Scotland 2014 - Epilogue

Each day has its own entry with some pictures, memories and brief description of the driving, quickly accessible from the 'Scotland 2014' category at the top of this post or in the categories section to the right of the page.

I'm slowly adding recorded footage to my Youtube Scotland Playlist.

You don't often catch me smiling!

The group

Me, Simon, Andrew, Keith, Peter, Rob, 

Dan, Stuart, Andy, Jon, Ian

Typical Fuel stop

We generally took over the small filling stations making sure fuel was always topped up & a chance for the route finders - Andy & Keith - to identify any final route tweaks and us all to get the sat navs programmed.

The hairpins:

The Driver's view:

Hairpins at about 9 minutes 20 seconds in)

Mountains:

You couldn't invent roads like this... & driving certainly brings back the experience of walking to the top of a mountain. Driving brings its own type of adrenaline - but the same resulting awe when you end up on top of the world with 5 minutes to spend with your thoughts:

Brilliant.

Dunfermline to Maidstone - two bridges

The final leg - everyone heading home; the eight of us who started north on Saturday were heading back; Andy came by the hotel first thing to see us off.

Cars

• Andrew - Zero
• Dan - SSC Stylus
• Ian - Zero
• Keith - MK
• Peter - 2B
• Richard(me) - Zero
• Rob - SSC Stylus
• Simon - 2B

Schedule:

• Start: Dunfirmline
• Finish: Maidstone
• Driving Time: 7 hours 53 minutes
• Miles: 435

Route

• Premier Inn Dunfermline - Start
• Forth Road Bridge - waypoint
• Jedburgh - waypoint
• Washington Services - lunch
• Ferrybridge Services - stop
• Various services to top up - stop
• Queen Elizabeth Bridge - waypoint
• Maidstone - Home

Forth Road Bridge @ 9.30am

We crossed the Firth of Forth around 9.30 am; misty/foggy & only just able to see the iconic Forth railway bridge away to the left.

The last group stop at the Scottish border:

Together until just north of Newcastle, then starting to split up and head in our separate directions;

- Keith and Dan away just past Newcastle,

- Ian & Peter next

- The remainder peeling off  north/south of Nottingham;

- Last wave & blast on the horn to Ozz at Newark before I focused on Kent some hours away.

Still the odd wave, photos taken of the motor by passing cars

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge @ 7pm

The A1 drive missed any rain & I crossed the thames at the Dartford crossing around 7pm, to knock on my front door by 7.30. The tiredness did catch up with me the day after - but during the drive south the driving was so easy to concentrate on - certainly a windy/buffeting experience, but a comfortable drive none the less.

Amazing trip...

My description has not focused on the various group car issues; all solved along the way. My issues amounted to a bent wiper blade & lose gear knob - both fixed inside 20 minutes. Others had various challenges all worked together to get all the cars round.

Fantastic little car & exactly the right vehicle for the highlands.

Thanks to Keith, Andy & Dan for the idea and planning & open invitation.

Inverness to Dunfermline - water of life

Heading east towards Nairn on B roads then south on the A939 Military road towards Whisky country. Very different landscape on this section, moorlands and tree lined roads.

Cars

• Andrew - Zero
• Andy - Zero
• Dan - SSC Stylus
• Ian - Zero
• John - 2B
• Keith - MK
• Peter - 2B
• Richard(me) - Zero
• Rob - SSC Stylus
• Simon - 2B
• Stuart - 2B

Schedule:

• Start: Inverness
• Finish: Dunfermline
• Driving Time: 4 hours 34 minutes
• Miles: 173

Route

• Premier Inn Inverness - Start
• Cawdor - waypoint
• Grantown-on-Spey - waypoint
• The Glenlivet - lunch
• Braemar - waypoint
• Blairgowrie - waypoint
• Premier Inn Dunfermline - overnight

A little timid at first to get the feel of the car on a damp road...

Cool bridge over the Spey at 8 minutes 29 seconds

The Glenlivet

I'm not a Whisky drinker, however this was worth a visit & tour; no pictures inside - but imagine huge vats of hops, liquer & ultimately whiskey distilling in six 20' tall stills - impressive. Impressive smell entering the distillery too - like Christmas cake!

The free tour included free tasters too...

