Orkney - sometime soon

This is definitely gone on the list of places to visit (looking for a licking lips smiley!)

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Ferry booked

when are you going ken,or is it a secret 

5th June

Hia

Oh heck I've booked a ferry on that date to the Orkneys. Might see you

Hia

Just pulled out my Scotland planning from 2012
This is the expedition I pulled out of.
So I have my rout up the East side of Scotland and places I want to visit re family history.
Places to stay 

So I will be having a look at this and I will be doing a stop up at Berick to see Derek 
Also I see I have some friends at Fraserburgh so will check if there still there and where abouts .
Their camper angers so hopefully know some places to stay 

Ohhhhhh a plan is beginning
 

WOW, just done a fare crossing for the Orkneys and it was £386 dearer than the 24hr crossing to Spain, Orkneys return £1247
Spain return £861

Don't think we will be going there :-(

Hia

Blooming heck Bob , that's expensive

Tell me about it

Hia


Anyone going to the caravan show and I will be seeing soon 
If the Scottish tourist board are there could you pick me a map up of the Highlands and one of Scotland so I can plan my trip on it 
Thanks

whistlinggypsy wrote:

WOW, just done a fare crossing for the Orkneys and it was £386 dearer than the 24hr crossing to Spain, Orkneys return £1247
Spain return £861

Don't think we will be going there :-(

Geez, which company was this Bob?

aer lingus

I just did it and had a wild guess at length and put 14m in, come back at £356

tessajoe wrote:

aer lingus

£500 ish if you go from Aberdeen, are you sure it was to Orkney and not Shetland?

i think hes at a tuggers conferance,but you do get mixed up as you get older,i went into lidl to put a bet on yesterday.

Ken it was from Aberdeen but with full upgrades (premium rooms, 3 course dinner and breakfast included both ways) just done one from Scrabster return and only £321 that's loads better will now look at it differently.

Southport to Scrabster 552 miles
Southport to Aberdeen 340 miles

212 miles shorter drive from home to Aberdeen but the cost is 4 times greater. Not worth it.

tessajoe wrote:

i think hes at a tuggers conferance,but you do get mixed up as you get older,i went into lidl to put a bet on yesterday.

Only travel 1st class now we are tuggers, getting older means you want comfort and style, sadly no discount as Brittany ferry do not go there

Did you win

Think you booked to Lerwick looking at them prices Bob, soon get up to that going there with accommodation and meals etc.
Try again, don't book any cabins or meals though, your only on the ferry for just over an hour, changing dates doesn't alter the price, or it didn't for me, price stays the same all week, not like some that are cheaper mid week.
Try Northlink ferries from both Aberdeen to Kirkwall and Scrabster to Stromness, also try Pentland feries, Gills bay to St Margarets Hope, don't bother looking at ferry from John O Groats, it's passenger only

whistlinggypsy wrote:

Ken it was from Aberdeen but with full upgrades (premium rooms, 3 course dinner and breakfast included both ways) just done one from Scrabster return and only £321 that's loads better will now look at it differently.

I got it to just over 500 from Aberdeen

we are going to scotlandia this year and over to irlandia and then back by ferry to liverpoolia

tessajoe wrote:

we are going to scotlandia this year and over to irlandia and then back by ferry to liverpoolia

ai ai Frank

tessajoe wrote:

we are going to scotlandia this year and over to irlandia and then back by ferry to liverpoolia

So your not coming home via Walesia

This

Hey Frank see you won when you put your bet on at Lidl then 

KSH wrote:

Did you win

Think you booked to Lerwick looking at them prices Bob, soon get up to that going there with accommodation and meals etc.
Try again, don't book any cabins or meals though, your only on the ferry for just over an hour, changing dates doesn't alter the price, or it didn't for me, price stays the same all week, not like some that are cheaper mid week.
Try Northlink ferries from both Aberdeen to Kirkwall and Scrabster to Stromness, also try Pentland feries, Gills bay to St Margarets Hope, don't bother looking at ferry from John O Groats, it's passenger only

 Nice one Ken, only £216 from Gills bay, keep it up Ken I will getting it for nowt in a bit. 

if i dress margarita up like jimmy clitheroe i will only pay for 1 pensioner and 1 child.i will put it to her.

scotland cancelled for me.

whistlinggypsy wrote:

 Nice one Ken, only £216 from Gills bay, keep it up Ken I will getting it for nowt in a bit. 

