NB: once again image quality has been affected due to having resize original images
It is difficult to even comprehend trying to create a trip report outlining my recent trip to Europe, which is why I am going to focus on my overnight trip to the Isle of Barra, Scotland, the destination made famous for its beach arrivals and departures.
A significant amount of time went into planning the trip to Europe, given I wanted to see a variety of destinations and attractions, and also had to appease the concerns of my Sister, who would be travelling by my side over the course of the 5 week holiday. After reading various trip reports, I had long wanted to visit the Isle of Barra and experience a beach landing and departure, and provided there are very small family links to the region, it was not difficult in any way justifying the need to travel there.
My holiday to Europe would encompass a large number of countries, immerse me in a variety of cultures and cuisine, see close family and friends once again and allow me to meet a number of wonderful people who have become good friends. I had the intention of visiting three main places, namely Portugal, Scotland and Germany, given the family links in all three countries. Having lived in Germany (on a school exchange) for three months in 2002, I was eager to return, to see friends and brush up on my German. My Sister and I were fortunate to be afforded 5 weeks annual leave and with this in mind, I tailored an itinerary that would allow us to visit the three main countries I highlighted above with a Tour allowing us to see most of continental Europe. The Holiday was topped off by 3 magical days in London before returning home.
We were fortunate enough to make use of cut-throat airfare war earlier in 2009, whereby Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Qantas were discounting Europe fares significantly. My Sister and I booked an itinerary with Qantas, namely Brisbane-Singapore-London-Singapore-Brisbane, with the former and latter sectors being operated by the A330-300, and the A380-800 and 747-400 operating SIN/LHR and LHR/SIN respectively. Inclusive of the blasted credit card fee, the total itinerary cost AUD$3057 for the two of us, which I would argue to be an absolute bargain. Intra-Europe/UK flying was all with British Airways, given good value fares, Terraces/Galleries Lounge access and Qantas FF points won over. The only non-BA sectors were of course with Flybe to/from the Isle of Barra, which will be the focus of this report.
13 October 2009
Glasgow - Barra
BE6851
Flybe de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter (G-BVVK)
4 Passengers including my Sister and I (19 seats with a ~21% LF)
We were dropped off at the Airport and proceeded to check-in. Formalities aside, within minutes we were at the gate ready to board. I was aware that we would be travelling in the off-season and that loads would probably reflect this and it was hardly surprising that when the flight to Barra was called; it was almost instantaneously closed, with just four passengers on the service, including my Sister and I.
We were given a quick safety run-down by the cheery Female FO and before long we were taxiing to the active runway. Given it was the first flight of the day, engine tests were a must, and short of the runway was where they were conducted. Before long we were on the active runway preparing to depart. Given there was next to no one on board, we lifted quickly into the drab and dreary sky. The flight was uneventful, which is why I have included the following pictures:
We touched down on the beach and much to my surprise it was smoother than I was expecting, given you could easily see that there were deep patches and no go areas. The crew are obviously very experienced and landing on the beach to them is like a walk in the park. After the engines were shut down, we were allowed to exit and as expected, the camera was out quickly, snapping up the lovely scenery. I took a breath of fresh air and said to myself how lucky I was to be where I was and that after all this time, I had finally made it.
As there was a requirement for a quick turn-around, we were ushered towards the terminal. The facilities were rather good for a regional airport and there was a much better offering than what you’d find in some regional Australian ports (namely Longreach/Barcaldine et al). As we had no checked-baggage (the baggage collection system consists of it being placed on an external belt for you to pick-up) we headed straight to the local bus. After a short period waiting, we were on our way to our Hotel for the night and to the much publicised and main village on the Isle of Barra, Castlebay. We had selected to stay at the Castlebay Hotel and neither my Sister nor I were disappointed. Excellent service and wonderful food were part of the experience and I appreciated being treated like an individual and a real guest, not just another number. The following images are from in and around the Castlebay Village.
After a massive amount of exploring, a wonderful night’s sleep and a hearty Breakfast, it was time to say goodbye and return to Glasgow.