EYJAFJALLAJOKULL AND ME

The Icelandic volcano was responsible for extending my weekend trip off Shetland by about 9 hours, and by an extra night in the Premier Inn at North Anderson Drive in Aberdeen. Let me briefly explain. In the week leading up to Saturday 24th April, all aircraft flights on and off the Northern Isles were cancelled for most of the time. Northlink Ferries decided, in their corporate fashion, that they would run a shuttle service to accommodate the people stuck because of the flight disruption, and those who had booked passages with them previously would be accommodated too, albeit at different times from their original bookings. Are you with me so far?

To compound the problems, one of the two Northlink Ferries was still in drydock for her annual shampoo, shave and bottom-scrape, so the one ship, the "Hrossey", ran flat out, leaving Lerwick at 9am each morning, arriving at Aberdeen at 6pm, discharging and loading passengers, and leaving for Shetland again at 9pm, docking at Lerwick by 7am.

So I, as a pre-booked passenger, was left with a choice - either alter my journey to the earlier sailing time (on Friday 23rd April) which would mean spending an extra night in Aberdeen, or abandoning the trip entirely, as the whole purpose of the exercise was spending Saturday on a photographic excursion round the Mearns and Angus regions with my brother. I went for the former option, and enjoyed the day-time boat-trip in pleasant conditions, with a gentle following wind and moderate sea.

The skipper greeted us over the speaker system as Captain Scott, which amused me somewhat: "Bing-bong! Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Scott welcoming you aboard the "Hrossey". The wind is force 4 northerly, the sea state is slight. I hope you have a pleasant journey. Great God, this is an awful place! Bye." I have to confess that part of that announcement is a figment of my imagination.

By 10am, we were leaving Sumburgh Head behind, at 10.45am Fair Isle was abeam, and the next land we saw was near Kinnaird Head just before 3pm. We were tied up in Aberdeen harbour by 5.45pm, and my nephew was there with his car to run me up to the hotel. I felt that an enjoyable and profitable weekend was about to begin.