Author Topic: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022  (Read 25486 times)

dgpno2

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A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« on: February 19, 2022, 16:45:05 »
17th March - More new info involving the Scottish May get-together.
                   Suddenly - everything has changed.


My wife pointed out that we are building a situation which makes infection easily transmissible, if just one person is carrying covid-19 or any other version. One of our members has admitted that he is suffering from just such an infection, and - who knows - there may be others who have not yet told us. We would have to take every precaution - testing; vaccination history; voluntary isolation; contact tracing . . . .

I have asked the lodge-owner if they have a policy, and what sort of precautions they take. I have not had a reply.

I am sorry and ashamed to be letting people down, but my poor health dictates - if plannng the meet-up continues, it will be managed by someone else. I am no longer capable of doing this.
Today, 17th March, the list of members who intended to go to the meet-up was -
Birna, Bruno + 1, Frank, Hans, Hugh, Myself, Rosko - just 8, after weeks of trying to raise interest in the project. Compare this with the 2019 meet-up here in Killin, when we had to limit the no. of participants at 18.

So - sorry again - I am leaving the project and I hope another organiser will  emerge.
So many happy times with NG Revival - thank you all.
Dave

Quite honestly, I feel out of my depth, and if the plan is to go ahead, I need to hand over the remaining bits of organisation to someone else. This 3rd Scottish event was my idea so I have only myself to blame, but the stress of trying to get everything sorted has opened the door to my Parkinsons, which is much worse than it was only 6 weeks or so ago. I won't go foo far into detail, but all my symptoms are reaching distress-level, and I have problems with bladder, bowel, digestion, swallowing, sleeping . . . . can't drive, can't walk . . . . strength, energy, stamina - all reduced to a fraction.

 


13th March 2022 - information concerning the planned Scottish get-together.

I have tried to keep everything public, so that actual and possible participants know what is happening and there are no unwelcome surprises. The most recent worry about the event is that not enough NG members are coming forward to join the get-together. If I include myself when counting, we have just 7. The lodge becomes more expensive per person, as there are fewer to share the cost, and the event is in social terms, more lively and productive if we have a dozen or so people.
    It is understandable that there is no rush to grab a place in the get-together; we have European war going on, and a very nasty pandemic - news of its most recent variation was announced just yesterday. I hope a few more NG members will decide to come in from the cold - private travel around western Europe is not yet in any danger, and we are heading for one of the most remote and under-populated parts of the entire continent, so the danger of being infected by covid-19 or its variations is as low as you can get.
     We are rapidly approaching the time (mid-April) when we will have to decide - continue with the booking, or cancel. The cost of the lodge - £1300 per week - shared between 7 members is £186 each. 10 members - £130 each; 12 members - £108. The advantage of s full house is clear. (And the rental includes electricity and fuel for cooking, heating and lighting - no surprises.)
     If there is something you would like to know, and which I haven't covered, please reply to this post or PM me.

Happy holidays!
David


7th Feb '22 - MAJOR CHANGES TO THE SUGGESTED SCOTTISH GET-TOGETHER IN MAY THIS YEAR.
   
A few years ago we had a couple of enjoyable meet-ups in Scotland - one in the southern Highlands, centred on the village of Killin, in Strath Tay. The other was further north, based in the archetypal Highland landscape of lochs and mountains - Kintail. i think the participants in those meet-ups would agree that they enjoyed their time in the HIghlands and got some good images. Some had their eyes opened for the first time to the photographic potential of the Scottish Highlands.

I offered to organise a third Scottish NG Meet-up, and initially suggested locations at Portree on Skye, or Ullapool in the Northern Highlands. Finding suitable accommodation was extremely difficult this year - we want a nice, well-equipped lodge, cottage or house, catering for 12 or so individual members (no bed-sharing!), set in grand Highland scenery, with other scenic areas within easy reach - and all at a very affordable price. (I did find a really great place wth fabulous equipment and furnishings, set in fantastic surroundings and available from 21st May, as we wanted. But it was over £18,000.00 per week. Yes 18 thousand).

 The search for accommodation led me eventually to an excellent lodge in Glenelg. "Larach Sithe" is £1300 per 7 days; sleeps up to a max. of 14, and is a modern, well-equipped lodge near Glenelg  on the west coast of the Scottish mainland  - one of the most remote parts of Scotland yet still reached by road. There is a local ferry service to Skye (in addition to the Skye bridge and the big CalMac ferry which operates out of Mallaig); a village store, and a hotel/pub/restaurant with an excellent reputation. Also some of the best surviving pieces of Scotland's neolithic pre-history.

I recommend you to Google both Larach Sithe, and Glenelg, to get tons more information.

