Page 40 - Karmann Komment Vol42 Issue 2

Karmann Komment Volume 42 | Issue 2
A QUICK SPIN TO SHETLAND 2024
Another pub conversation and another plan hatched for a potential road trip – this time
to the bi-annual Shetland Classic Car Show at Lerwick. Route checked and it’s not too
far from Morpeth – a round trip of less than 600 driving miles, right? Well, not exactly
- there’s the slight issue of the additional 12-hour ferry ride each way as well but who worries about details like that. A quick check on dates etc and reality dawns – the show is on the 1st and 2nd June - wedding anniversary alert. You know you’ve married the right girl when that’s seen as a good chance to get a few days away – so road trip buddy ditched for this one and Victoria as co-pilot, navigator and arbiter of music selection.
Day 1 (29th May) Morpeth to Blairgowrie
(approx. 190 miles/4.5 hours via A697, A68, A720, M8, M90, A93).
This more scenic route up the A697/A68 takes in some nice countryside in Northumberland, through Coldstream into the Borders, then motorway to Edinburgh and across the impressive cable-stayed Queensferry Crossing over the Forth. A truly biblical rainstorm reduced visibility to such dangerous levels that we needed a half hour stop at the motorway services – plenty of much more modern vehicles seemed to be suffering water related issues but the KG never missed a beat and we even managed to keep the condensation down by judicious use of the vents, rear windows and heater controls. A great overnight stay (Ivybank Lodge) in Blairgowrie had us well fed and rested for the next day.
Day 2 - (30th May) Blairgowrie to Aberdeen
(approx. 130 miles/4 hours driving time via A93, B9077 and A956)
After a quick detour to Coupar Angus to visit a strawberry grower (never miss a chance to visit another farm shop!), we headed up on a
very roundabout route to Aberdeen largely via the A93 through the Cairngorm National Park, Glenshee and Braemar. After the previous days rain, it was great to have a bright sunny day to show off the local scenery. As a bonus, it’s a great driving road, decent visibility
ahead and surprisingly empty. It was also a chance to stop off and do the obligatory Balmoral visit. A late lunch at Ballater then a straightforward run to Aberdeen docks in plenty of time to check in for the ferry.
Northlink Ferries operates the route to Lerwick, departure time is 17:00 and you’ll need to be there at the very latest 1 hour before. The ferry goes via Kirkwall in the Orkneys (arrives Kirkwall 23:00 with 45 min stop) and arrives at Lerwick at 07:30. This is a busy ferry route and we were warned by the show organisers that early booking was essential, especially if you want a cabin (recommended as seating areas are limited and not particularly comfortable) The route can suffer from heavy weather and even in relatively calm seas we found the boat did roll a fair bit so it wasn’t a particularly comfortable crossing. The show organisers do normally negotiate a discount on the ferry costs for cars attending the show – we booked early before the discount had been agreed but it was easy enough to get a partial refund from Northlink once the discount codes had been announced.
From the number of classic cars, wagons and motorbikes on the ferry it was clear that
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