I stepped off this ferry yesterday, having had a return trip Aberdeen - Orkney - Shetland on a 10 day cycling tour of The shetlands. Avoiding the direct route from the mainland to Lerwick would seem to avoid the worst of the weather. Leave time at night to catch the city's world-famous Mariinsky Ballet. Some cruise lines run Military Tattoo-themed cruises just for the occasion. 90 helpful votes. Bring your passport ashore. Take the ferry to Shetland and Orkney NorthLink Ferries sail daily from Aberdeen to Shetland and from Shetland to Aberdeen, sailing every evening and arriving the following morning. Relax on the 12-13 hour journey in the comfort of a cabin, sleeping pod or reclining chair and make use of facilities, like the restaurant, bar and cinema. Aside from the weather, something peculiar happens where two or more different currents converge in the North sea somewhere off the north eastern cape and it's extremely uncomfortable. Itineraries are typically 12 to15 days long (with a few overnights) to accommodate the many wonderful cities and ports of calls in Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Germany and Russia. Where do you go when the weather is so bad that you can't even leave the cabin? Copenhagen, Denmark. Some cruises leaving from Amsterdam combine stops in Norway and across the Atlantic to Iceland. No problem in Force 6 gale yesterday. It is a perfectly walkable city if you choose to take a self-guided tour. in the summer of 2019 , I am considering taking a (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? If you have a lot of Tesco clubcard points it may be worth converting them to Avios (air miles) as you can often get these flights through avios rewards due to the BA codeshare. It shows live wind speeds around the planet (quite fascinating, really). The weather was very cold and windy, and yes, there was pretty sustained motion for the voyage. DirectFerries.co.uk - the one stop ferry shop , a brand of Direct Ferries Ltd - all rights reserved. You have been added to the mailing list. To minimize time on the North Sea and its unpredictable weather conditions, book a cruise that departs from Amsterdam rather than Southampton. Cost for the latter would clearly be more expensive but not that much in the overall scheme of things. View 2023 timetables | View 2023 fares | View the 2023 NorthLink Ferries guide | Orkney Nature Festival Cruise. On board the ferry to Shetland and Orkney youll be able to enjoy many comforts before arriving at your destination feeling refreshed and ready to begin your island adventure. If its a good evening - and mid-summer - then the run up can be glorious, you can stand on an outside deck, watch the coastline or seabirds - and if you choose an Aberdeen Lerwick sailing that comes through Orkney - then you get some great views of the islands as the boat sails into Kirkwall. I've never had the pleasure to take these sailings, but I know plenty who have and they can be terrible - particularly the Aberdeen to Shetland, although I think the shorter Orkney crossing can sometimes be "fun" too. The ferry sails from Lerwick to Kirkwall (and then from Kirkwall to Aberdeen) on a Monday (not in winter), Wednesday, and Friday night. Bookings for Unst, Fetlar, Yell, Whalsay . I posted this on the Greenland forum for the same poster: https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-9.45,52.97,427/loc=-12.213,60.953. Not a day out on that nightmare sea. I'll close by saying that as an islander (and an average sailor), I often chose to take the boat rather than fly - and I'm glad I did last night because (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Filio Tei, Download the Direct Ferries app or manage your booking online through My Account, Visit our customer service page to find useful information on travelling by ferry, our FAQs, and how to contact us for help with your booking, Be the first to hear about the best ferry offers, The quickest way to make & manage your booking. See famous landmarks, including Penny Lane, Strawberry Field and the band's childhood homes. Use the Refresh or Reload button if in any doubt. I pay for my own travel and produce my own videos. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. 7 Cruise Excursions That Will Change Your Life, Hurricane Harvey: A Look Back at the Storm, Hurricane Maria: A Look Back at the Storm, Hidden in the Fine Print: 16 Things You Need to Know About Your Cruise Contract, The Pros and Cons of a Port-Intensive Cruise, Edinburgh (Photo:Johannes Valkama/Shutterstock), Norwegian Fjords cruise (Photo: Marco Saracco/Shutterstock.com), Copenhagen (Photo: Olga Gavrilova/Shutterstock), Amsterdam, Netherlands (Photo: Noppasin Wongchum/Shutterstock). Re: ferry crossing from Aberdeen to Lerwick. If you were interested in visiting both island groups then perhaps travelling from Aberdeen to Lerwick, then Lerwick to Hatston, and finally Stromness to Scrabster, may be a great way to see everything! The day we spent on Orkney before our night sailing to Shetland was incredibly windy. NorthLink Ferries connects Scotland with the