Author: Stefan Axelsson

Back home and time to clean the car, doing the laundry and summarize this years grand tour. First the accounting, we spent in total 18.562 SEK on the hotels, 14.300 SEK on ferries and bridges. Plus 8.472 SEK on fuel. Meals and drinks not included, nor entrance fees to castles and museums.

The car, we sold the F-Type we used in Italy last year. Instead, we bought a brand new Mazda MX-5. The car has performed well during this tour. We drive in total 5.645 km, with an avarage fuel consumption of 0,64 litre/10 km. We’d bought a set of bags designed fir the car. Apart from looking great (matching the colour stitching of the interior), they worked well. We managed to fit cloathing, shoes and toilett gear for 14 days into the three bags. There were still room to fit our jackets and a couple of bottles of gin in the boot. Any longer, or in need of more gear, we would have to add a luggage rack and an additional bag. The only glitches has been two cases of warning that the BSM system isn’t working. But they went away as soon as they appeared. Apple Car Play has been working flawless, despite reading about others having issues with it. We drove most of the Autobahn with the softtop up. The noice level is significantly higher than in the Jaguar. But on the other hand, the car is much lighter.

Ferries and bridges, we had pre-booked the Öresund bridge as well as the Rødby-Puttgarden ferry via Scandlines. We’ve used thus route many times in the past. It worked out very smoothly this time as well. The brudge use number plate recognition. So, you just have to drive up to one of the gates, the light turn green and you can drive through. Fir the ferry, you have to scan the bar code on your booking confirmation. The machine is too high up if you sit in a sports car. But luckily, the lane is wide enough to allow you to get out of the car and operate the machine. On the way out, we got on an earlier ferry than booked. On the way back, we had the oposite.

We had booked the ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle since that would take us closer to Scotland. But in retrospect this was a mistake. Not only is that ferry much more expensive than the one between Hook van Holland and Harwich. Also, it departs much earlier. So, we had to add another hotel stay in Germany in order to ensure that we would make it in time.

On the way back home, we had booked the ferry between Harwich and Hook van Holland. For some reason the boarding and departure was delayed by an hour. Harwich harbour is a very booring place to spend an evening in.

Accomodations, we stayed at the following hotels and B&Bs; Good Morning Hotels in Lund, Sweden. This was just for a nights sleep while in transit. Very simple standard, but clean rooms, friendly staff and to our surprise a bar with outdoor seating. Works well if you just needs somewhere to sleep. Cheap as well at 782 SEK for a twin bed room. Kräuterhotel & Restaurant Heidejäger in Rotenburg, Germany. We booked this one based on location, getting passed Hamburg would ensure that we would catch the ferry from Amsterdam in time. Located just 10 minutes away from the Autobahn, this turned out to be a little gem. We will for sure return if we happen to be in the area. Also, the restaurant was surprisingly good. 1.275 SEK for a twin bed room is very reasonable. Ravelston House in Musselburgh, Scotland. We stayed here for two nights. Musselburgh is well situated for visiting Edinburgh without having to stay in the city itself. It only takes 7 minutes by train to get from Musselburgh to the center of Edinburgh. The hotel only has a few rooms and a well frequented bar. So, the noise level is rather high at times. But the staff is very friendly. There are several restaurants within walking distance. We payed 2.843 SEK for two nights including breakfast and parking. Which is reasonable, albait on the high side given the location. The Caledonian Hotel in Fort William, Scotland. This turned out to be a complete disaster in terms of hotel experience. Very unfriendly staff, both in the reception as well as in the bar and restaurant. Several of them barely spoke english, most of them seem to come from eastern Europe. There were mould in the bathroom, broken hangers, patched up doors, dirty carpets and bedsheets with stains. In the restaurant, which we tried the first evening, we couldn’t order drinks at the table. Instead we had to go to the bar to order. However, the table next to ours got served by the table. Also, they were unable to split the bill. On top of this, it was rather expensive. We payed 4.582 SEK for two nights including breakfast and parking. Which is ridiculous given state of the facilities and the staff. This hotel should be avoided at any cost, even if you would end up sleeping in your car! The Dornie in Dornie, Scotland. What a difference this was, wonderful staff, great food and condition. This is a great place to stay if you plan to explore Isle of Skye. They only have a few rooms, so you better book well in advance. The seafood in the restaurant was excellent. We payed 1.766 SEK for a twin bed room including breakfast and parking. Which is well spent money. We’ll come back to this hotel for sure. Norland Bed & Breakfast in Burghead, Scotland. A charming little B&B not far from Inverness. All you could expect from a traditional B&B. Only downside was that parking was on the road outside. It’s located in a small village and we struggled to find somewhere to have dinner in the evening. The recommended restaurant was full. So, we ended up at a golf course which was ok. But nothing special. We payed 1.230 SEK for one night including breakfast. Which was a fair price. Tan Hill Inn in Richmond, England. This is a place we’ve visited before. But now with new ownership since a couple of years. Still very charming, but in much better condition. Well worth a visit with an outstanding view of the moors. We paid 2.668 SEK for one night including breakfast and parking. But well worth it for the experience. We will for sure come back again. Old Thorn Barn in Hethel, England. The B&B to stay at if you plan to visit the Lotus factory and/or Classic Team Lotus. We’ve been here before and it’s an ok B&B. The rooms are not that well insulated and you can hear noices from outside as well as from the other rooms. We payed 1.190 SEK for a twin bed room including breakfast and parking. Which is reasonable. Clarion Hotel Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden. This is a new hotel in the city center. Parking in the basement, skybar at the roof and rooftop pool. We arrived late, so didn’t have a chance to use any of the facilities. Well located if you want to explore Helsingborg and the surrounding areas. We paid 2.223 SEK for a twin bedroom including breakfast. Parking was another 230 SEK.

