Lady Pee requested info on my jaunt to Scotland, so here we go

Firstly, with a 170bhp Elegance under the bonnet we've averaged just over 50mpg in over 500 miles. This included a wee bit of town driving, a fair bit of motorway, and a bigger bit of A-road with all its stops and starts for roadworks and slow lorries. I am mighty pleased with that.

On the motorway, in the first rain we've had since getting him, I was quite pleased at the low level of crud on the back window - at motorway speeds. When this speed dropped a bit there seemed to be more of an accumulation.

I found the engine sounds to be difficult to hear even at motorway speeds, and on occasions had to consciously reduce speed as I was over the limit. The road noise was not noticeable at all, but at lower speeds on minot roads I was aware of a hippety hoppety sound over bumps. Not that it irritated, but in fairness i heard it.

There was no wind noise at all.

And when I had the sound on - WOW. Brilliant, Listen to The Who's "I can't explain" for DEEP bass, or if classical, listen to Camille St Saints Symphony No 3 in C minor - the "Organ Symphony" - especially the third movement when the organ and its 32 foot pipes come in.......it'll rattle the fillings from your teeth, or the wax from your ears! It is a useful test of bass response, and since mine has the sound upgrade - it is OK aopart from a rattle from the back right speaker that I will tell the dealer about.

Rearview mirror is ok - if you duck a bit.

Rear windscreen wiper is excellent. And not a lot of juice gets onto the side windows from the front.

Seat - extremely comfy with many possible adjustments to accommodate height, weight, backs, and so on. And the heated seats are just decadent.

Comments from others: Ooooh - its a Skoda!! And " Compact, isnt it?"

Sound system, phone system, are great. And - this YETI was allowed into the territory of another!! (eh? - Tarbet????)

G

Edited 30 April, 201016 yr by Freshacre

BH, that is good fuel consumption for a new, tight engine. I wonder what it will improve into? Can't be bad what ever it is!!

The sound upgrade sounds like it is worth it then. Don't know the organ piece, but might look it up, but The Who at full blast............................!! What's it like with a bit of folk fiddle?

Nice report, G.

Blimey Merthyr Cynog isnt even a village looks like a hamlet!

Blimey Merthyr Cynog isnt even a village looks like a hamlet!

yep - tis only 5 houses - and you can see my seagulls in the window!!

And to Llanigraham - loud fiddle music - heavenly stuff!! But then, that's why I am in Portmahomack!!

And to Llanigraham - loud fiddle music - heavenly stuff!! But then, that's why I am in Portmahomack!!

Is that your band?

Obviously not Cymro based as it has got a letter in it that doesn't exist in the Cymraeg.

I sing trad folk myself, unaccompanied.

I sing trad folk myself, unaccompanied.

Is that your style? or a reflection on your singing? LOL

As I play organ, the Camille St Saints Symphony No 3 is very familiar. A favourite CD is of Ian Tracey playing the organ at the Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool.

Edited 1 May, 201016 yr by Terfyn

Great report Freshacre

WOW- amazing mpg there ...Did you use the cruise control? and did you follow the change up instructions or just do your own thing watching the revs?

How's the hearing though with all that loud bass

Blimey you 2, I'm including Llanigraham in this, you had better suggest a few folk songs for Parker and I, Aero, Simon and maybe TP and good lady to practise before the Yeti adventure or you 2 will be on your own entertaining us

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend :sun:

Lady Penelope

EDIT ADDD- Morning Terfyn and Simon!!

Edited 1 May, 201016 yr by Lady Penelope

Blimey Merthyr Cynog isnt even a village looks like a hamlet!

Most unnerving! Using Google Maps, I have just "driven" past my back door!! They must have sneaked past early in the morning on a Friday as the recycling boxes were left out but our curtains were closed. It would have been in the Autumn as my X-Trail was parked outside.

Big Brother is watching you!

And to Llanigraham - loud fiddle music - heavenly stuff!! But then, that's why I am in Portmahomack!!

Yep. saw your Yeti outside the Castle Hotel last night. How was the concert? Wish we could have made it, although we're spoilt for choice this year, with Blackheart appearing next weekend, and even Aly and Phil later in the year!!

If you want to see the other Yeti in The Port, up the hill to Knockshortie

Edited 1 May, 201016 yr by tarbat

Hi guys

So many questions! So - YETI answers first as is good and proper... ... ...

Used the cruise control as often as possible, and was able to tuck my feet back onto the little black plastic box thing under the seat - very comfy. I did find that the cruise control differed from that in my VW Toe-rag where a single dab on the (+) side of the rocker switch enabled a one-mile-per-hour increase in the setting, and conversely with the (-) side. With the YETI to change the speed setting required a prolonged press and a bit of hit and miss. Not a major hassle but one to be wrestled with.

I also found that I certainly DID appreciate the little awareness prod that the gear change icon provided, and that's because the engine is so quiet I'd forget which gear I was in and had failed to change up. I didn't find it a nuisance or a distraction - and anyway as you all know, in a new car, you're busy keeping tabs on everything it does and enjoying fiddling (excuse the pun - and the dreadful link to the next paragraph).

Nah - not time for music yet, because I have found a weak spot in our wee car. The central armrest above the woefully-named "jumbo box". They could be done over by trades' descriptions for that one - you can only just about get a Mars bar in it. The extending armrest on the top is very weak and flimsy - and even more so when it is "up" in one of the angled stop positions. Because I'm lanky I like my left elbow to rest on it, languidly like, and then if one fidgets and move one's backside one leans on it. That is when it felt like it was about to collapse. NOT a good point, and unlike the mirror, no amount of personal adjustment will overcome it. Grrrrr.