Time for the obligatory car shoot, some lunch, and the weather to go from merky to full on raining; roof up for the first time...

Military Road South

One of my favourite runs, I ended up with more clear road, hints of snow capped hills and as the road progresses it winds in three dimensions - not particularly fast & the camera doesn't pick up on the spray from the wheels, but great fun to drive.

I took the roof off soon after this video & with hat on made our way south to Dunfermline. The last part via motorway and wettest part of the trip - getting out of the car I was buzzing - the whole process and level of concentration & focus required in the very wet was exhilarating!

Dornie to Inverness - hairpins and roller coaster

Food at the Dornie was excellent, even if the rooms were a little dated, everyone well fed on breakfast - cars checked out it today was over the roof of the highlands towards Inverness.

Cars

• Andrew - Zero
• Andy - Zero
• Dan - SSC Stylus
• Ian - Zero
• John - 2B
• Keith - MK
• Peter - 2B
• Richard(me) - Zero
• Rob - SSC Stylus
• Simon - 2B
• Stuart - 2B

Schedule:

• Start: Dornie
• Finish: Inverness
• Driving Time: 4 hours
• Miles: 133

Route

• The Dornie Hotel - Start
• Eilean Donan Castle - stop
• Sky Bridge - waypoint
• Bealach na Ba viewpoint - waypoint
• Applecross Inn - lunch
• Loch Torridon - waypoint
• Kinlochewe - waypoint
• Achnasheen - waypoint
• Premier Inn Inverness - Overnight

Eilean Donan

Before moving off an oportunity to take a closer look at Eileen Donan castle round the corner. Rob did a good job of racing the camera timer & running from the camera back into shot on each picture.

From left to right: Simon, Andrew, Me, Dan, Stuart, Andy, Rob, John, Peter, Ian & Keith:

Skye Bridge

Heading towards the Applecross Inn for lunch, but the Skye bridge was so close that came first - just over and back.

Applecross Inn

We took the high pass past Bealach na Ba viewpoint; roads getting tighter, more precarious as we went - most drivers waving us on whether they were coming down the hill or in front. The hairpins near the top (9 minute 20 seconds in) were like something out of the Italian alps in the Italian Job - I didn't have any Matt Monro to hand but 'on days like these' was going through my head...

To the top..

Sight seeing & breather on top of the world:

..then down the other side..

I prefer driving up - it feels like you have gravity on your side if you need to stop!

Loch Torridon & Loch Shieldaig

The route to Applecross was spectacular, but the route onwards towards Inverness didn't let down either - the road began straight, hugging the coast, then developed into a winding, rolling road - following Rob & Ian it started to feel just like a roller coaster and we were the coaster cars.

Tightening into the roller coaster effect around 5 minutes in


At about 9 minutes in it turns from swooping curves into more windy driving between rock outcrops with a view of the loch opening up around 12 minutes 31 seconds:


The run across to Inverness, uneventful, still amazing views and driving, another long enjoyable day!

Falkirk to Dornie - steep learning curve!

Day 2 - Andy, John & Stuart (& someone else for the day who's name escapes me) join us for the run north and the real driving begins... Quite a convoy, the group settles into a comfortable order on the road, but no pressure & relaxed for everyone to find their own style and push, or cruise depending on mood.

Cars

• Andrew - Zero
• Andy - Zero
• Dan - SSC Stylus
• Ian - Zero
• John - 2B
• Keith - MK
• Peter - 2B
• Richard(me) - Zero
• Rob - SSC Stylus
• Simon - 2B
• Stuart - 2B
• ? - Yellow Car?

Schedule

• Start: Falkirk
• Finish: Dornie
• Driving Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
• Miles: 234

Route

• Premier Inn Falkirk Labart - Start
• Aberfoyle - stop
• Dukes Pass - waypoint
• Glencoe - waypoint
• Onich Hotel - lunch
• Glenfinan viaduct - stop
• Eilean Donan - waypoint
• Dornie Hotel - Overnight

The weather was stunning all day, shirt-sleeve driving after lunch & you could have mistaken the weather for the south of France!

Dukes Pass

In at the deep end, the first challenge was the Dukes Pass, a winding rolling road climbing up from Aberfoyle. We drove as a group to the Aberfoyle car park where Andy briefed everyone on what to expect - its a known local hill climb route with some gotchas.

