Duck_Pond

I'm happy with the heater in my Yeti. I had a vRS Fabia diesel before, and that'd take about half an hour to warm up, and even then it was barely warm. No, my niggles are with the rattles from behind the glovebox and the centre console area, the heated seats (both have now failed) and the way rainwater runs off of the roof and straight into the window. I'm not sure if those wind deflectors help with this, but it gets annoying when using the car as a wildlife hide, having the rain dripping onto my lens... Other than those, after covering over 100k miles in my Yeti, I'm as chuffed with it as the day I bought it.

I've had Goodyear 4 Seasons on mine for over 100k miles of driving, all over the UK, in all weathers. I have the Gen 2 on it now. They're relatively quiet, long-lasting, yield decent economy (averages 45+ mpg) and I've never got into any difficulty in mud or snow (and I run wildlife photography tours throughout the Scottish Highlands during the winter). Auto Express have just rated them as the top all season tyre too this week. They're not cheap, but in this country, with the varying weather and temperatures, with the 4wd on the Yeti, they make a great partnership. Only downside other than price is on very hot days, they can squeal a touch if you corner too hard, but even then, the grip levels are consistent. And I guess braking distances in such conditions would also be affected.

Aye, they are a concern for the July trip... Might need one of those chem-suits, with me being a midge-magnet. The other is late August, so only small clouds of them around if the wind drops...

There's one in Tobermory that has had a dent on one door everytime I visit... ought to care more for the Monster than that, and there's a retired chap who lives on the shores of Loch Scridain who bought a Yeti after I had a long chat to him about their virtues. They're popular all over Scotland, from what I have seen. As for the ignition issue, I was meaning it'd need to be silent, like an electric car. Will there be a Mull Rally this year, after the tragedy of the last one? I'm up there in July, then again in late August. Can't wait!

Yep, got it in one. I think the Yeti is almost the perfect car for Mull, as it copes with the bumpy, potholed roads, has great visibility for spotting wildlife, goes a long way between fill-ups and can turn on a six-pence for those unexpected U-turns so often required when following stuff from the car. If only it had an electric motor mode, so I could start it up and roll along without a clattery diesel scaring things off...

Looked like that the last time I was on it, though the side-wind was so strong it blew my Yeti across the road. I love the drive down to and around Lochindorb. Red grouse country, and the divers should be back now too. Oh to be back there again...

My pot of gold... out exploring the Isle Of Mull on a wildlife photography trip in March last year.

I've been running Goodyear 4 Seasons on mine for a couple of years now and they're fine. You need to understand that they are a bit of a compromise, so in hot weather they do squeal when cornering too hard and in snow / ice, they may lose traction also in cornering. I have just learned to judge what speeds are safe for using them. I've driven mine all over Scotland, in all weathers, including deep snow. Never had any problems - even drove up & down the Bealach na Bà pass (Applecross) after it had snowed. I like the convenience of them given the huge fluctuation in the range of temperatures we have in the UK. And they seem to last a long time too.

There were loads of Yetis on Anglesey when I was enjoying a week up there recently, including one that was part of the security of the RAF base, with all the reflective stickers on it and roof lights. Not a bad job, tootling round the outskirts of the runways, with views of the sea and RAF jets coming and going.

I use Gtechniq P1 Nano polish for this on mine, with a tri-foam applicator. Takes a bit of elbow-grease, but does the trick.

Thanks I need to get the last Scottish blog post up actually, before I forget what I did up there!

Was easier than it was to walk about in the deep snow carrying the tripod over a shoulder! I can't believe how fast they can go over the snow. They're just like the road-runner cartoon. Off like a shot. Felt sorry for the white hares later in the week when the snow had gone. They really stood out against the heather.

Washed the Yeti last week and noticed that there was little or no beading on the roof. Not bad considering what it's been through since October (yes, it's been washed several times since then, but not treated with Armorall again). The rest of the car seemed to be fine though. So pre-washed with citrus stuff, rinsed, de-tarred (which took ages - no wonder there are so many pot-holes around here - all the tar is on my car), snow foamed, washed, dried and then re-applied the Armorall again. Beading beautifully again. Given how easy it is to apply, I can't help but recommend it to anyone. One question though - the similar product from Sonax - how does that compare in terms of time between applications?

