Right, that’s it. No more bohemian hippy trail camper van fantasies. It’s over.
Having said that, the venerable VW started instantly this morning and ran faultlessly on the 37-mile trip into Lerwick, through some fairly nasty conditions. But it was with a sense of relief that I handed over the keys to NorthLink’s freight staff. All being well, the VW will be on the Hascosay freighter tonight and in Aberdeen tomorrow. There Kerry from Harrogate will, I hope, pick it up and make her way safely back to Yorkshire.
There is the little matter of the snow, but it’s extreme climactic conditions that turn eBay collections into major adventures. It was at this time of year that I picked up a Citroen 2CV in Tonbridge, Kent, and drove it back to Shetland. The fact that it was freezing cold, the 2CV had holes in the roof and there was no functioning heater just made it more…memorable.
Speaking of Citroens, the less-than-a-year-old Citroen C4 has a broken heater. The fan (without which there IS no heater) only works in the full-blast position, which is unbearable for more than about a minute. Should be fixed tomorrow, but it’s been incredibly annoying. Meanwhile, the K-reg Volvo Torslanda is in the garage for a new water pump and general fettling in advance of its MOT. Its heater still works fine, but then those old Torslandas had beefed-up internals to cope with Swedish winters. And probably the best seats in any car, ever.
Still, one way or another, I’m on the bus tonight…
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