Some impressions of our holiday in Scotland, August 2016
We combined our visit to the great celebration of the thirtiest birthday of the press presentation of the Jaguar XJ40 with a beautiful holiday in Scotland. It consisted of tours through most parts of Scotland, with about six bed & breakfasts as our basis.
First: a serious job on the Daimler Double Six (just in short)
Before we could go on holiday with the Daimler Double Six, the bushes of the lower wishbones of the front suspension had to be replaced. The rubber of these bushes was deteriorated by the leaking power steering oil filter and could no longer bear the enormous forces of the heavy V12 engine any more. The deteriorated rubber of the bush is visible in the middle of this photo.
With these rubbers and bushes the Double Six would not get a MOT, so I had to replace them. This is one of the most difficult and nasty jobs that one can do on the V12, in particular because the downpipes of the exhaust on both sides of the engine must be removed. Plus the steering rack. It is very difficult to get at these.
Here I have taken everything apart. Just before the car you see the two lower wishbones, at the left are the steering rack, the 'fulcrum shafts' of the lower wishbones, the springs and the spring cups. And an enormous amount of tools! The springs and spring cups have been removed with special heavy tools. Including searching for information, buying extra tools and taking a rest now and then, this costed me four days.
When I was ready in the end at one o'clock in the last night, I apparently still had energy to take this 'selfie': "this was once but never again!"
With the Daimler Double Six through Scotland
Now the Daimler Double Six drives perfect again, Sabine and me took it to Scotland. First with the ferry from IJmuiden to Newcastle, a boattrip of sixteen hours, with a sleeping cabin for ourselves.
But first we had to wait till we could go aboard. Remarkable: the large Jaguar XJ40 can be overseen easily nowadays, in particular because it is so incredibly lóów!
It is amazing that these guys were really driving on the ferry and then through Scotland with this seriously overloaded car and caravan combination …
After more than an hour of waiting, we were one of the last to go aboard the ferry. Almost squeezed between the lorries and the tailgate.
First we visited Glasgow. Because this story is primarily on the fringe of the meeting in Dunkeld, I will not disturb you with all the interesting buildings and places we saw, but I would like to share that I, after attending a lunch concert, got the opportunity to play the beautiful organ of the Kelvin Grove Art Gallery.
From Glasgow we drove to Fort William, and from there we made a few beautiful tours. Contrary to most of our previous holidays, during this holiday the drives to the places to visit were at least as interesting as the places themselves. In the area outside the cities, there are only a few roads, simply because not many people live there, but these few roads are remarkably good. The roads are continuously bending and hilly, but the pavement is in general very good and the roads run smooth.
Almost our complete holiday, the weather was great. However, on the road to Fort William, where we needed to be in time at the rather strict lady of the Bed & Breakfast, we drove over the Glen Coe and bad weather and a spectacularly ominous landscape unfolded.
The Daimler Double Six in the great landscape of Scotland. This is the Glen Shie.
From the viewpoint near Glenfinnan you not only see the beautiful stone railway viaduct, but on the other side you look over Loch Shiel, with a monument for one of the numerous battles that seem to determine the history of Scotland and its relation with England till today. The white tents were still from the celebration the day before.
Spectacular cloudy skies, from the same viewpoint near Glenfinnan.
At Eilean Donan Castle three Lochs meet. Here you look primarily over Loch Alsh.
Below Loch Glascarnoch. The landscape is empty, there are almost no roads, people, buildings but also almost no trees!
If you drive a lot on a day and want to see much, it is handy to be self-supplying, although a meal in a pub is also nice. Don't mess, Sabine, otherwise the owner gets angry!
Even a coffeemachine was aboard.
Our most northern goal, on our way to Ullapool: Ledmore. Just north of 58 degrees northern latitude, the most northern place I ever was.
We did not go further up north. This is a picture taken fast, because I was just discovered by about thousand 'midgets', those nasty tiny ^&*#@!-gnats. After this meeting, they were not in need of a dinner for weeks!
On our way to the fisherman's and harbour village Ullapool, with the spectacular landscape again.
In the end we went south to Dunkeld, via a stay in Pitlochry. The B9007 near Carrbridge is one of those roads that is more beautiful than you expect.
Loch Tummel near Pitlochry, with the Queen's View.
Of course I have much more to show of this fantastic holiday, were we stayed also in Inverness, Pitlochry en Edinburgh. After Dunkeld we visited the Hadrian Wall and the famous Cathedral of Durham. OK then, three pictures, selected from the more than fivehundred.
An old-fashioned Inn in the middle of the meadows at the road near Slaley: a picturesque view.
Pity that one is not allowed to take photographs in the cathedral of Durham, while the architecture is extremely remarkable because the building took place in such a short period of time so early. The 'Galilee chapel', built adjacent to the west end of the nave, is also very remarkable and almost completely undisturbed in its early state.
In the evening there was an organ concert on the famous Willis and Harrison & Harrison organ, but pity that we did not have time to visit it. I cannot omit this fast telephone photo of the Double Open Wood 32'. The largest wooded pipe, in front, is ten meters (32') tall and 60 cm (2'0") wide! Exceptional.
Preparing the Double Six for Dunkeld
After more than 2,000 km driving in the (clean) Scottish landscape, the Daimler Double Six looked still tidy, except for the brake dust that changed the shiny front wheels into dirty black objects. In this way I cannot show up at the XJ40 event of the decade! Also note the mascara on the headlights.
In total we have driven almost 2,500 km during our holiday in Scotland with the Daimler Douible Six. It was fantastic, both the Double Six and the holiday in Scotland!
Next page: the programme of the meeting in Dunkeld
Overview and introduction: meeting to celebrate thirty years of Jaguar XJ40 in Dunkeld, 28 and 29 August 2016
Kind regards,
Rens Swart