Our week in the Lodge runs from Sat 21st May (check-in 4pm)to Sat 28th (check-out 10am). For non-UK participants, the 7 days must include a drive  from Glasgow airport to Glenelg. Edinburgh Airport is slightly further away than Glasgow; Aberdeen is slightly nearer.  Below - distances and driving times. UK members will no doubt drive the whole way, and will know or calculate how long it will take. It might make sense for those in the group who can,  to "meet up" somewhere en route between the airport they used, and the lodge.

There are still places available in the group.  Please PM me if you are interested in joining us. I'll look forward to hearing from you.   With best wishes,  Dave

Glasgow Airport to Glenelg     170 miles, 4hours 15 mins
Edinburgh to Glenelg             195    "      4   "     50    "
Aberdeen to Glenelg              175    "      4   "     20    "
         

Birna Rørslett

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2022, 17:59:13 »
Of course I'll be on the list :)

For me 7 May is  an excellent starting point, 14 May less optimal. The venue I leave to the majority as I've been to both places and each deserves further visit.

Birna Rørslett

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2022, 18:38:30 »
Airfare prices are almost a toss-up between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The airlines really want us to commence air travels again, apparently, as the prices are very favourable (at present).

Must check whether I now need a visa to the UK? Brexit altered the playing rules.

Birna Rørslett

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2022, 18:46:02 »
Answer: if I don't plan on marrying in the UK, I won't need a visa. Good on me.

dgpno2

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2022, 19:11:32 »
Birna - thanks again for your support.
Now that Putin has set things in motion, who knows what we will be doing in May, or where? For the time being, I'll continue to work on  preparations for a May Meet-up. What needs to be done is not difficult and can all be done on the phone or online except for an inspection of the best accomodation.

I'm attaching another Scotland map. This shows Scotland's 3 international airports, our two choices of location (slightly larger type). and a few other points of interest - Inverness, "capital" of the Highlands; the start (Ft. William) and finish points of the Cape Wrath Trail, and the village of Golspie where I spent my school and teenage years  (to establish my credentials as a true Scottish Highlander).

All distances Edinburgh and Glasgow are between 210 and 230 miles; and the average travel-time is 3hours 30minutes. Aberdeen to Portree is similar at 215 miles (4h 40min) but Aberdeen to Ullapool - 155 miles, 3 hours 20min).

Apparent discrepancies in the distances/timings are due to roads being wide/narrow, quiet/busy, smooth/bumpy etc. Some roads are fast, some are slow. 

In a pm, I gave Birna a rather apocalyptic account of the state of my health, and the daily routine I must stick to. It's not really that bad, and I think I have hit on a good solution. Tell you later.
     
For quick comparison, here are just a sample of distances to Ullapool -
from Manchester - 430 miles, and Birmingham - 500 miles.

Birna Rørslett

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2022, 20:59:31 »
You forgot the map, Dave :)

HCS

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2022, 09:53:52 »
Hi Dave, thanks for starting this up.

I would really like to be on the list. It's just that i can only make it on May 21st and regarding locations, venues and transport i will totally go with the flow.
Hans Cremers

Birna Rørslett

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2022, 10:08:12 »
I have re-examined my schedule for May and 21st might be an alternate starting point for me as well.

dgpno2

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2022, 10:51:16 »
Thanks, Hans - since you can make it only on 21st, Birna would be ok with that day, and us other retired folk such as Bruno and myself can manage any date, when more members come forward I will start suggesting the 21st as the most-favoured starting date. 

I don't understand Gmail and it often does things I don't want or didn't ask for; emails, PMs and replies often go to the wrong recipients, and when attaching files I never know what will happen.

But I'm stuck with it for a while.

dgpno2

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2022, 11:27:52 »
On 22nd Feb 2022 (date in full - 220222) - we have 8 likely members for the May '22 Scottish get-together -

Birna    Bruno   Hans 
  Rosko    Bent   & myself

If all 8 continue with their intention to join in the meet-up, we can only take another 4 or so participants, depending on accommodation.

The other thing to note is that Hans can ONLY make it if the start is 21st May. Birna, Bruno and I am all ok with this.




Bent Hjarbo

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2022, 11:46:05 »
Norwegian is not flying I in or out of  Edinburgh on Saturdays, so Gunver and I will have to make it Friday to Friday.
Will have to find a small hotel from Friday to Saturday, and leave a day early.
May 21st is ok for us.

Birna Rørslett

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2022, 12:09:10 »
I could easily be in Edinburgh on the 20th to meet you there, Bent.

Bent Hjarbo

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2022, 12:28:56 »
We could find a hotel on the way to Ullapool.

Erik Lund

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2022, 12:36:13 »
JA and I are not confirmed. Sorry must be a mistake.
Let’s see what is possible,,,
Erik Lund

Jan Anne

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Re: A new Scottish get-together in Spring 2022
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2022, 13:51:19 »
A roadtrip in the North West Highlands with my own set of wheels is on the bucket list but not for this year I am afraid.

Very tempting trip for sure but the focus is on roadtrips on the mainland for now.
Cheers,
Jan Anne