More sheep

So we've been back to Clachtoll for a few more sheep . We went last in September last year . And a few more details here .A couple of months later so its darker later in the morning.

Instead of watching the sunrise whilst waiting for the Stromness to Scrabster at 5.45 am for the  ferry  we were in the dark .

But after the ferry crossing and the drive  we arrived at Clachtoll, in bright sunshine , but a bit windy - after all this is Scotland in November

The sheep we were taking had already been separated.
 

 and caught and then transferred to our  trailer

 An uneventful drive back - Berriedale Braes remains fairyl challenging with a trailer. Heres the tip of Hoy as we came past . it was raining a bit - but then this is Scotland in November

Driving

You can get to Orkney by a number of routes.  

-We've done the long sea crossing from Aberdeen 

-Friends have tried the X99 bus from Inverness .

The other alternative is the drive to the North Coast of Scotland and take the ferry , either Northlink Ferries crossing from Scrabster to Stromness or Andrew Banks's boat , Pentland Ferries  from Gills Bay , just along from John o'Groats to St Margaret's Hope. As the Wikipedia page for Pentland Ferries  points out,  Pentland Ferries is one of only 2 Ferries that receives no Government subsidy (and the other one isn't Northlink).

To drive to the North Coast of Scotland , we reckon that 

• Inverness to the North Coast is 2.5 hours 
• Edinburgh to Inverness is 2.5 hours 
• Newcastle to Edinburgh is 2.5 hours
• Sheffield to Newcastle is 2.5 hours 
• London to Sheffield is 2.5 hours

(allowing for traffic and comfort breaks)  

The first ferry is 845am (Northlink) or  930am  (Pentland) , with car checkin 30-60 mins beforehand. 

So to get the first ferry , you really need to stay overnight somewhere close to the terminal. We've stayed at the Forss House Hotel , a couple of miles from Scrabster, with breakfast at a time that lets you get to the terminal in time to check in for the early crossing. 

Lunchtime crossing is at 1300 or thereabouts for both ferries. So working backwards, car checkin will be at 1200.   And if you are ejected from a B&B  at 10 am ,you will need a drive  for a couple of hours. So the overnight stop needs to be just north of Inverness. We have stayed in Golspie , which is about 70 minutes from Thurso. So its a bit close. better would probably be at Dingwall .

The A9 

The A9 north of Inverness  is  rural dual carriageway , as described on the trip to Sutherland.

Its a very pleasant drive, as long as you don't get stuck behind a truck. Some of the road has snow poles , so I imagine it could be difficult driving in the winter. 

There are a string of villages along the A9 next to the North Sea. We have stopped at a very nice cafe in Helmsdale , one of the villages on the way. And there is still the hairpin at  Berriedale Braes to negotiate.

We've also visited Wick and John o'Groats  and found it to be an underwhelming  experience for both places so at the moment we wouldn't recommend a visit to either. 

Bring a few things.......

"There are a few things I'd like you to bring......".


So after packing and repacking the car and the trailer I  just   got everything in . This included having bags and boxes stacked on the passenger seat.

and the trailer was just as full



I'd initially wanted to do this trip from Aberdeen -a five hour drive and then a 5 hour ferry, rather than drive up to Scrabster, a 8-9 hour drive and then a 90 minute ferry) but the road north of Inverness is a single carriageway and some climbing round the sides of the hills. Very scenic but a pain of you are stuck behind something really slow , and I didnt want people stuck behind me. The climb I remember is the one that comes after Helsmdale. we have stopped there for lunch  on a previous trip - a very pleasant small village, with Poppys-Too cafe that we tried out (recommended) .   The car does struggle a little on big hills with the trailer.
So the bit I was concerned about is the climb out of Helmsdale ,  here .

But the bit i was concerned about was  OK.  There is a hairpin at Berriedale Braes, a bit further along the A9.

So with a first gear crawl round the hairpin ( Google maps link  here ) all was well and and we were on our way.There is also a youtube video of the Berriedale stretch of the A9 here

The rest of the trip was uneventful - a dash across Caithness  , past Halkirk and I made the lunchtime ferry with 5 mins to spare.

But I think I would still have preferred to go from Aberdeen.