Flying to Stornoway

[nick14]

Hello all,

A friend and I are contemplating a trip up to Stornoway at some point for a nice break from the usual local flight. Has anyone else done the same (from the midlands are) and do you have any tips for refueling stops/contingencies/useful info of any nature?

I was thinking about a route towards the leeds area (depending on how accommodating they are to GA) up the pennines for a scenic tour stopping at Carlisle for fuel then routing north between glasgow and edinburgh.

Any thoughts?
Cheers
Nick

[goatface]

Drop in on Benbecula on the way or the way back, or even instead of..
Stunning scenery and far more civilised than Stornoway, avgas is still available (I think). A night in the Dark Island is not to be forgotton either....

[ericferret]

Consider timing it to coincide with the annual fly-in on Sollas beach on North Uist, assuming this still takes place (we were there 2 years ago) and the weather allows it.

[fisbangwollop]

How about carlisle for fuel then route via TRN turnberry west of the Scottish TMA and into Oban for final fuel stop before routing to Stornoway. I work at "Scottish info" and thats the sort of route that is often followed.

[Droopystop]

Check with Loganair at Benbecula re fuel. Not sure they still operate Islanders there, so might not be any need for AVGAS. Stornway is much bigger than Benbecula, but any visit to the Western Isles is well worth it.

I've done Stornoway - Blackpool - great scenery and you stay clear of the Scottish TMA. Oban is a short way off track for fuel on the way and may be preferable if you want to keep clear of too much water.

Watch for the mountains and have a great trip.

[PhilD]

I went to Stornoway with my wife last weekend in an Archer - my route was Fairoaks - Blackpool - Islay (2 night stop), Islay - Oban - Stornoway (2 night stop), then Stornoway - Oban - Carnarvon - Fairoaks all in one day. 1000 miles in 5 days!

I would highly recommend Stornoway - the airport is GA friendly, and the guys in the tower and in the airport could not have been more helpful.

We were lucky with the weather - it was fantastic all the way once we had cleared some CBs in the south on Friday. By the time we got to Stornoway the vis was so good I could see the runway from 25nm away, and they were reporting 70km vis! We had some more CBs around Welshpool on the way back, with London Info helping with some PIREPs.

I fuelled at Islay (on the way up) and Oban on the way back. In retrospect, fuelling at Islay was a mistake (1.86+VAT/litre!!), and I should have fuelled at Oban (1.46+VAT/litre), with maybe a splash at Stornoway

Route-wise, after leaving Blackpool on the way up we flew around the Scottish TMA to Turnbury, then MAC to Islay. After leaving Oban it was down the sound of Mull, past Glenforsa, then up the coast to Syke (Broadford) and then more or less direct up the Syke coast to Stornoway with some great scenery on the way. Interestingly Scottish did not have BFD on their radar, although it's on the Jepp chart, and in the 530. Coming back, we retraced our route from Stornoway to Oban, then for the long (2h15m) leg to Carnarvon we flew at FL075, DCT IOM DCT, with great help from Scottish, who gave us a routing around the Prestwick TMA, then got us airways crossing clearance across P600 (I think) and a handoff to Ronaldsway for another airways crossing of L10.

Oban (despite all the goings-on) is a great stop - thanks Paul - and Islay were very helpful as well, despite the fuel price.

It was my first trip to the Scottish islands, but a great time and highly recommended (but check the weather first!)

[140KIAS]

Did Fife - Stornoway a couple of months back. Routed Fife - Oban and then Canna and over Skye to Stornoway. Beautiful evening and very very scenic.

I'd second FBWs comment and route up to the west of Prestwick. Fuel is available at Oban and Stornoway.

I'd also suggest getting a HIAL Out of Hours Permit, costs around £25 and valid at most of HIAL's airports. Download the forms from the HIAL website, fax or email and you should get a pretty quick response. Mine was same day.

Sollas flyin is 10th-14th Sept. Fingers cross we will be there. See LAA Highlands & Islands Strut (http://www.laahighlandstrut.org.uk/) Solas Event for more details.

Other places worth of a stop on the way are Coll, Colonsay, Oban, Glenforsa and Plockton. Tiree and Islay have larger airports but less character. Unless of course you can factor in a Distillery visit.

[NewTimer]

Was up in Benbecula last month. No AVGas I'm afraid. Natives were friendly and helpful but their security rules are, shall we say, a little bizarre. No real hassle, but bizarre. I'll say no more.

[Avoiding Action]

If you're up there, don't forget Barra and its beach landing. The last time I was in the Western Isles I overnighted at Stornaway (remember to plan around the strict Sunday closing issues which generally apply across Lewis - can't remember how it affects the airfield) and the return flight stopped off at both Benbecula and Barra. Barra is a great airfield to have in the logbook, and if you're flying far to get there, it would be rude not to...:ok:

[Will88]

Drop in on Benbecula on the way or the way back, or even instead of..
Stunning scenery and far more civilised than Stornoway.

:bored:

Que?! Have you ever actually been there? You must be the only person I've ever come across who thinks BEB is "more civilised" than SYY... there really isn't very much at all there and as mentioned the security experience is, er, interesting.

Only thing I'd say to the OP is make sure you take a tour round Harris while you're up there. Best scenery in the Western Isles by a long shot and the best beaches in the country.

[140KIAS]

I don't think Stornoway shuts down on a Sunday quite as much anymore.

Last time I was there was a Sunday evening. Bit of a Wild West feel to it. Indian Restaurant doing quite a trade, most pubs open and busy, lots of boy racers cruising up and down.

Maybe Rangers beating Celtic that afternoon had something to do with it ?

[Luke SkyToddler]

Glad to hear nothing's changed at Bennie, it is indeed a little bizarre both in terms of the security (I take it reichsfuhrer paul is still in charge there then?) and in terms of the locals who frequent the "Dark Island" :D:D:D *shudders*

However the flying around that area is absolutely spectacular from the air, you have to route via the west coast of Lewis / Harris at some stage during your trip and at least fly over Uist even if you don't stop there, the million little lochs etc are truly magical and the Harris west coast beaches have to be seen to be believed, it truly is like another country within the UK that nobody knows exists. If the water was only a few degrees warmer that place would kick St Tropez ass all day long ...