Some Very Good news
Good News! A Boon to Travellers and Lovely Personalisations to Be Had
Take a gander at the picture above and you’ll see it’s from this year and a trip on the ferry after a monumental drive to the channel. We crossed from Newhaven to Dieppe, it’s a four hour journey so it allows you to recover from the pedal pushing of driving and horrible, nasty motorway food. The crew are French, so their fare is much better. The picture shows a huge container vessel getting a bit too close to the ferry for my comfort. As Francophiles we love to refresh the Auld Alliance with trips to the friendly French, but it’s a long way to Tipperary, yes I know it’s in Ireland, to be honest.
And as a nation Scotland has been having a few problems with ferries the last few years and those living on the islands have often had a hard time of it, what with ferries late coming into service and breakdowns of the existing ferries and the like, so it’s good at last to have some good news. And that good news is that a new ferry service is coming to the Firth of Forth, specifically to Rosyth. Next year you should be able to chug between Rosyth and Zeebrugge in Belgium on a nice comfy ferry, if the proposed ferry also includes passengers as well as freight. After that, no long drive through the south to reach the channel ports. For this boon, much thanks. The Danish company that runs the ferry company is investigating a reopening of this route in the very near future, hopefully Spring 2023.
It’ll head out of Rosyth, which is famous for its dockyard, which used to be the Navy’s and it has a cherished place in Scottish history. Did you know for example that the German fleet scuttled in Scapa Flow after the First World War, and dragged up from the bottom of the sea, was largely reclaimed by ship breakers at Rosyth?That’s a lot of scrap from Scapa. The Royal Navy links were largely broken in 1994 and now there is only a repair facility for minesweepers.
There had been a route between Rosyth and Zeebrugge since 2002, but a fire swept through the ferry in 2018 and caused its cancellation. But it’s back on the cards. The original ferry was a bit of a loss maker, but they improved its viability by making it a freight ship, slimming costs by enabling double stacking of containers and reducing fuel costs by installing a scrubber to remove sulphur from the exhaust gas instead of using expensive low-sulphur fuel. But a fire in the engine room, put the mockers on the route though and a crew member got injured in the blaze. Now the Danish company have set a target date of 2023 for freight services. All the local officials and trade bodies are now working together to make sure that the opportunity, to restore the direct ferry links with mainland Europe and Scotland, happens. We wish them well.
If you fancy another bit of good news then have a look at our personalisation service, which can make a fine gift into a brilliant gift. The family here have chosen, yes it’s still a family business, a fine selection of crystalware for your very own personalised engraved message. Highly skilled engravers are waiting to take your requirements and turn them into unique items. Each of the chosen engraveable crystal is handmade and hand finished to the highest standards. I told you it was good news! It means that you can celebrate that special anniversary, a retirement, the significant birthday or slice of good fortune that’s come your way: Thus giving you a permanent reminder of the time and an instant heirloom. Go on, go for it!
Like all good things it takes a bit longer so allow ten extra days for the process.
https://www.jamespirie.com/gifts/engravables-business-gifts/peronalisation.html
