Big Orkney trip
 

Just did a mammoth car drive from London to Orkney in 3 days total.
Did the AA route planner so a ball park figure of 12hours one way. Plus to make the challenge more difficult went on my own as the other half had a really bad flu.

http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp#fromNode=0%7CUB7,%20UK%7C%7C-0.465298%7C51.498320%7CtoNode=0%7CThurso%20KW14,%2 0UK%7C%7C-3.733074%7C58.523070

I thought I would help things along by driving through the night, as I work nights so my body and mind would be happier and in thiory the less traffic on the roads, but in hind sight cocked up the timing. Did not give myself enough time for breaks and even at 2am hitting road works and 50mph zones, so my thinking I could make up time during the night with lack of traffic was completely wrong . So in short
Left my house at 9pm Tuesday night and got to Scrabster ferry by 9am (and I was lucky as the ferry was delayed from an 8.45am sail to a 09.30am sail). and sleep on the boat(which did not happen as caffine and adrenalin still doing its thing.
Wednesday spend time with family.
Thursday caught the 4.30pm ferry back to Scrabster.
Thursday 6.30pm started the long drive back but this time went hone via the A1m. Because I was totally reliant on the sat nav felt around 1am ish the sat nav was sending me around every c road to get to Ashington for the petrol pit stop and I was worring at this point with only 24miles left in the tank and not knowing where i was and no 24 hour petrol station insight. But my other half was at home acting as co pilot and gave me a postcode for a 24 hour petrol station. Did more driving till 3am and had to give up for an hours nap or an accident would of happened. Because of the pit stop now behind so when hitting London hit rush hour traffic which really killed me, so final front door to my house was 9am.
I have always had deep respect for our lorry drivers, but the ones who drive all night and on some of the remotest roads at 50mph for miles upon miles, my deepest respect.