On this initial run there was some frustration in parts of the group that we were taking it too easy -  It felt fast enough to me - not knowing the road I had to re-learn my driving and stay in low gears/high revs. The group frustration wained as soon as more open roads were available, combined with the stunning scenery which turned the rest of the weekend into as much sightseeing as driving hard.

First stop at the top of the pass & first real chance to take in the scenery around Loch Achray:

Glencoe

The road north opened up, A84, A85 & A82 - some stunning roads with light traffic and able to fully take advantage of the safe speed limit; Shared sat nav waypoints with Keith and Andy comparing notes and adjusting the route at each stop meant we could all just enjoy the roads & views driving through each stage.

Regular fuel stops for the thirstier cars also meant regular breaks every hour or so. This is a short part of the A82 run towards Glencoe village: at 4:00 minutes in suddenly surrounded by rocky, snow covered peaks - it was an amazing drive...

Onich

The Onich Hotel for lunch, as usual we take over a corner of the car park - some minor running repairs, but mostly heading to the bar for the drink of choice - Orange juice & lemonade to cool off.

One long lunch later admiring the views of Loch Linnhe.. wow...

Glenfinan

Heading north after lunch, a short diversion west of Fort William to see the Glenfinan viaduct, famous from Harry Potter movies:

Just over the road is the 1815 Glenfinan monument to "Bonnie Prince Charlie" with Loch Sheil beyond it:

Heading east back towards Fort William Ben Nevis making a spectacular backdrop most of the  way, then back onto the A82 at Fort William heading north:

Dornie

The final destination for the day is the Dornie Hotel, a long drive and the sun lower in the sky it was getting cooler. The A87 westbound had the setting sun directly ahead for some challenging/blinding driving - but the last part around Loch Duich presented the most amazing views - Eilean Donan castle appearing just before arriving at the Hotel for the night.



A full day, the Dornie Hotel bar was perfect for talking it through and filling up on food before the next days drive...

 

Nottingham to Falkirk

Day 1 proper of the road trip.

I met with the rest of the group at Woodall services around 8.30am and we headed north in convoy, variously overtaking and changing position on the road to break up the relative monotony of a long drive, although the scenery does noticeably perk up through Northumbria.

The route was selected to be A roads  - everyones fuel tank range was on the order of 150 miles, depending on weight of right foot, which meant regular stops for juice, drinks, snacks and to stretch.

Cars

• Andrew - Zero
• Dan - SSC Stylus
• Ian - Zero
• Keith - MK
• Peter - 2B
• Richard(me) - Zero
• Rob - SSC Stylus
• Simon - 2B

Schedule

• Start: Nottingham
• Finish: Falkirk
• Driving Time: 5 hours 36 minutes
• Miles: 308

Route

• Premier Inn Nottingham west - start
• Woodall Services - stop
• Ferrybridge Services - stop
• Scotch Corner Services - lunch
• Washington Services - stop
• Wooler - waypoint
• Falkirk Wheel - stop
• Premier Inn Falkirk - overnight

Scotland!

We crossed the border into Scotland around 4pm, no incidents of note; getting close into Falkirk we were expecting a welcome committee & there on the bridge were some more RHOCar members: whiz & shiney waving, meant we were getting close...

Falkirk Wheel

The main meeting point before moving on to the hotel was the Falkirk wheel; numbers increased to 10 cars & just time to see the wheel rotate a barge from the top canal into the basin below. Whiz had received the trip stickers which were duly applied to the cars:

Joined by:

Cars

• Andy - Zero
• John - 2B

Time to see the wheel do its thing and drop a boat 24metres into the basin below:

Then on to a well deserved rest/evening meal - Andy, Stuart & John are local so would be returning in the morning, Derek joined us for the meal. I'm sunburned already!

From left to right: Peter, Me, Dan, Keith & Rob..

Andrew, Simon & Ian...

Keith, Rob & Derek...

Maidstone to Nottingham

First is getting to the right end of the country for the 'official' start day. This is reasonably similar to my previous longest trip to GBS during the IVA process so touch wood the familiar ground will be uneventful.

The plan is to stay overnight near Nottingham, then meet up with various members of RHOCar on the journey north in the morning.