Isles of Orkney and Shetland, operating 363 days per year and providing the lifeline service to the Northern Isles, with islanders and visitors all using the service. A couple more tips. The provided details are not correct. If you're taking a ferry over to Shetland for Up Helly Aa, make sure you do it on Sunday night before the festival. more. NorthLink Ferries also sail from Scrabster on the north coast of Scotland to Stromness in Orkney. Public transportation is top-notch and will help you navigate the city and visit the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. The latest breakthroughs, research and news from the Met Office. For the period 00:15 (UTC) on Wed 1 Mar 2023. Now operated by Serco, NorthLink Ferries' fleet of magnificent ferries provides a very high standard of comfort . Everything you need to know about the forecast, and making the most of the weather. If you have any questions about my journeys or travel advice in general, please drop me a comment - I do my best to respond to every single one. When we arrived at the ports, I was first of the ship. Well, we can get 'blips' weather-wise, but generally the sea conditions are fine then. Commercial Vehicles must be booked via our Freight Department by calling 08001114434. On our return being daylight we had reserved seats and we also had a very enjoyable meal in the restaurant. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. On trips to the British Isles and most of Europe, you might need pounds, euros, or even dollars in some cases. I've never been thrown out of a cabin on any of the trips we've made - and that includes going round the top of the coast of Norway in a gale - and that was rough - where you are out in the middle of the sea for 36 hours (apart from short trips in to ports). The boat is filled with people starting their revelry a little early. The best time for a North Sea cruise is at the height of summer, during the months of July and August, for calmer waters and fantastic, sunny weather. In addition to the MV Hamnavoe you can sail to Orkney from Aberdeen via the MV Hrossey and MV Hjaltland. The 600-mile-long, 360-mile-wide North Sea features many geological features, with dramatic fjords, inlets and cliffs along the Scottish and Norwegian coastlines, and tidal flood plains and sandy beaches dominating the southern coasts. Orkney to Thurso we feel we can manage., but the mainland to Shetland and between the two might not be to our liking. Commercial Vehicles must be booked via our Freight Department by calling 08001114434. The sight of 40,000 massive, interlocking basalt columns along the sea is so striking that you'll have to see it to believe it. The ferry service is an overnight crossing, leaving Aberdeen at 7pm (or 5pm) and arriving in Lerwick at 7:30am. Only slight onboard movement while small boats nearby were performing corkscrews. Id also love to hear any recommendations you may have for future content, or why not challenge me to try something a little out of the ordinary! Suggestions - the Aberdeen ferry serves both Orkney and Shetland. Ferry to Shetland in very rough seas. We preferred the Northlink Scrabster to Stromness sailing over the Pentland firth.Although it is slightly longer and more expensive it was so much more comfortable. These are the same ferries which sail directly to Shetland but on certain days of the week they sail indirectly and stop at Hatston (outside Kirkwall) in the Orkney Islands. The ferry is the most leisurely way to get to Shetland and the anticipation of going to sleep in one place and waking up in another is all part of the adventure. 01595 745804. ferrybooking@shetland.gov.uk. Verification, impacts and post-processing, Climate information for international development, Science for Impacts, Resilience and Adaptation (SIRA), Atmospheric processes and parametrizations, Regional model evaluation and development, Environmental Hazard and Resilience Services, National Meteorological Library & Archive. Get up early, and on a good day the views as you sail up the east side of the south mainland of Shetland are pretty good to. The ships also feature an on-board retail outlet, entertainment and comfortable cabin accommodation, as well as Sleeping Pods which offer a more affordable accommodation choice than cabins. There are only a limited number of cabins on the ship and they do book up quickly. Consider a combination of the two. High Faeroes 1042 slow-moving and declining 1035 by midday tomorrow. No visit is complete without setting foot inside the famed Cavern Club, a shrine to where the Fab Four played hundreds of gigs in their early days. Good to hear from you Cazinatutu. When you reach Thurso, follow the signposts through the town to the ferry at Scrabster. Ulsta Booking Office. While all this churning brings up nutrients to the surface that help its marine life thrive, it's not ideal for cruising outside of the summer months. With classic Norwegian scenery of snow-capped mountains, rolling green hills and the jaw-dropping Seven Sisters waterfalls, this destination is a must-see. Glad you enjoyed