Things to do, we had a rough plan of things to do. But subject to change and the weather. We were four people in total, so we updated the plans every evening over a pint or two. We started off by visiting Lindisfarne and the Holy island. The road there is spectacular since you can only drive there during low tide. But the monastery ruins and the village is more of antourist trap. We Wouldn’t recommend it. Next stop was Edinburgh, it turned out that we weren’t alone there. In the end, we skipped getting into the castle due to long ques ourside. Instead we visited the National Gallery of Scotland and the National Museum of Scotland. The gallery was nice and well worth a visit. The National Museum was just very confusing with a mix of new and old items. We will most likely not come back to Edinburgh, to many tourists for our taste. Next off was Sterling Castle, an important place in the Scottish history. Worth a visit if you are interested in history. Also, great views from the top. On the way to the west coast, we took the oportunity to drive the so called Skyfall road. It’s a single track road and the surface is very bad on some parts. If you are a die-hard James Bond fan, you should do it. If not, skip it and just watch the movie again at home. Isle of Mull was the next port of call. Starting off in a rainy Fort William, things only got better. Some very nice views and single track roads took us all the way to Fionnphort. We had a nice lunch at a local pub before driving back. The roads where in a very good condition. You just have to watch out for the sheeps that walk free. Isle of Skye, the weather forecast indicated heavy rain. But when we drove over the bridge, it was partly blue skies. There are a lot of things to see and experience on Isle of Skye. In particular if you are into hiking. We only had one day there to spend. So, we opted to drive to the Neist Point lighthouse. The last part of the road is a single track road in very poor condition. There are a lot of potholes to watch out for. Plus, a lot of visitors that aren’t necessary used to single track road. Once you reach Nest Point, the veiws are breathtaking. It’s a bit of a walk to reach the lighthouse. But it’s worth it. The next day we drove north and stopped at Urquhart Castle by Loch Ness. You need to book a time online to get access. Not much remains of the castle. But it’s a nice location next to Loch Ness. A day later and we found ourself in a little village on the east coast. The former fishing village of Staithes is well worth a visit. The one thing we had prebooked since long ago was a factory tour at Lotus cars in Hethel. This is a must if you are into British sports cars. Next door you’ll also find Classic Team Lotus who maintain classic Lotus racing cars.

Conclusion, we’ve long been planning to visit Scotland. So, we are glad that we’ve now been there. Realizing that there are much more to experience, we’ll likely vome back at some point. We hope that you enjoyed reading our blog. We will update it once we have new plans and experiences to share. Planning for us normally takes place in October-November for next year. Meanwhile, take a look at the blog entries from last September when we where in Italy. Also, there is an even older blog from 2019 when we visited Wales.

Last stint of this years grand tour. Helsingborg to our home in Åkersberga, with a lunch break in Vadstena. During the weekend, we’ll make a summary of the tour including cost, highlights and lowlights.

We decided to take a slight detour to the city of Vadstena for lunch. This included a stop at the former monastery at Alvastra. It dates back to 1143. It was closed in 1527 because of the reformation. But you can still see some remains from the old buildings.

Video from part of the drive around Omberg. One way, single track road. But beware of hikers and bikes going in the oposite direction! https://share.icloud.com/photos/02d0Sk9gJzxkVUg0wfIlKWt1g

After visiting Alvastra and driving the road around Omberg, we headed towards Vadstena.

In the interest of getting home before the shops close, we once more took to the highway. The E4 is very boring, but efficient if you want to cover miles in Sweden.

Today we drove the last 607 km to get back home. The next post will contain a summary of the 2023 tour.