the Fairy Dell walk.  Did you see the wee fairy monument to Bill Stark?

Lochranza is beautiful.

[The Mantis]

Had a week in Shetland during the Tall Ships. However we went off to Lewis 3 days later so I'm only getting round to sorting out the photos. Stayed with in-laws in Sandwick but went off up north for a couple of nights, to Yell and Fetlar. Only downside was not getting tickets for Peat & Diesel. 5000 tickets, sold out in a morning.

Hoswick from the road into Sandwick. Mossy Hill right, and Sumburgh Head in the distant centre.

Vaila Mae dwarfed by the big boat full of Sagas. Brian Wishart and Marc Chivers training some youngsters.

Arctic Skua or Skooty Allan

Yell landscape

Edited August 15, 2023 by The Mantis

[The Holiday Song]

23 minutes ago, The Mantis said:

Had a week in Shetland during the Tall Ships. However we went off to Lewis 3 days later so I'm only getting round to sorting out the photos. Stayed with in-laws in Sandwick but went off up north for a couple of nights, to Yell and Fetlar. Only downside was not getting tickets for Peat & Diesel. 5000 tickets, sold out in a morning.

 

If your camera was tilted a few degrees more to the left there then would see my house (well, my mam and dads). 

Hopefully going up in October. Will probably take the boat (as feels more of an experience then) but always a bit of a risk with the weather. Northlink are pretty good if you want to push back a day or two but then the availability of cabins comes up.

Edited August 15, 2023 by The Holiday Song

[The Mantis]

12 minutes ago, The Holiday Song said:

If your camera was tilted a few degrees more to the left there then would see my house (well, my mam and dads). 

Hopefully going up in October. Will probably take the boat (as feels more of an experience then) but will always a bit of a risk with the weather. Northlink are pretty good if you want to push back a day or two but then the availability of cabins comes up.

Usually go up every 2 years. If you mean the first pic, my brother in law is the ex-heidie of Sandwick school and my nephews are in Kansa. So you'll likely know them. My sister-in-law is possibly the only Gaelic speaker in Shetland  So getting a bed is never a problem if there are weather issues. At least Northlink is more reliable than the plane. Places on the boat this year have been like gold dust during the Tall Ships.
Lewis for us in October, 4th time this year.

Edited August 15, 2023 by The Mantis