Back from Bonny Scotland

[Apache]

Set off 4:30 this morning and got in about 11:30.

Had a great time up there in Portpatrick (Just south west of Stranraer). Nice people, great food, cr@p beer

Working 7am til 7pm or later every day so not a lot of time to do much other than eat and drink when not working, but a nice place all the same.

[AuldNick]

Never been there but aint Portpatrick a one horse town?

[Apache]

Didn't spot any horses at all, but did spot a muppet trying to launch a boat with a Freelander. It's a longish story, but worth bearing with!

I was walking to Campbell's restaurant on the South end of the harbour one night, and saw a Freelander towing a boat trailer down the slip onto the beach in the harbour (tide out). As I had time to kill before meeting the people I was eating with, I stood and watched a while. All went OK while the lady reversed the boat to the edge of the water... and stopped. Yes. It seems she didn't want to get the wheels of the new Freelander wet...

They then unhitched the boat and it tipped violently onto it's stern. After much faffing with stuff in the boat, two blokes on the pointy end managed to get it level again and tried to shove it manfully into the water. Sadly, the trailer wheels were now 1/3rd sunk so they couldn't move it.

Enter the Freelander again. Reversed into position, rehitched and shoved... and buried the rear wheels by 1/3rd... Unhitched again. Tried to move Freelander. Stuck.

Enter more amused locals to shove the Freelander out. So, now scared lady in the Freelander shoots off up the slip and off into town, returning with an old LWB Defender.

Now, I thought, they'll sort it!

Off she goes down the beach, reverses, hitches up. Nothing. Lots of consternation in the cabin... After five minutes, the Defender returns up the slip and parks. Wondering if I could be any assistance I went over and asked what the problem was.

"This light's on" she says, pointing at the diff lock light.
"Yes" I say
"Well, it shouldn't be on should it?"
"Ermmm, well it will be as the diff lock is on"
"Well we've never seen it before and I dont want to risk it until I get it fixed"
"Get what fixed?" I say.
"That light. Somethings not right"

So I tried to explain the wonders of the cr@ppy Landy to her, but she wasn't having it. She was convinced it was broken. After a few minutes of trying to convince her it wasn't, she simply waved me (and the now considerable crowd of grinning locals) away and drove away, to return with the Freelander.

At this point, I went to the restaurant and chnaged our table booking to a window seat so we could continue to watch the 'family gobsh1te' starting their holiday in a disasterous but entertaining way.

How did they get the boat off the trailer? They waited for the sea to come to them! When it did, we were on dessert, and they were illuminated by Freelander headlamps. It took a long rope to the trailer to make sure there was no chance of getting the Freelander wet at all, but they eventually got the trailer up the slip. I think they deserve a big hand for giving the sleepy village of Portpatrick a full night's entertainment.

[surfenstein]

Didn't spot any horses at all, but did spot a muppet trying to launch a boat with a Freelander. It's a longish story, but worth bearing with!

I was walking to Campbell's restaurant on the South end of the harbour one night, and saw a Freelander towing a boat trailer down the slip onto the beach in the harbour (tide out). As I had time to kill before meeting the people I was eating with, I stood and watched a while. All went OK while the lady reversed the boat to the edge of the water... and stopped. Yes. It seems she didn't want to get the wheels of the new Freelander wet...

They then unhitched the boat and it tipped violently onto it's stern. After much faffing with stuff in the boat, two blokes on the pointy end managed to get it level again and tried to shove it manfully into the water. Sadly, the trailer wheels were now 1/3rd sunk so they couldn't move it.

Enter the Freelander again. Reversed into position, rehitched and shoved... and buried the rear wheels by 1/3rd... Unhitched again. Tried to move Freelander. Stuck.

Enter more amused locals to shove the Freelander out. So, now scared lady in the Freelander shoots off up the slip and off into town, returning with an old LWB Defender.

Now, I thought, they'll sort it!

Off she goes down the beach, reverses, hitches up. Nothing. Lots of consternation in the cabin... After five minutes, the Defender returns up the slip and parks. Wondering if I could be any assistance I went over and asked what the problem was.

"This light's on" she says, pointing at the diff lock light.
"Yes" I say
"Well, it shouldn't be on should it?"
"Ermmm, well it will be as the diff lock is on"
"Well we've never seen it before and I dont want to risk it until I get it fixed"
"Get what fixed?" I say.
"That light. Somethings not right"

So I tried to explain the wonders of the cr@ppy Landy to her, but she wasn't having it. She was convinced it was broken. After a few minutes of trying to convince her it wasn't, she simply waved me (and the now considerable crowd of grinning locals) away and drove away, to return with the Freelander.

At this point, I went to the restaurant and chnaged our table booking to a window seat so we could continue to watch the 'family gobsh1te' starting their holiday in a disasterous but entertaining way.

How did they get the boat off the trailer? They waited for the sea to come to them! When it did, we were on dessert, and they were illuminated by Freelander headlamps. It took a long rope to the trailer to make sure there was no chance of getting the Freelander wet at all, but they eventually got the trailer up the slip. I think they deserve a big hand for giving the sleepy village of Portpatrick a full night's entertainment.

you just cant help some people.muppets.

[Apache]

There are worse places to be deployed to...