Castle Stuart fourballs

[brendy]

Im glad Flymaybe screwed up both mine/chiefchief's flight now, we got a full refund back then and have the boat booked etc so nothing changes now for us.
If youst comes to worst for anyone in england/wales you can still always either train or car it up anyway. Its kind of harder when you have to get a ferry at the last minute, I reckon we'd have been borked.

 

[Smiffy]

I'm calling Smiffy this evening, desperate to play this despite my dire performance at the Interservices.

I suspect EasyJet are going to be a sticking point. if we cancel they won't pay up, if we have to wait for them to say the flight's off it may be too late to do anything.

Plan B will be to drive up.
Will be keeping tabs on EasyJets "flight checker" page..
http://holidays.easyjet.com/FlightCheck/flightdepartures.aspx?lang=en

Going to be a heck of a drive though.....according to the AA it's 632.9 miles and will take 11hrs 42mins.

Plan C will be to catch a train from London. Just checked train times and tickets and if we could all get to Kings Cross by 11.00am we could catch a train up which would arrive in Inverness at 19.35. Then train back on the Tuesday leaving Inverness at 10.47 and arrive at Kings Cross at 19.20.
Slightly preferable to a 12 hour drive (I could have a kip) but quite expensive at £125.00 each.

Plan D will be to say bollocks to the lot of it and sit at home cheesed right off.
Trouble is I've paid for two flights in full, a hire car at the airport in full, my green fees in full, the accommodation in full and a £100 deposit to Boat of Garten for everybody playing on the Monday.
To say I'm a bit worried about it is an understatement.

 

[AckerHurst]

Easyjet are presently sending cancellation mails out, between 3 and 12 hours ahead of departure times. Had 2 flights bumped over the weekend and expect that unless policy changes dramatically that Wednesdays flight from Gatwick to Edinburgh is a non starter. So its the big drive north, the M6 is pants with average speed cameras all over the place, but once north of Carlisle all is good (well was 2 weeks ago). Trains are either sold out or packed so if you are considering this as an option book soonest.

 

[Smiffy]

Easyjet are presently sending cancellation mails out, between 3 and 12 hours ahead of departure times. Had 2 flights bumped over the weekend and expect that unless policy changes dramatically that Wednesdays flight from Gatwick to Edinburgh is a non starter. So its the big drive north, the M6 is pants with average speed cameras all over the place, but once north of Carlisle all is good (well was 2 weeks ago). Trains are either sold out or packed so if you are considering this as an option book soonest.

Another option to break the driving up is to stay overnight in Dumfries (did this on a biking trip up to Fort William a couple of years ago) and then crack on from there up to Spey Valley on Friday morning. Would still leave us 4 hours to go on Friday and JF would have to jiggle the teeing off times about to put us out last (if possible) but I would rather do this than try to bite off the whole journey in one hit.
Thanks for the info.
Fingers crossed that the Volcano blows itself out before then though

 

[viscount17]

Plan C will be to catch a train from London. Just checked train times and tickets and if we could all get to Kings Cross by 11.00am we could catch a train up which would arrive in Inverness at 19.35. Then train back on the Tuesday leaving Inverness at 10.47 and arrive at Kings Cross at 19.20.
Slightly preferable to a 12 hour drive (I could have a kip) but quite expensive at £125.00 each.

Plan E: the 12:00 KX direct Inverness gets in 20:08 for half the price? Rail seem to be doing EJ pricing - sum of two halves. 11:00 is £123 <u>one-way</u>, + £55 return
12:00 is £62 + £55 (9:18 back is a bit cheaper at £44) - at least for today!

oops! misread the pricing!

 

[Toad]

Smiffy, have you had a look at the scotrail sleeper from Euston to Inverness.
If your quick enough may still be some space, you might even get a bed and could travel on the Thursday as it arrives in Inverness around 08:00.

Let me know if they say there is nothing and I will try them direct.

John.

 

[viscount17]

John, the problem we have is waiting for EJ to say that the flight is cancelled.
kind of Catch 22, leave it too late and we may not get on, book too early and we have another booking down the drain.

good thought though, I'll look into it.

 

[Twire]

I think I've made my mind up. If the planes are still grounded, I'm going to cut my losses and call it a day.

The only options I have is the train at £185 or drive 650 miles each way and I don't fancy either.

 

[John_Findlay]

Is this Iceland's way of getting us back for dumping them in the merde during the credit crunch, d'you think?

Our group looks like it may be one short too. I've just had an e-mail from one of them who's stuck in the Maldives as follows;-

"It does not look likely I will be able to get back to the UK this week. Before you start thinking 'lucky so and so, stuck in the Maldives' I should add that we have been turfed off our island and are now in a pokey hotel in the middle of nowhere, with no food or drink (or indeed swimming pool or internet - I have blagged my way into the hotel admin office).

BA have no idea when they can fly us out but our flight today is the second BA flight to have been cancelled, with Wednesday's also unlikely to fly, so it really is in the lap of the gods."

Hopefully this mess will sort itself out pronto. Fingers crossed for everyone.