Cars

• Me - Zero

Schedule

• Start: Maidstone
• Finish: Watnall
• Driving Time: 3 hours 24 minutes
• Miles: 175

Route

• Maidstone - home
• M11
• A1
• Grantham - waypoint
• A52
• Premier Inn Nottingham West - overnight

I left home around lunchtime to try and avoid any Bank Holiday rush -  I made good time, good weather & no traffic to speak of. Hood down and tonneau up all the way! Some looks from other drivers, one smiling thumbs up, and passed an MGA en-route. The M11/A1 route is a much nicer road than the M1.

On arrival a quick check of coolant & oil - everything was fine & all set for meeting the rest of the group in the morning.

Scotland - RHOCar trip around the Highlands

This weekend was preparation - finishing the half hood so I have a modicum of weather proofing on a really wet day; and playing with maps to design the trip logo:

The plan is a RHOCar club organised tour of the Scottish Highlands, around 6 cars expected on the full trip with some more possibly joining on particular days. I'm starting at the wrong end of the country so I tacked on one more day to get north, and another south at the end.

A Mixture of cars expected: Zero, 2B, Stylus, MK...

Should be interesting and potential for some stunning driving and views & a real challenge for the car. I'm starting a day early to meet up in the midlands, joining the rest of the group on day 1 on the journey north and when we get to Scotland.

Overall Schedule:

• Prologue: 18th April: Maidstone to Notingham
• Day 1: 19th: Falkirk
• Day 2: 20th: Dornie
• Day 3: 21st: Inverness
• Day 4: 22nd: Dunfermline
• Epilogue: 23rd April Dunfermline to Maidstone

Overall Distance

• Approx 1,410 miles

Weather on the long range forecast courtesy of the Met office is looking mixed, so it wont be boring sun,  looks more like some drama so we know we are in Scotland; the only 'bad' weather would be fog/mist which means no view...

Met Office weather:

Highlands Outlook for Friday 18 Apr 2014 to Sunday 27 Apr 2014:

Probably a good deal of dry weather at first, especially for central parts of the UK. It may be cloudier with patchy rain in both the northwest and far south. Northeastern parts are most likely to have the best of the weather through the Easter weekend. Temperatures generally near average and winds mostly light. Current indications then show a gradual change to more unsettled weather across most parts from Easter Monday and into the following week, with cloudier conditions and showers or longer spells of rain, particularly in western areas. Any drier and clearer periods are expected to be limited. It will become windy at times too, with temperatures mainly above average but slightly below under any rain. Confidence in the change to more unsettled weather is currently fairly low.

Maintenance

Scotland road trip is coming up, so some basic maintenance to hopefully keep the car happy.

Oil Change ~3.5k miles

I have had a very minor oil drip from the back of the sump since build, while it is not showing up as anything major on regular dip-stick tests, its a good opportunity for an early oil change and just measure how much is left in the engine.

Engine oil change showed I still had 5 litres of oil in the engine - so the drip really is negligible and I'm not worrying about it other than regular level checks.

Diff also checked for levels (as per maintenance schedule), sitting within the required 10mm below the filler, so no problems there.

Brakes Disc/Pad change

My brakes developed a shudder/judder seemingly coming from the front left when braking at high speed. Its not wheel balance and there was nothing obvious visually amiss with the discs or pads, although turning the wheel I could feel a ever so slightly tighter/pinch spot consistent with wider disc, or more pad material laid down at that point.

Best advice seems to point to an issue with a warped disc - which can be caused by any number of things including - stuck guide pins, manufacturing defects in the disc, bad running in on the pads (read driver error).

I have read its possible to correct by hard braking from speed followed by letting the brakes cool with the brakes off; however due to the lack of time until Scotland I decided to swap out the discs and pads

The discs that came out are not obviously warped, by visual inspection and holding up against each other. The pads a little worn asymmetrically - outside pad more than inboard, but again nothing obvious.

On re-assembly, checked the calliper guide pins were clean and very lightly greased them too.

Discs replaced with: Maxtorq vented, drilled & grooved

Pads replaced with:  Mintex 1144

(Spec on Maintenance Page)

I took the car out for a brief test, checking the pedal before moving to remove any slack in the wound back pistons. The above new combination of discs/pads feels excellent - as much bite and stopping power, even on running in/light braking, as the original setup. So happy with the upgrade so far.

Hopefully all set for the Highlands road trip...