Couple more comments re the performance. I found overtaking to be a complete doddle. Even in top gear this 170 engine will squirt past the slower coaches and lorries with ease, and if you drop a gear or two, the acceleration is rocket-powered. Excellent stuff - satisfying, safe, and confidence-enhancing. The brakes seemed variable. Sometimes they were bitingly sharp and at others I felt I had to tread more heavily on them. Don't know why. Also - and I shall observe this more acutely on the journey south again later on - there is an odd impression that, apparently randomly the car appears to sort of give a sigh and settles into a speed or state of relaxation as if he's said "OK enough for the minute"! It is almost as if one of the electronic driving aids has just adjusted itself, eithe up or down. This is a mostly imperceptible change, but it happened sufficiently often to tickle my awareness buds.

The phone system is excellent too. I've an iPhone that I leave permanently blue-tooth-enabled and each time i get in and out there's a satisfying burble of connection, and using the system is clarity itself. However - I wish I had specified the satnav. I use either Co-Pilot or TrafficMaster on the iPhone and felt that an extra £1400 or so was not right. When a call comes in, because the iPhone does not (yet) multi-task, the phone overrides the satnav and I have to fire it up again. Again - not a major hassle, but a wee niggle nevertheless.

This "Hotel" - the Castle is a funny wee pub, run by a chappie who's Dad used to cut my hair back in the 50s and 60s!! And I think my Ma taught him in skool. However - the FOOD was AMAZING, and the hospitality and camaraderie just great. The concert was in a lovely, up to date conversion of an old school with a warm ambience.

The concert. For those sort of "folkies" out there, this was Duncan Chisolm and Ivan Drever (father of Kris Drever) who were the founders of A scottish folk-rock band Wolfstone (now 21 years old). Duncan also plays with Julie Fowlis the Gaelic singer, as well as stints with Runrig. They - the lads last night - have provided a soundtrack to my life, and this pilgrimage to Portmahomack was a sort of "moving on" for me.

One of their tunes in Wolfstone, "Gillies" (go google it - then emote) has been important to me. I used it in a presentation i do for fellow vets to try to get them to understand that last week's gastric torsion is actually Fido, Mrs Jones' reason for living. I read emotional poems - and it has the desired effect of tugging the old heartstrings. When I met my wife 5 or 6 years ago she too fell in love with their music, and for her 50th birthday we flew to Sweden and drove to Denmark to see the band play in Hillerod. Brilliant night, and well worth the adventure.

then, 3 days before our planned wedding in May 2007 we had the diagnosis that she'd got pancreatic cancer and needed major surgery immediately. We used "Gillies" as the tune to enter the council chamber for our wedding - to which over 70 people managed to get to at a moments notice! Then, last year, just after our second anniversary she was admitted to the local Hospice, and died at the end of June. We played "Gillies" at her funeral.

Then, as Lady P knows (she followed the link to my JustGiving page) we did some extensive fund-raising. I resurrected my old comedy folk band(The Hat Band) and we did 3 concerts for the Hospice, raisng over £25grand in the process. "Gillies" was the music that played as people entered the theatre. And it has been used on the DVD of the show to great effect.

So you can see how seeing these guys was kinda important for me - a reason to get out, to live a life alone, to be motivated - and it was absolutely worth the drive. I even won a draw prize of a bottle of wine (and no, it isn't drunk - yet!!).

If you go to YouTube and search for Freshacre you will find some clips from 20 years ago of us doing our stuff. The most recent DVD has defeated me so far in terms of ripping excerpts - but, hey, you could almost buy a copy if you fancy it! Just drop £15 onto justgiving/george-cooper and say what it is for, the email [email protected] with a name and address and I'll send you one. We've sold nearly 200, so it can't be bad.

George

oops twice

Edited 1 May, 201016 yr by Freshacre

George, it was really good to meet you, and your Yeti. Glad you had a good time in The Port, hope you have a safe journey home.

So you can see how seeing these guys was kinda important for me - a reason to get out, to live a life alone, to be motivated - and it was absolutely worth the drive. I even won a draw prize of a bottle of wine (and no, it isn't drunk - yet!!).

George

Very understandable George and I am very glad it was worth the drive :yes: especially to such a lovely place.

Being so close to your 3rd wedding anniversary, which is symbolised by Leather and Crystal/Glass, it seems highly fitting in my mind that you have driven up to your concert enjoying your "decadent" leather heated seats and then to have won a bottle of wine... which should obviously now be drunk using a cyrstal glass seems just "right" ...with a toast to happy memories which will no doubt include that trip to Denmark.

Best wishes for a safe journey home

Lady Penelope :sun:

Edited 2 May, 201016 yr by Lady Penelope

Hello George,

I can toally concur with both of your posts. Particularly the armrest is a bit of a flimsyffair - but I had the same in the Octy, and it held up. I would have liked a little higher and for it to stop sliding back. Some day, I will get that fixed and show how.

To the best of my knowledge, Wolfstones will be back at the Tønder Festival this year. Although we have family there, Stig Bang Mortensen - one of the better Danish pipers, whom you might know - we have never been to the festival, as accomodations are near impossible to get.

I cannot quite match your mileage, but that is probably related to tha fact that I am not as velocity lawabiding as you and some of the places I drive, there is no speed limit.

1500 miles later, back in Wales, averaged 50 miles per hour and a truly staggering 50.1 mpg overall.

As the engine "loosened" I was astounded at the overtaking ability! A quick squirt on the accelerator - and off we went.

I wonder if they've given me the wring engine!!

G