Unfortunately, due to strong winds and a rough sea, the ferry was late in arriving and left the harbour at 2 am instead of 12 midnight. On this ferry we had cabins which were quite comfortable and vouchers for breakfast. Unfortunately as soon as we got clear of Kirkwall harbour the swell of the ocean waves in the North Sea was quite intense which resulted in my not leaving my bunk until we reached the calmer waters of Shetland. We were too unwell to get breakfast, though not actually seasick, and just about managed to get our bags ready to leave the ferry. The coach was waiting for us outside with our Shetland guide, Jacqueline who told us that she had met a relative getting off the boat who said that it was the worst crossing she had made in the last fifty years!

Gradually, we began to recover and were taken on a tour of the main island with our guide explaining as we went. We met some genuine Shetland ponies who looked rather grumpy and there were some great scenic views of the coast. Jacqueline took us to the Jarlshof Viking Centre which was the site of Neolithic stone dwellings which were similar to those on Orkney. We were lucky enough to see some seals basking on one of the island's beaches and the beautiful views from Whiteness. She also showed us the house which was Jimmy Perez's home in the TV series Shetland, which is in Kirkwall.

We climbed back on the coach after some free time in Kirkwall and back to the ferry departure point. Having been given our tea and breakfast vouchers, we found our cabins, which were the same ones as the previous night. We decided to head straight for the restaurant to use our vouchers for the evening meal and after that I was out for about 12 hours as we had a smooth overnight crossing to Aberdeen which made up for the rough one. When we disembarked in Aberdeen it was snowing, but we hurried on to get a glimpse of Balmoral before a stop in Braemar for lunch. That night we were back at The Salutation in Perth where we spent our last night in Scotland before the coach journey back down the motorway where we arrived back home at about tea-time, as scheduled.



















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