2008 LEO (Lands End to Orkney) Run

Post by **ndevans** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:02 am

Just leaving Kirkwall on the boat to Aberdeen, after an enjoyable few days. Just spent a pleasant couple of hours at Kevin's doing the grease points. Rad cap broke as I took it off to check the water-Scabby to the rescue! Thanks Kevin. For us the run is not over yet-we stay at Kendal YH on Tues and get home to Bristol on Weds. Pic shows the beast safely stowed aboard the MV Hjaltland. Cheers Neil & Steph. <br>

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Post by **ndevans** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:21 am

Arrived in Aberdeen at 7am after a very smooth voyage. Cabin was comfortable and even had a shower. Now in Morrisons in Aberdeen having breakfast before driving via Balmoral and Spittal of Glenshee, the Tay and Forth Bridges to Kendal. Cheers neil

Post by **AberdeenMog** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:46 am

Morning everyone from Aberdeen.
Having joined the LEO run at Tain Carole & I were unable to enjoy all the fun of the run but the 4 days we had with the group were fantastic.
Bill had kept in touch right up to the point where I called him just from just outside the restaurant in Tain early on Friday afternoon where we joined the run. The mobile signal died so I just walked in and to his amusement spoke to him face to face. Last time I saw Bill and Lesley was at the Area 1 camping weekend in Scarborough a couple of years ago. All the other 14 faces were new ones which is all part of the pleasure of being on this type of a run with the club.
To be there at all was slightly fortunate after the preceeding 3 weeks when the gearbox died, the first replacement was also naff......... the water pump was howling, the battery resembled a pancake despite all efforts to revive and for good measure the cylinder head gasket blew apart between cylinders 3 & 4. All work done right down to the second replacement box going in less than 36 hours before leaving Aberdeen and what a wonderful run we had ....... next year we will just have to join earlier.
The weekend itself was a good blend, with the distillery visit and dinner on the Saturday then the Orkney Rally on the Sunday. Carole I & left the rally at around 3.00 to have a look round the Island at a number of it's other attractions before ending up in a remote local hotel for Sunday dinner. To our surprise we were joined by 7 of the others who had stumbled on the same venue.
The friendship will hopefully continue with a local reunion later in the week to introduce the "deep fried Mars bar".
Thanks then to all those involved for making it such an enjoyable weekend, we look forward to seeing you all again.

Post by **Kevincolley** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:11 am

id: Orkney
i recieved only a few of the emails not all of them, i was happy with the speed of the run, its a bit hard to get on the internet when u are away camping on the iow like i was in may, do u realy expect me to name and shame on a public forum who peed me off?

Post by **Welung666** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:21 am

Kevincolley wrote:do u realy expect me to name and shame on a public forum who peed me off?

bigginger wrote:it'd be wise to continue the discussion via PM

Just a reminder, remember the T&C's.

Post by **alex_holden** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:02 pm

I arrived home early this afternoon to find that my server had died last Thursday and I needed to go straight back out to the office to fix it. I hope to get the boot open tonight so I can unload Lintilla, then have a long bath and an early night before back to work in the morning.

Thanks a lot to Mr Benn for relaying my SMS updates to the forum.

I can't believe how soon I'll be leaving again for the AIR!

Post by **alex_holden** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:23 pm

Here's a couple of nice pictures from my return journey. It was a bit wet coming back through Glen Coe...

I tried to get a photo matching the signature picture with Fenchurch in it, but the mountains in the background were obscured by rain. This is probably the nicest picture I got from the same layby.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:42 pm

That's why it's called 'The Weeping Glen'. I rains a lot there!

Post by **ndevans** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:50 pm

Arrived at Kendal YH at 8.30pm after a long but enjoyable drive from Aberdeen. We went along the A93 through Balmoral, over Glenshee and past Spittal of Glenshee, then down to Dundee (stopped in a picnic area and saw a red squirrel), then over the Tay Bridge and along the A90 to the Forth Bridge. We then had a highly enjoyable drive along the A68 to Jedburgh, where we turned onto the A6357 across some wild country (road was virtually empty the whole way) to the A7 about 7 miles north of Carlisle. After a short blast along the M6 we turned onto the A6 for the final stretch over Shap to Kendal. All in all a lovely drive but a long day! Both exhausted! Got to go now, it's beer o'clock! Cheers neil.

Post by **alex_holden** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:02 pm

I've added up my fuel usage and it came to almost exactly 300 litres (66 gallons). I don't know the milage because my odometer is broken but I would guess at 2500 miles (it was 2350 last year and we took a longer route this year). So that works out to about 38mpg. I did have a worn out carb that was running rich until I swapped it on Orkney though.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:06 pm

Around £400 in fuel costs..... It's a scandal.

Post by **ndevans** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:20 pm

Arrived home at 6.40pm this evening. Kendal YH was a bit rough, party of raucous youths who looked like they were on day release from a young offenders institute were staying. 0512am and we are all outside after the fire alarm had gone off! My guess is someone had been trying to have an illicit ciggie!
Good run home, we went along the eastern shore of Lake Windermere, then a bit of M6, then through the Trough of Bowland to Clitheroe, then to Preston. Quick sarnie in Asda, then onwards via the M6 to Nantwich for a quick social call on my sister in law who is in plaster with a broken knee.
An uneventful storm up the M6 & M5 was abruptly terminated approaching J14 of the M5, traffic was coming to a halt. We got off the M5 and followed a country route the last 10 miles home. So ended a fabulous holiday. We covered 2248 miles, a bit less than last year, but the ferry from Kirkwall to Aberdeen must have knocked 200 miles off. Will post my fuel consumption later. Cheers all, thanks for your company, thanks also to Kevin & Jane for their hospitality & help servicing the car on Orkney. Neil & Steph.

Post by **bigginger** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:42 pm

They were coning the M5 south down to one lane this evening - just in time for the holiday rush

Post by **RogerRust** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:28 am

A picture speaks a thousand words.

Hey folks, you've been back a few hours now. Time to post some photos.

Post by **Kevin** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:02 pm

They wont have recovered yet Rog.

Post by **alex_holden** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:23 pm

And some of us have got the next rally to prepare for!

Post by **dalebrignall** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:28 pm

you must be maid of stern stuff alex

Post by **ndevans** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:53 pm

OK all, I have posted a few pics here:-

http://www.minor946.fotopic.net/c1561317_1.html

There may be more to come. My photos of Cam & Gill's wedding are on film which has yet to be developed.
cheers, Neil

Post by **bmcecosse** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:48 am

Film ? Developed ????????? Whatever next!

Post by **alex_holden** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:02 am

bmcecosse wrote:Film ? Developed ????????? Whatever next!

ISTR seeing a cine camera in his living room...