Brian_Innes
Member
This is Dufftown. The heart of Speyside Malt Whisky country.
Brian
Brian
My new Gen 2 2020 Macan Turbo
- Thread starter Brian_Innes
- Start date
Ah Dufftown, happy memories Brian
Spent a few days in the highlands with my old man, a good 15 years ago now.
Did the distillery tour at Glenfiddich, which I know people will think pah, its just a common/ cheap malt, but the tour was fantastic.
Great site too, very picturesque.
Now talk about a 21 year old Balvenie next door and you have my undivided attention
Spent a few days in the highlands with my old man, a good 15 years ago now.
Did the distillery tour at Glenfiddich, which I know people will think pah, its just a common/ cheap malt, but the tour was fantastic.
Great site too, very picturesque.
Now talk about a 21 year old Balvenie next door and you have my undivided attention
Brian_Innes
Member
James,
Much to their consternation, the distillery visitor centres in Speyside are currently closed due to covid restrictions, but according to Miss McTermite's tv press conference lecture today, the hospitality sector in Scotland will be more active from April 26th, and more comprehensively from May 17th. Travel for leisure purposes between England, Scotland, and Wales also resumes from April 26th, as I understand it.
All the Speyside distillery visitor centres are very popular with tourists during the summer months, as is the whiskey barrel cooperage factory at Craigellachie.
A very busy summer season in the Highlands and Islands is in prospect this year. All prospective travellers will need to read up on the covid rules before setting off.
Brian
Much to their consternation, the distillery visitor centres in Speyside are currently closed due to covid restrictions, but according to Miss McTermite's tv press conference lecture today, the hospitality sector in Scotland will be more active from April 26th, and more comprehensively from May 17th. Travel for leisure purposes between England, Scotland, and Wales also resumes from April 26th, as I understand it.
All the Speyside distillery visitor centres are very popular with tourists during the summer months, as is the whiskey barrel cooperage factory at Craigellachie.
A very busy summer season in the Highlands and Islands is in prospect this year. All prospective travellers will need to read up on the covid rules before setting off.
Brian
I have a huge amount of sympathy for all the hospitality businesses that have struggled during the pandemic.
I hope the tourists, customers and revenue comes flooding back to them, as long as the punters are sensible.
I don't know what to expect on your roads this summer Brian.
The place will be overrun with hot-heads thinking they're filming an episode of Top Gear.
Guess the roads are going to get busy busy busy.
At least you'll be able to keep in front of them easily with your Macan []
And exceptional driving skills by all accounts. []
I hope the tourists, customers and revenue comes flooding back to them, as long as the punters are sensible.
I don't know what to expect on your roads this summer Brian.
The place will be overrun with hot-heads thinking they're filming an episode of Top Gear.
Guess the roads are going to get busy busy busy.
At least you'll be able to keep in front of them easily with your Macan [
]And exceptional driving skills by all accounts. [
]
Brian_Innes
Member
The weekend of the 24th, 25th April marked the end of phase 2 of Scotland's easing of lockdown restrictions. From the 26th April, hotels, B&B's, and other hospitality venues in Scotland will reopen for customers. Not before time according to the hospitality industry lobby groups. It's been a very long winter shut down.
The recent beautiful weather prompted me to take the opportunity for a tour to two of my favourite places before the tourist hoards arrive from the south.
My first stop was the charming fishing village of Cullen on the Moray coast 15 miles west of Banff. Cullen has a famous smoked haddock fish soup named after it, Cullen Skink, which was the staple diet of the fisherfolk in times long past. A beautiful clean sandy beach leads to a cliff top path beyond the golf links where sea bird life can be observed at Bow Fiddle Rock. The smartly kept houses in the village with their painted masonry add a spot of colour to the granite walls. In some respects Cullen resembles the fishing villages in Devon, but without the crowds and tourist traps. On this visit, I met friends from Aberdeen at Cullen and we enjoyed a picnic on the tables and benches provided near the beach. The village has an excellent ice cream shop on the main street, and a walk through streets and quaint homes overlooking the bay makes for an ideal end to a beautiful day out.
