Nearly sorted.
Time to book everything.
I have decided not to go to the Orkneys. No matter how you cut it, I can only get there for midnight; this means no campsites, an awfully long day and having to find a reliable hotel. I’ve decided to simply make the most of my time in the Shetlands instead. Now’s the time to figure out an itinerary, so that I can book my campsites.
UPDATE — I have contacted the campsites and, well… this is going to be a fun holiday! Of the three campsites, one never replied and the other two emailed back saying it should be fine to accommodate but they do not work on a booking system. What. The. Actual. F…? Ok, fine. I will play along and maybe maybe I am overcomplicating stuff and the site owners know it won’t be a problem. It’s fine for them to think that though, but if something unexpected happens, I’m going to be the butt of the joke. *Puts on fake chilled voice* Oh well, I am sure that eeeveryone will be helpful and approachable, and everyone will go out of their way to help me. Yeah, absolutely.
Oh god I nearly choked on all that fake chill.
Fuck it, we’ll see how this goes. If it goes wrong, I will just ring around the campsites until I have availability… Shetlands are not exactly huge, should I need to travel. Worst case I am pitching up in the middle of nowhere. Worst worst case, I am booking a hotel. It’ll fuck up my mood and possibly the itinerary, but what the hell… we’re doing this for an experience… Right?
Right?
Who knows. All I want is to have a sandwich on Skaw Beach. Hopefully it won’t be sandy. I’m still eating it if it’s sandy.
I have therefore run out of excuses to not book the ferry. And on that topic, I think I may splurge a little. I was planning to rough it out in the pods (over-hyped seats with leg rest and shields either side). After reading a few reviews and reports from local frequent travellers, I think I’d be more happy strapped onto the hull of the ferry. So cabins it is. Fawk.
Next up is the petrol plan. I am suuure it’ll be fine though. How could it possibly not be fine, I am just being negative and judgmental; it’s a holiday and everything is meant to look after you. It’s fine!
Sorry, choking again.
Seriously — I have found a space to discreetly carry a petrol can with me. And I am blitzing and mapping every single active petrol station on Street View.. And I will put their coordinates as POIs in my sat nav. Oh but why bother, they are already there? Perfuckinghaps, but if Garmin is out of date, I’m pushing the bike, not them.
The next update will run us through the dry run; I have a camping trip arranged in May to the South coast of England. This should show me any issues with the setup.
Because I know you are dying for it, below is the itinerary in its current form:
Monday
Travel day and I will be sleeping on the ferry.
Tuesday
I’m considering heading towards Sandness and Papa Stour, spending the day exploring the ‘South West’. Pick a campsite in the North West, ready for the next day. Enquiry sent to Delting Boating Club Marina and Caravan Park.
Wednesday
Explore up to North Roe and Isbister, Ure on the way (in or out) and head to Toft. Pictures must be taken of the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal, maybe at sunset? That might be a bit late… I can’t book the ferry from Toft to Ulsta yet, but it seems to be every half hour until 23:30. I will take the ferry on the Wednesday and pitch up on Ulsta. Enquiry sent to Burravoe Pier Trust Campsite.
Thursday
Skaw beach. Everything else is secondary. The ferry from Ulsta to Bluemeull is also every half hour or so. I might go to Hamar Ness on the way back down, although I might struggle since the ferry does not run all that often. Stop at Westing Campsite, ready to explore the South end before getting on the ferry. Enquiry sent to Levenwick Campsite.
Friday
Explore down to Papil, Houss and Groutness. Back on ferry by 1730.
Saturday
Head home.
