How not to organise a trip to Flotta

or 'Why planning ahead is a good idea'.

With current covid restrictions all ferry trips must be booked on the phone. The booking process takes a while, covering the details of the journey you want to make, contact details, payment, and then listening to a reminder of the rules and regs.

There appears to be one solitary, (and very patient), woman taking ferry bookings.

All this means that it is not good to realise at breakfast that this is the only day in the week that you can make the required ferry journey and you haven't yet made a booking.

From 9am I tried every 10 minutes to get through on the phone. Each time it was engaged.

I made the sandwiches, organised other preparations and kept trying the phone. The cut off point was 10.30. If I left after that there just wouldn't be time to drive to the ferry.

At 10.25 the patient ferry booker answered my call. Hurray! Oh joy!
But the necessary steps still had to be completed. I had to provide all the correct answers and she had to type in all the information her screen demanded and there was to be no rushing.

At 10.35 I leapt into the car. Neither myself or the old car does fast driving but somehow we arrived with a few minutes to spare.

My photo: the Hoy Head on the journey out. No other passengers.