Before I move on to my second drive of the weekend, I'll leave you with a few photos of Cullen for your interest.
Brian
The recent beautiful weather prompted me to take the opportunity for a tour to two of my favourite places before the tourist hoards arrive from the south.
My first stop was the charming fishing village of Cullen on the Moray coast 15 miles west of Banff. Cullen has a famous smoked haddock fish soup named after it, Cullen Skink, which was the staple diet of the fisherfolk in times long past. A beautiful clean sandy beach leads to a cliff top path beyond the golf links where sea bird life can be observed at Bow Fiddle Rock. The smartly kept houses in the village with their painted masonry add a spot of colour to the granite walls. In some respects Cullen resembles the fishing villages in Devon, but without the crowds and tourist traps. On this visit, I met friends from Aberdeen at Cullen and we enjoyed a picnic on the tables and benches provided near the beach. The village has an excellent ice cream shop on the main street, and a walk through streets and quaint homes overlooking the bay makes for an ideal end to a beautiful day out.
Before I move on to my second drive of the weekend, I'll leave you with a few photos of Cullen for your interest.
Brian
Brian_Innes
Member
This photo shows the tidal harbour. There is no marina facility as such in Cullen.
Brian
Brian
Brian_Innes
Member
The well kept fisher town homes are tightly packed together, with many having their gable ends facing the sea.
Brian
Brian
Brian_Innes
Member
My second tour of the weekend took me to the stunning north west peninsulas of Wester Ross. I decided to do this tour before the massed crowds arrive following the opening of hospitality venues in Scotland from April 26th. For me, Wester Ross has the advantage of being only a two hour drive away, and far beyond the reaches of the east coast and central belt day trip tourists. Parts of Wester Ross encompass the well trodden NC 500 route, but my tour included the lesser known destinations off the casual tourist trail.
Access to Wester Ross from the east includes some of the best driving roads anywhere in my experience. Branching left at the Maryburgh roundabout on the A9 onto the A835 to Garve, then heading east on the A832 to Kinlochewe presents an absolutely stunning drive. Around 6 miles east of Achnasheen on the A832 is a small car park with a viewpoint looking westwards towards Loch Maree. On the day I visited it was pure picture postcard stuff. I'll post a photo later.
Heading east and north towards Gairloch, Poolewe, and Aultbea, offers another generous helping of stupendous scenery and wonderful driving roads. I took a short detour off the A832 onto the B8056 to Red Point where there are two amazing beaches. I had already packed a picnic and this location proved an ideal location for it, with the added benefit of excellent beach walks on the clean, golden sands. There were a few cars already there in the small car park when I arrived, but by no means could it be described as busy. The extensive sands and dunes provided ample space for everybody. In total I would guess there were less than 50 people altogether.
The A832 loops around the north end of the peninsula before turning south alongside Little Loch Broom and rejoining the A835 Ullapool to Garve route. The Macan Turbo proved an ideal touring machine for this type of terrain. It's not too bulky for pulling into the passing places on the single track road sections, and has ample power on tap for the many steep hills encountered along the route. On this trip I used Sport mode throughout. This setting activates the lowest ride height and firms the suspension damping. The Gen 2 air suspension system has been considerably revised and updated from the previous model. Alloy casting components have replaced the former cast iron units, and the air compressor valves have been recalibrated and upgraded to provide a more sporting feel to the chassis. Having done this same route many times before in my 718 Cayman GTS also in Sport mode, the ride quality of the Macan Turbo on the ripples and bumps of the well surfaced roads compares very similarly to that of the sports coupe. Because many of the roads in Wester Ross are built on peat moors, there are subtle subsidences taking place continually giving the suspension a very busy time. Being well used to the firmer ride of the Cayman, I don't mind this at all. I prefer the sharper throttle response and firmer body control of Sport mode for the terrain encountered. I used a combination both manual and auto gear shifting, and surprisingly I found the fuel economy at 25.4 mpg to be almost identical to my 2.5Lt turbo Cayman GTS on the 220 mile round trip. In my opinion, I would say the Gen 2 Macan Turbo provides superlative performance in combination with supreme comfort with a sporting edge. Despite what some motoring journalists say, the Macan is most certainly not a hot hatch. It's more akin to say, a BMW M5 saloon or Alpina variant in performance and handling. The Macan is far better than an Audi equivalent in similar conditions, mainly due to the rear drive bias compared to the Audi's understeering front wheel bias.