That's a decent saving, was only about £5 cheaper for me. Stromness is easier to get too and I was thinking of Polly having to reverse onto the ferry at Gills bay

reverse on the ferry 

It's only a little one Frank I'll try and find a photo

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Cars go on first and are parked under the balcony, they drive on, then the trailer is put on and everything else reverses down the side of it - easy there was a couple of caravans on the outgoing trip but I didn't take any photos, they parked side by side in front of the trailer, they didn't have to reverse down the side of it.
But the last one, the green van drove on for some reason, we saw that van a few times on the island

for sale autotrail margarita.

Ask Peter about us reversing onto a Moroccan ferry up a sloping landing stage, great fun NOT.

Ken after a few tweaks I got the 1st quote down to this and yes it was Aberdeen to Lerwick but not going there anyway. Don't mind reversing on the ferry as long as it is not down the side of parked cars and trucks.
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This is the cost from Scrabster-Stromness, much better. We have no definite dates yet Ken but used the date you quote in your earlier post. Did you find the ferries full or very busy in June as we think it may get a lot busier in the next two months. Ken is there any overnight parking at Scrabster or Gill Bay ?

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Gills Bay crossing, better still except for the reversing on the ferry 

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Don't know about parking at Scrabster but we did stay at Gills bay, it's not 24 hour, we got there late and got up before they arrived for work, there is a camp site at John O Groats though which is not far away. It's never really busy, that's the beauty of the place, room on ferry both ways when we went in 2013.
Have you got the right price for the caravan from Gills bay, thats up to 5m

Motorhome/Caravan (up to 5m) £38
Motorhome/Caravan (5m - 6m) £54
Motorhome/Caravan (6m-8m) £75
Motorhome/Caravan (over 8m) £108

whistlinggypsy wrote:

Ask Peter about us reversing onto a Moroccan ferry up a sloping landing stage, great fun NOT.

Ken after a few tweaks I got the 1st quote down to this and yes it was Aberdeen to Lerwick but not going there anyway. Don't mind reversing on the ferry as long as it is not down the side of parked cars and trucks.
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Still expensive but Shetland is well worth a visit, it really is stunning scenery, ditch the meals and magners lounge and see what it comes in at, you can buy meals on the boat and there is plenty of room in the main lounge.
If you do want to see Shetland why not do it at the same time like we should have done, saves the trip all the way back up there again, you can get a ferry from Kirkwall to Lerwick on Northlink ferries

Quote :

Still expensive but Shetland is well worth a visit, it really is stunning scenery, ditch the meals and magners lounge and see what it comes in at, you can buy meals on the boat and there is plenty of room in the main lounge.
If you do want to see Shetland why not do it at the same time like we should have done, saves the trip all the way back up there again, you can get a ferry from Kirkwall to Lerwick on Northlink ferries

Nice idea Ken but would involve 3 ferries so cost is too much, if we do go it will be from either Scrabster or Gill Bay, bit more thought needed to plan this as we will have 3 long trips in 2016 (Spain, Shetlands and France) so costs come into it all.

Have you got the right price for the caravan from Gills bay, that's up to 5m

Quote :

Motorhome/Caravan (up to 5m) £38
Motorhome/Caravan (5m - 6m) £54
Motorhome/Caravan (6m-8m) £75
Motorhome/Caravan (over 8m) £108

Do not understand Ken as the price quoted is the 6m/8m length but on the quote it shows <5m will confirm properly with ferry company if we use that route.

On your quote it says up to 5m and costs £76, £38 each way

KSH wrote:

On your quote it says up to 5m and costs £76, £38 each way

Silly me    Ken, i put in the height of the van instead of length, gone up a bit now £140    but that is for a 1hr trip e/w they certainly know how to charge.   


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