 

[brendy]

I think I've made my mind up. If the planes are still grounded, I'm going to cut my losses and call it a day.

The only options I have is the train at £185 or drive 650 miles each way and I don't fancy either.

Dont event think about cancelling, think of all that beer that will go undrunk, unfulfilling its destiny

 

[MikeH]

This is indeed a rather large spanner in the works
we are going to revisit on Wednesday but have made a contigency decision to drive up on Thursday which is when we were due to fly if its shwoing no sign of clearing then

One thing looking at the easy jet website they say if your flight is cancelled you can get a refund. small crumb of comfort

 

[brendy]

Mike if you still have the hire car sorted from Edinburgh, you could train it up to there, at least save you the road weary factor.

 

[vig]

I'm calling Smiffy this evening, desperate to play this despite my dire performance at the Interservices.

I suspect EasyJet are going to be a sticking point. if we cancel they won't pay up, if we have to wait for them to say the flight's off it may be too late to do anything.

Plan B will be to drive up.
Will be keeping tabs on EasyJets "flight checker" page..
http://holidays.easyjet.com/FlightCheck/flightdepartures.aspx?lang=en

Going to be a heck of a drive though.....according to the AA it's 632.9 miles and will take 11hrs 42mins.

Plan C will be to catch a train from London. Just checked train times and tickets and if we could all get to Kings Cross by 11.00am we could catch a train up which would arrive in Inverness at 19.35. Then train back on the Tuesday leaving Inverness at 10.47 and arrive at Kings Cross at 19.20.
Slightly preferable to a 12 hour drive (I could have a kip) but quite expensive at £125.00 each.

Plan D will be to say bollocks to the lot of it and sit at home cheesed right off.
Trouble is I've paid for two flights in full, a hire car at the airport in full, my green fees in full, the accommodation in full and a £100 deposit to Boat of Garten for everybody playing on the Monday.
To say I'm a bit worried about it is an understatement.

Rob

After we spoke on Saturday I had a thought.
Does the car hire company that you booked through do nationwide?
If so how about a train to Leeds, pick up a hire car from there and we can convoy up.
I have a Zafira sorted on hire, i'm sure we can squeeze some extra gear in so you guys can have some comfort.

It really is a long trek in one go from where you're coming from.


It really is a nightmare scenario but i'd saddle up an haggis to get there if there was a chance.

Where does this leave the numbers JF?
Any reserves?

 

[John_Findlay]

Where does this leave the numbers JF?
Any reserves?

Don't know Dave. Mike Harris and Michael Weston at GM are planning the Castle Stuart day. I'm just organising the Spey Valley and Nairn days around it. Best to check with them. I'm sure there will still be a reserve list, though.

 

[birdieman]

I was third reserve a week ago, was kinda hoping I'd moved up a little given the various threatened call-offs here and there on this forum after this volcano business.


I'm ready to do my duty and I await the call!!

 

[John_Findlay]

Guys. If anyone needs a plan B, there are cars leaving from Edinburgh on Thursday, Friday & Saturday. If you are struggling and can get to Edinburgh I'm sure we can help out. Just PM me if you're wanting to make provisional alternative travel plans.

Cheers

John

 

[Smiffy]

Plan J is taking shape.
Ray has just phoned me, he is a heating and plumbing engineer and has a brand new diesel van. He is prepared to drive up in one hit on the Thursday and pick Steve (Viscount17) up on the way.
We'll be knackered but at least we'll be there. And being a van, we can get our electric trollies in as well.
And to think we're called Southern shandy drinking poofs

 

[MikeH]

I was third reserve a week ago, was kinda hoping I'd moved up a little given the various threatened call-offs here and there on this forum after this volcano business.
I'm ready to do my duty and I await the call!!

you're next in the list Stu but confident there will be space open up late doors on account of the flights situation - sit tight!

....and for everyone else the draw is coming soon

 

[stevek1969]

Plan J is taking shape.
Ray has just phoned me, he is a heating and plumbing engineer and has a brand new diesel van. He is prepared to drive up in one hit on the Thursday and pick Steve (Viscount17) up on the way.
We'll be knackered but at least we'll be there. And being a van, we can get our electric trollies in as well.
And to think we're called Southern shandy drinking poofs

Thats comittment to the cause that Smiffy, hardcore driving that mate, looking forward to meeting you at Spey Valley and by the way you still are shandy drinking poofs

 

[viscount17]

Plan J is taking shape.
Ray has just phoned me, he is a heating and plumbing engineer and has a brand new diesel van. He is prepared to drive up in one hit on the Thursday and pick Steve (Viscount17) up on the way.
We'll be knackered but at least we'll be there. And being a van, we can get our electric trollies in as well.
And to think we're called Southern shandy drinking poofs

another job tonight then! my trolley may have given up the ghost Saturday - on the other hand it might just be my no.2 second (original equipment). Testing tonight!

If the trolley is knackered I could get tempted by the Sun Mountain four-wheeler (push - not electric), but I'll hold off buying that until we know what we're doing.