I'll try not to swamp the thread with a mass of images - here are a few from recent months. Stoat by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Redwing by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Glossy Ibis by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Great Grey Shrike by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Sparrowhawk by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Kestrel by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Mountain Hare by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Crested Tit by Pete Walkden, on Flickr And sorry to anyone who dislikes snakes... Adders by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Hmm, still probably too many pics. Clicking on the images should take you to my Flickr pages, where there are literally 100s more of the same. Been a disappointing winter for wildlife though. No short-eared owls locally, no waxwings and very few siskins / redpolls in my garden. Had to go to Scotland to break the boredom and see some proper winter weather!

Whilst tootling down the M40 on Friday morning, I spotted a Muscovado coloured Yeti approaching in the outside lane. I looked over as it overtook not expecting anything and was pleasantly surprised to see the driver giving me a big thumbs-up and grinning inanely. Made me smile. Was between junctions 16 and 15.

Lovely set of images.

Here are a few snaps from Mull. The first 4 were with my Canon 50D and kit lens (18-55mm). The other was with the old iPhone 4... Hopefully I've posted the images correctly - getting more senile by the day...

I've tried out the Armor All Shield on my Yeti today. Doubt it's hurricane proof, but the current rain seems to be beading nicely on the paint. Certainly easy to apply (after a wash and clay), and has left a decent shine. Now to see if it outlasts the Turtle Wax Platinum that was used before - that lasted for about a month on the roof, and was still working reasonably well on the bonnet & doors after 6 weeks.

A few more from Mull... White-Tailed Eagle by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Red Throated Diver by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Otter by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Otter by Pete Walkden, on Flickr White-Tailed Eagle by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Now I just need to invent a teleportation device so I can get up there for weekends...

Oban appears to be Yeti-Central from what I saw, about 2 weeks ago. Within 5 mins of stepping out of the B&B for a wander along the sea front, I saw 6 of them! A few more on Mull too, including one parked up at the Forestry Commission offices. Ones seen on Mull included a white Greenline, a maroon one, a silver one with a dent on the rear door (was in the same condition last year), a grey one and a dark blue one. Seen at various locations across the Isle, often several times. Mine was brilliant once more up there, only suffering one mishap with it bottoming out, when trying to turn out of a very steep side road, on to another going up hill. Even took some photos of it around the Isle, which I'll air on the other thread soon.

Looks better than that Bentley one aired recently. Probably just me, but I find all these sort of cars a bit naff looking, in that they're pumped up versions of the brands' normal cars. The Yeti, Sportage and Ewok seem to be more designed to be an SUV, and appeal more for it. I guess the Porsche Cajun or whatever it'll eventually be called will be another rival to the Ewok too.

Back from a fortnight on Mull. Here's a sample of shots from the stay. White-Tailed Eagle by Pete Walkden, on Flickr White-Tailed Eagle by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Kinloch View by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Red-Throated Divers by Pete Walkden, on Flickr White-Tailed Eagle by Pete Walkden, on Flickr Otters Playing by Pete Walkden, on Flickr As I came back with over 3700 images, there may be a few more appearing on my Flickr page over the coming weeks!

Would have had to be on the way to the lakes - was rather cold in them

Finnish midges are as bad. Years ago a work colleague and I were over in Helsinki for a meeting, and were invited to the boss' cabin out in the sticks for traditional Finnish entertainment. After the trip out to the floating pub, we returned to the cabin and got rather clattered on wine, vodka and schnapps, and then took part in the sauna tradition. Basically you boil in there for a while, inhale alcoholic fumes off of the coals, before running naked through the woods and diving into one of the many lakes. Was a laugh at the time, until the next morning when we discovered midges / mozzies had been tucking in as we scuttled about the woods. I had over 40 bites per leg, and each one became a swollen blister later in the day, which was fab, when it was about 35C, and I had to wear black jeans to hide my hideous legs. Was bl**dy agony.

Looks like those Continentals might be available in the right size now. I guess the only issue might come from insurers, should you have an accident and they see tyres marked as "Winter" during the summer.