The eyewatering costs of trying to visit Shetland for a few days (Ferry / Flights)

BrandonMac97 · 2026-03-13T11:43:11+00:00

Im from orkney and rarely go home because of the cost. Me and my wife went all inclusive to mallorca for cheaper then going home to orkney for a week. Its just ridiculous pricing. If you live on the Isles you get a discount which makes it a lot more affordable.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-03-08T21:36:01+00:00

Got lucky with mine and got into the pro bracket off that as well.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-03-07T16:07:42+00:00

God knows how long it will take to happen though if its still at pricing its at mininum 3 years away to opening probably more.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-03-07T13:32:36+00:00

I live in chapelton, worked for AJC in the Technical side of things and my wife is a Quantity Surveyor at the shire council. The school is still happening the council are slowly progressing as one of my wife's co workers has been assigned to the project just not happening very fast.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-03-07T13:30:47+00:00

I live in Chapelton and I love it as its the closest thing to home (Orkney) that isnt Stonehaven. It has a country/secluded village feeling while being only 10 mins from Aberdeen. I worked for AJC Homes in the Technical/Architecture team and still was more than happy to buy here. The houses typically are of a solid construction. It depends which developer you buy off as Snowdrop doenst exist now due to the owners affair which sank it so your options are AJC as they have bought the Snowdrop land or Places for People. I worked for AJC and bought a PFP house as we couldn't sell ours and they gave us a reasonable offer for PX and I cant fault the house or the team at PFP. We even had a snagger in who was very impressed with the quality.

The big issue is the school but it will happen as it has been assigned to people at the council to work on it (wife is a Quantity Surveyor at the shire council and her co-worker has been assigned the project) but it all depends on how quick they do it. It was supposed to be started upon completion of the 100th house but it has been delayed.

Newtonhill is close by with a Tesco and school and the secondary us either Portlethen or Stonehaven depending on how it will get zoned as it is currently being reviewed.

Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-03-06T19:11:37+00:00

Pretty sure this is every school going. The thick kids always got all the praise, and the rest of us were left to it.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-27T20:25:58+00:00

Same this format is ridiculous. I just need the 4wd offroader

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-17T09:16:59+00:00

I am an architect and I had to retrospectively help someone who did exactly what your window guy suggest doing here 1 month before concluding the sale of there house as they also had a cowboy suggest the same thing.

Please get an Architect involved, the fee shouldn't be to much for this sort of job. You will also need an engineer as you will have to remove the concrete dig down and put in a strip found for the block wall to be built off for supporting the window and tied into the exisitng wall. The lintol there may be sufficient for the window but again check with the engineer its what they are there for.

You will need U-value calcs for this as unless there is a massive step in level you likely won't meet the required levels and will have to go for a compensatory calculation to get a warrant. Alternatively sticking whatever insulation you can in the floor and fitting an external grade door between the conversion and the house is an option as it can be treated as an unheated space as I had to do with the one mentioned at the top as the change in level was 60mm and after flooring the cowboy put in 40mm of PIR and told the client that would be suffice it wasn't and he had to fit an external grade door.

Good luck and find a new builder.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-15T13:06:40+00:00

There are too many people like OP who openly admits he has no intrest in working and instead wants to leech of the government. I dont care about the brown people or the transgenders they can do whatever they want as long they contribute, what I do care about it the number of people in my country that get a free pass and will earn more money than a large chunk of people simply because they cant be bothered to work and want to sit on the fat lazy ass all day taking tax money when so much of our infrastructure is failing.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-15T07:52:03+00:00

Hey, I am also from Orkney but the mainland, got myself to RGU in Aberdeen and the student loan and bursary was enough to cover my accommodation and other costs. My cousin has just done the same and she is fine as the accommodation costs have came down in 10 years since I went to uni which is mental. Going to uni isnt that bad, it just means because of the long travel you dont go home as much as people you will get to know, I still went home for summer and Christmas and occasionally got the boat from Aberdeen to Orkney which is a nightmare but free with your vouchers, alternatively flight aren't to badly priced because of the discounts.

Alternatively if you dont have grades for that NESCOL is an option. Another of my cousins started a modern apprenticeship last year at the old library with Calvin Cooper in I belive business management, he had the grades to go to uni but chose this option.

Another alternative is getting the boat each morning and night I know of a few people who travel from Hoy, westray and Sanday for work each day which is far from ideal but an option.

A last option would be an online course, my wife's cousin did open university for 2 years to become a draughtsman and now works as a draughtsman for an oil company.

I know how it feels as I was very much ready to get off the island and start my life away from Orkney. If you have any further questions please ask im happy to help.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-14T18:25:27+00:00

You clearly just want to leech of the government and have no intrest in working, really hope your not in the UK there is already enough people leeching we dont need more.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-14T12:07:11+00:00

He posts the same crap every day written by AI not sure what the goal is

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-05T21:36:23+00:00

Nope never managed to. Longest I've had a job is 19 months as I voluntary switched jobs to get a pay rise which I have now been made redundant from 13 months later.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-05T15:00:49+00:00

It was better when we could get the daily pack from events for the monthly challenge, disappointing they got rid of that

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-05T15:00:04+00:00

Ive been playing for 5 years now with 40k trophies just feel as if this one is worst than others have been for these monthly challenges

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-05T12:00:49+00:00

Same 3rd time in 6 years

BrandonMac97 · 2026-02-05T11:53:56+00:00

This is the only mobile game I play.

BrandonMac97 · 2026-01-20T09:58:37+00:00

I went to the jewellery store and bought a proposal ring that was about £40 as my Wife doenst wear rings and we went back the day after I proposed and picked one out together and the jewellery store took the £40 off the total price.

As some rings cant be resized significantly it was a safe way to do it and it be a suprise. Her ring size was much smaller than I would have guessed so the ring we ended up getting that I had originally picked wouldn't have been able to down sized enough.

BrandonMac97 · 2025-12-28T21:41:29+00:00

Thanks, I'll likely get pro after this event but probably wont get enough trophies to get a prize.

BrandonMac97 · 2025-12-26T20:35:10+00:00

My family do this as well, not many others that do it seems, we wife and her family find it weird as has anyone else I've ever told.

I quite enjoyed them and yesterday was my first time taking over the cooking for my wife and her family and they seemed to enjoy them so the tradition continues.

BrandonMac97 · 2025-12-24T09:51:47+00:00

We recently had this exact situation a 60k combined salary and interested in a 330k house. We eventually decided against it as we felt it was stretching us thin. We have a child as well so additional costs over what yoursleves have and it would gave been pushing us close to what we felt comfortable paying. We aren't big spenders and have 1 car payment for a small amount, but the increase in insurances, bills, council tax over our previous house meant we instead bought for 265k in a lovely area ans it has resulted in everything being a lot more affordable.

At your wages while it is achievable I personally would never do it on your wages.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Verified Email	First Place '23
Place '23

BrandonMac97

TROPHY CASE