"Had a good day at the office, dear?”

If you are going away somewhere and don't mind meeting up with other Bongo owners or if you've been somewhere & want to tell us about it & stick up your photos, put the details here.

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Muzorewa
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"Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by Muzorewa » Mon Aug 27, 2012 2:51 pm

That sort of question normally deserves a good slap for being cheeky but at very short notice last week there was a possibility of me and/or one or two others from work having to go to Dounreay power station in Caithness. That’s right at the top of Scotland, pretty well as far as you can go on the mainland. There weren’t many volunteers for this (it’s 500 miles each way :shock: ) but I was quietly keen, especially if I could drive up there and if it happened to coincide with a weekend, I was sure I could think of one or two places worth visiting on the way back. I could be ever so noble too and let the others fly to Wick where I would collect them and return them to the airport. Imagine my delight when it coincided with a bank-holiday weekend :twisted:

Here’s the plan - amble up there Thursday evening, do the business on Friday and then drop the others off at Wick airport Friday afternoon – “See you Tuesday!” :D As luck would have it, the mother-in-law was also up for the weekend so what a stroke of genius - I escape on a tour and leave the rest of the Team at home!!

So, up at 4am (as is normal), do a day’s work, set off at 4.30pm, stop at Pitlochry for food, stop at Aviemore for fuel, stop to deliver a steering rack about 1am to Donald (BroraBongo) Where’s yer Troozers? and then pitch up at Wick about 2am. While I’m waiting for the others to arrive at the airport I might as well have a look round....

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Ebenezer Place, Wick, Caithness, officially the shortest street in the world at 2.06 metres long :?

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So that’s just the width of one door and the windows above :?

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Caithness

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Castle of Old Wick, Caithness

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Thurso castle, Caithness

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Dunnet Bay, Caithness

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Castle of Mey, Caithness

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Dounreay power station, Caithness, the real reason I was in this neck of the woods :wink:

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Northlink Ferries MV Hamnavoe, Scrabster – Stromness :shock:

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Why do they charge different depending on the height of your van? :?

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From the appropriately named sun-deck on board 8)

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Hmmm, might be out of contact for some time :D

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An alternative view of Dunnet Head – most northerly point on the mainland

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Orkney

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Old Man of Hoy, lucky to get a shot of this before it collapses :wink:

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St John’s Head, Isle of Hoy, Orkney, the tallest vertical cliff face in Britain at almost 350m

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Stromness

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Stromness

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Breeding Bongos :?

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Ring of Brodgar, Orkney....

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....a Neolithic henge....

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....from between 2,000 and 2,500BC. I know someone who remembers it being built :twisted:

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Loch of Stenness, Orkney

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Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney

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Birsay, Orkney

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Birsay Bay, Orkney

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Kitchener memorial, Orkney, close to where his ship HMS Hampshire sank in 1916 killing him and 643 of the 655 aboard.

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Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC (24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916), as in the “Your country needs YOU” posters

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Recovered gun from HMS Hampshire

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From Marwick Head, Orkney

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From Marwick Head, Orkney

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Earl’s Palace, Birsay, Orkney

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Twatt, Orkney. It’s just a shame I didn’t have either of the Jrs with me for this photo :twisted:

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Room with a view? Waulkmill Bay, Orkney, overlooking Scapa Flow 8)

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Wild-camping overlooking Scapa Flow 8)

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Waulkmill Bay, Orkney

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Scapa Flow, one of the great natural harbours in the world 8)

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Kirkwall harbour, Orkney

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St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney....

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....the most northerly cathedral in Britain.

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Memorial in Kirkwall cathedral – to the 833 killed on HMS Royal Oak that prompted the building of the Churchill Barriers. That’s the ship’s bell salvaged from the wreckage

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:?

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Marwick’s Hole – Kirkwall Cathedral is the only one in Britain to have a dungeon

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Bishop’s Palace, Kirkwall, Orkney

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Earl’s Palace, Kirkwall, Orkney

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While you’re here, it’s rude not to :D

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Hmmm, I wonder what’s inside there :twisted:

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Mash-house

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Still-house

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Barrels in progress. Actually they buy old sherry barrels from Andalucia :wink:

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Erm, that’s a lot of money’s worth of whisky there :shock:

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Come on guys, you’re going to get just as drunk on a £10 bottle from Aldi :?

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Scapa Bay, Orkney

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Churchill Barriers, erected to keep pesky U-boats out of Scapa Flow but now used as causeways linking some of the islands 8)

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Churchill Barrier No. 1, Mainland – Lamb Holm

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Italian Chapel, Isle of Lamb Holm, Orkney....

