Today we arrived into the small village of Scrabster at 7am. We awoke at 8am, after being woken up by our cabin attendant, checking to see if she could clean the room yet. After a leisurely breakfast, I then disembarked the ship and caught the free shuttle service into Thurso town. Unlike the service in Rosyth, there were no queues and I managed to jump straight on to the waiting bus, which pulled off within minutes. Thurso is approximately 2 miles from Scrabster. The town's name derives from the Norse word Thorsa, meaning “River of the God Thor” and in Viking times, it was a major gateway to the mainland. The shuttle dropped me off right in the centre of the town and after a quick look around, I headed for the seafront. After taking in the views of the bay, I headed back inland towards the train station, where I would then head for the town of Wick.
The single line track traverses the rural wilderness of Caithness. I caught the 1104 train from Thurso, which arrived into Wick at 1132. Wick station is the end of the line that runs all the way from Inverness. As the trains are very infrequent, I would only have an hour to spend in Wick, otherwise I would face missing the ship. If I didn't catch the 1236, the next train would not depart Wick until 4pm – the time all passengers should be back on board, ready for the ship to sail at 4:30pm. As I stepped onto the platform at Wick, it was like the train had never moved. Both Thurso and Wick stations look identical! With a short time limit, I had a quick walk along the town and had a drink in the Wetherspoons bar. By this time it was already time to head back to the station.
After arriving back into Thurso, I once again headed for the seafront. This time, I'd be seeing a whole lot more of it, as I decided to walk the 2 miles back to the ship! The coastal walk offered great scenery of the ship and the jagged cliff face below.
After arriving back onto the ship, it was not long until we headed up to deck 9 for afternoon tea. Today's selection included walnut cake and some delicious butter shortbread.
Evening meal soon came and tonight was formal night. On the menu were delicious vegetable spring rolls, chicken consommé, beef Wellington and chocolate fudge cake!
Tomorrow, we'll be in the beautiful town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, although better known as Balamory from the children's television series. We arrive at 9:30am and depart at 7pm. The ship will be anchored in the harbour.
After arriving back into Thurso, I once again headed for the seafront. This time, I'd be seeing a whole lot more of it, as I decided to walk the 2 miles back to the ship! The coastal walk offered great scenery of the ship and the jagged cliff face below.
After arriving back onto the ship, it was not long until we headed up to deck 9 for afternoon tea. Today's selection included walnut cake and some delicious butter shortbread.
Evening meal soon came and tonight was formal night. On the menu were delicious vegetable spring rolls, chicken consommé, beef Wellington and chocolate fudge cake!
Tomorrow, we'll be in the beautiful town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, although better known as Balamory from the children's television series. We arrive at 9:30am and depart at 7pm. The ship will be anchored in the harbour.
PLEASE NOTE: This is an archived blog series written in February 2014, originally appearing on our sister site, rcifans.com. Some content and references may be outdated.