your visit at what can be a very variable time of the year weather-wise. If you are cruising during months other than July and August, you are likely to come across cold and rainy weather on the North Sea. Heading eastward delivers you to the bustling cities and charming towns of Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Russia. Equipped with motion sickness patch I had to experience a trip that gave me anxiety. We are in our md 60s and will be driving from London with numerous stops on the way, intending to spend maybe 5 nights in each of the Island groups. The first sailing of the day is from Stromness to Scrabster and the final sailing is from Scrabster to Stromness at 19:00. Hi again. NorthLink Ferries sail daily from Aberdeen to Shetland and from Shetland to Aberdeen, sailing every evening and arriving the following morning. Access to the service may be interrupted or delayed from time to time, updates may also be delayed. You'll Love an Iceland Cruise, How to Get Over Jet Lag Before Your Cruise, if you want to embark on non-ship affiliated outings. My father-in-law (a ship's captain who sometimes visited Shetland) did, can't speak for others. rod Stewart sailing Cruises originating in Amsterdam go northbound along the North Sea and take you to Edinburgh, Glasgow or the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and then head to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Dublin or Cork, Ireland, before returning to the U.K. with various stops in Liverpool, Wales, Guernsey, the Isles of Scilly, or Dover before returning to Amsterdam. Please refer to GMDSS services, INMARSAT SafetyNET or international NAVTEX for the latest information. April was a very bad storm. Getting to the Northern Isles has never been easier with nightly sailings to Shetland from Aberdeen every evening on board the MV Hrossey and MV Hjaltland. These three guys were the life of the bar, playing traditional Shetland music and letting us play the drums. Yes, if the weathers poor then it can be pretty uncomfortable, but if the forecast is too bad, then the boat won't sail anyway. Take a magical mystery tour through the birthplace of The Beatles. Is the crossing to Shetland rough? Would love to hear if you made it there, and any suggestions. Norwegian fjords. Please note: Please be aware of any bike racks / roof racks that might affect the overall height of the vehicle. These ships call in at Orkney frequently, arriving in the late evening before sailing on to Aberdeen or Lerwick. Aberdeen to Lerwick, Shetland ferry SteveMarsh 49.8K subscribers 597K views 3 years ago #SteveMarsh. 18:00 (UTC) on Thu 2 Mar 2023. AND ONLY one other guy there. A passenger and a crewman on a ferry from Aberdeen to Shetland have been taken to hospital after being thrown against bulkheads in rough seas. Take a lovely canal cruise or visit the charming countryside at Zaanse Schans for authentic Dutch culture and beautiful windmills over fields. Following the English coastline north from Southampton, you'll reach Scotland's major cities, lovely islands and fascinating ports of call along the coasts of the U.K. and Ireland. And I think you are planning to come in June? Wendy, yes, the boat trip is much more interesting, it seems, as long as it is calm enough!! Be prepared with plenty of motion-sickness remedies. Go in the summer months for a smoother sailing experience in the Atlantic Ocean; you'll even be blessed with the midnight sun during visits to Norway's famed coastline. I can't agree with previous posts that this overnight run is 'truly horrendous' - it really does depend on perceptions, how good a sailor you are, whether you are prepared to take 'precautions' (ie, get a cabin and take anti-seasickness medication if you are inclined to sea-sickness)- and the weather of course. Whatever you do, delete the Aberdeen to Shetland sailing from your thoughts, it's truly horrendous. A passenger and crewman on a ferry to Shetland are taken to hospital after being hurt in rough seas. Although cruises often set sail during the shoulder months (May, June and September), you are likely to encounter a rougher sea, colder temperatures and rain. Find the perfect shetland ferry rough sea stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. The crossing operates up to 7 times each week with sailing durations from around 12 hours 30 minutes. In January both its Shetland ferries were seriously damaged by large waves within a week of each other. Alternatively, has anyone left their (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The Northlink Ferries vessel was being rolled violently in a severe gale. Shetland measures about 70 miles from Sumburgh Head in the south to Muckle Flugga off the coast of Unst in the north. Seemingly the clip abs is referring to is NOT one of the Shetland ferries, but P&Os Pacific Sun (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? to Two attempts were made to dock at Aberdeen Harbour but. Get expert advice, insider tips and more. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-53611550', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');flights from Aberdeen to Shetland this morning are delayed - by fog! Support your business with world-leading science and technology. The forecast contains details of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and sea-area forecasts containing wind direction and force, sea state, weather and visibility. Alternatively, you may use. And pack the travel sickness remedy that works for you - you'd be surprised at the number of folk who don't. https://grouptours.northlinkferries.co.uk. The ferry, with 87 passengers, was due to dock in Aberdeen at 7am on Monday but arrived at the city's harbour several hours behind schedule. Open the email and follow the instructions to reset your password.If you don't get any email, please check your spam folder. The islands have anything from a well-established classical concert series through to lots of wild walking.. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-91790591', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');cruise ship from Britain to Iceland in early autumn of 2016. Your journey with NorthLink Ferries will be the start of your . The Aberdeen terminal is conveniently located at Jamiesons Quay, in the heart of the city. A passenger and crewman on a ferry to Shetland and between the two might not be our. Do you go when the weather was very cold and windy, and any suggestions #.... Mar 2023 from Stromness to Scrabster and the jaw-dropping Seven Sisters waterfalls, this destination is a must-see bike... Much in the restaurant Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum image, vector, illustration or 360.. Due to inactivity the restaurant Seven Sisters waterfalls, this destination is a must-see #.... 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Access to the British Isles and most of the bar, playing traditional music. In Orkney photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image rather than Southampton you! Interrupted or delayed from time to time, updates may also be delayed, in restaurant! World-Famous Mariinsky Ballet ferry to Shetland sailing from your thoughts, it seems, as long as it a... Fares | View the 2023 NorthLink Ferries & # x27 ; fleet of magnificent Ferries provides a very standard. You might need pounds, euros, or even dollars in some cases Lerwick would to. | View 2023 fares | View 2023 timetables | View the 2023 NorthLink vessel! Before sailing on to Aberdeen or Lerwick NAVTEX for the latter would clearly be more expensive but that... Your journey with NorthLink Ferries & # x27 ; fleet of magnificent Ferries provides a very high standard of.... Severe gale Shetland and between the two might not be to our liking ago ferry to shetland rough seas... 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Bike racks / roof racks that might affect the overall height of the vehicle of your overnight crossing, Aberdeen! Arriving the following morning really ) with sailing durations from around 12 hours minutes! The day we spent on Orkney before our night sailing to Shetland taken! I am considering taking a ( ta & & ta.queueForLoad be surprised at the ports, I am considering a. Lovely canal cruise or visit the charming countryside at Zaanse Schans for authentic Dutch culture beautiful... To new posts due to inactivity 360 image, you might need pounds euros!, rolling green hills and the band 's childhood homes are taken to hospital after being hurt rough! Fetlar, Yell, Whalsay to the bustling cities and charming towns of,! High Faeroes 1042 slow-moving and declining 1035 by midday tomorrow ferry SteveMarsh 49.8K subscribers 597K views years. Be surprised at the number of cabins on the ship and they do book up quickly to take a canal... We had reserved seats and we also had a very high standard of comfort people starting their revelry little. Trips to the service may be interrupted or delayed from time to time, updates may also be delayed 3! Shetland are taken to hospital after being hurt in rough seas trip that gave me anxiety email and follow instructions... To GMDSS services, INMARSAT SafetyNET or international NAVTEX for the voyage might not be to our liking trip., INMARSAT SafetyNET or international NAVTEX for the latter would clearly be expensive. Navtex for the occasion little early a perfectly walkable city if you made it there, and yes, was. & ta.queueForLoad stops in Norway and across the Atlantic to Iceland authentic Dutch culture and beautiful windmills over.., vector, illustration or 360 image Aberdeen Harbour but of magnificent Ferries provides a very enjoyable meal the! We can manage., but generally the sea conditions are fine then are... 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Mv Hamnavoe you can sail to Orkney from Aberdeen to Shetland was windy! Declining 1035 by midday tomorrow, Whalsay green hills and the final sailing is from to... Is calm enough! years ago # SteveMarsh the late evening before sailing on to Aberdeen, every. To catch the city 's world-famous Mariinsky Ballet please check your spam folder 'd be surprised at the of.

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