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....built out of two Nissen huts....

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....by the Italian PoWs used to build the Churchill Barriers

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8)

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Churchill Barrier No. 2, Lamb Holm – Glimps Holm

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Blockships still there, our own ships sunk to (unsuccessfully) stop enemy U-boats getting into Scapa Flow

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Or unwanted rail cars :?

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Churchill Barrier No. 3, Glimps Holm - Burray

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Blockship :?

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Churchill Barrier No. 4, Burray – South Ronaldsay

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Pentland Ferries MV Pentalina,

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....St. Margaret's Hope – Gills Bay

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Ackergill Tower, Caithness

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Cromarty Firth 8)

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Udale Bay wild-camping on the Black Isle, Ross & Cromarty 8)

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:?

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8)

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Fortrose Cathedral, Ross & Cromarty

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Beauly Firth, Ross & Cromarty

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Kilravock castle, Nairnshire

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Brodie castle, Morayshire

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Sueno’s stone, Morayshire – at 6.5 m high the largest Pictish stone there is

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Elgin Cathedral, Morayshire

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Fish soup anyone? :?

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Duff House, Banffshire

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Ear rings :?

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Delgatie castle, Aberdeenshire

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Tolquhon castle, Aberdeenshire

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Loanhead of Daviot, Aberdeenshire

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Five tanks of diesel later, back home with tales of dreary business meetings and dodgy TraveLodges :twisted: :lol:
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Jillygumbo
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by Jillygumbo » Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:12 pm

You absolutely amaze me! Every time you post with your photos it makes me want to get out there! Absolutely fabulous!
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by MarcT77 » Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:19 pm

Awesome trip,I've been talking about going to Orkney for years.
Great photos...inspiring
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Muzorewa
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by Muzorewa » Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:26 pm

Jillygumbo wrote:You absolutely amaze me! Every time you post with your photos it makes me want to get out there! Absolutely fabulous!
I recall when we spoke a couple of weeks ago I said that apart from the Nantcol Waterfalls meet we didn't have anything outrageous planned for the foreseeable future. Just a weekend out :lol:

Stand by for next weekend :twisted: :wink:
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by dunslair » Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:35 pm

Brilliant Paul =D> Thanks for providing the pictures to accompany my afternoon brew. :D Must go to Orkney now.
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by Colin H F » Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:42 pm

Fantastic photo's Muz,
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by MountainGoat » Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:52 pm

I did a similar trip in my pre-Bongo days leaving my Jeep Cherokee at John o'Groats and taking a boat / coach trip around the island. Bit odd passing along the Scapa Flow in a coach mostly full of Germans with the Guide telling everyone how many German war ships were at the bottom.

Always wanted to go back and do both Orkney and Sheltands in my Bongo. Looks like it will have to be in a motorhome now.

Great photos as usual Muz, put mine to shame again.


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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by Bongopoet » Mon Aug 27, 2012 4:42 pm

:shock: You are the only person I have heard of that has been to Kilravock Castle. I stayed there in 1969 and remember watching the Moon landing on the TV there! (RIP Neil Armstrong). We used to drop those plastic parachute toys from the tower. Good times :D
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by dunslair » Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:06 pm

Bongopoet wrote: :shock: You are the only person I have heard of that has been to Kilravock Castle. I stayed there in 1969 and remember watching the Moon landing on the TV there! (RIP Neil Armstrong). We used to drop those plastic parachute toys from the tower. Good times :D
Wow that sounds incredible... did it damage the television at all? :P
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by perros huevos » Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:42 pm

that was a brilliant report & awesome pictures is there any jobs going at your place?
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by Bongopoet » Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:30 pm

dunslair wrote:
Bongopoet wrote: :shock: You are the only person I have heard of that has been to Kilravock Castle. I stayed there in 1969 and remember watching the Moon landing on the TV there! (RIP Neil Armstrong). We used to drop those plastic parachute toys from the tower. Good times :D
Wow that sounds incredible... did it damage the television at all? :P
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by scanner » Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:54 pm

Muzorewa wrote: As luck would have it, the mother-in-law was also up for the weekend so what a stroke of genius - I escape on a tour and leave the rest of the Team at home!!
Shouldn't that be Muzzer-in-Law? :?
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by PixieAndTheMoon » Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:09 pm

Wonderful, I really enjoyed your pictorial "tour of duty" I am glad you shared.

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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by mikeonb4c » Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:19 pm

Brilliant, as usual. Where do you find the time and energy, and get the kids to finish their homework :-)
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Re: "Had a good day at the office, dear?”

Post by briwy » Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:51 pm

Excellent Muz, really jealous, and good weather too.
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