Before I close, a word on driving on north Highland roads. The watch-words are care and attention, consideration of other road users, and always expect the unexpected. For example, on the A832 and A835 free-roaming livestock are frequently encountered. On my trip I had to slow down to walking pace for wandering cattle, sheep with young lambs, and most dangerous of all, two separate goat herds with young spread out across the road. This was in broad daylight, and I would not wish to encounter such hazards after dark on this route. I have profound fears for the coming tourist season where many visitors from the south will be travelling to the Highlands for the first time. The wide, straight sections of the Highland A roads are very tempting for the keen driver to put the foot down. The local police know the places where speeding can be a problem and take enforcement action as appropriate. Top Gear hotheads take note. When the camper vans arrive in their masses, convoys of slow moving traffic can cause frustration for other road users. Many car touring visitors more used to driving on dual carriageways and motorways are often not well practiced in the art of overtaking. Opportunities for overtaking slower traffic are often infrequent and limited in clear visibility ahead. The many bends on the winding Highland roads are often deceptive in severity and camber. Such roads were constructed long before road safety was a criteria in civil engineering. Blind bends often have a tightening radius in addition to an adverse camber. The unwary, or reckless drivers unaccustomed to such terrain will surely end up in the trees or down a ravine when caught out by such roads. It would not surprise me in the slightest if road collisions becomes an increasing occurrence in the Highlands this summer. The other notable result will be the overwhelming of the very limited car parking at many remote beauty spots. The more popular areas already have been identified by Highland Council for the upgrading of car parks and the provision of public toilets. Many of the more remote Highland areas have neither of these facilities and are not well placed for mass tourism.
In conclusion I would say this. If you are coming to the Highlands for the first time plan your route carefully. Distances between destinations take longer than expected. keep your eyes and attention on the road ahead and be prepared for the unexpected. Look out for traffic coming the other way on single track roads and always acknowledge those who give way with a wave of the hand. Avoid parking in the designated passing places. Give way to following traffic if they catch you up. Locals use the same roads as tourists. Be considerate, conscientious, and careful. By doing so, you will enjoy this beautiful and unspoilt part of Scotland.
A few photos of my tour to Wester Ross to follow.
Brian
This is the view from the A832 viewpoint looking westwards to Loch Maree.
Access to Wester Ross from the east includes some of the best driving roads anywhere in my experience. Branching left at the Maryburgh roundabout on the A9 onto the A835 to Garve, then heading east on the A832 to Kinlochewe presents an absolutely stunning drive. Around 6 miles east of Achnasheen on the A832 is a small car park with a viewpoint looking westwards towards Loch Maree. On the day I visited it was pure picture postcard stuff. I'll post a photo later.
Heading east and north towards Gairloch, Poolewe, and Aultbea, offers another generous helping of stupendous scenery and wonderful driving roads. I took a short detour off the A832 onto the B8056 to Red Point where there are two amazing beaches. I had already packed a picnic and this location proved an ideal location for it, with the added benefit of excellent beach walks on the clean, golden sands. There were a few cars already there in the small car park when I arrived, but by no means could it be described as busy. The extensive sands and dunes provided ample space for everybody. In total I would guess there were less than 50 people altogether.
The A832 loops around the north end of the peninsula before turning south alongside Little Loch Broom and rejoining the A835 Ullapool to Garve route. The Macan Turbo proved an ideal touring machine for this type of terrain. It's not too bulky for pulling into the passing places on the single track road sections, and has ample power on tap for the many steep hills encountered along the route. On this trip I used Sport mode throughout. This setting activates the lowest ride height and firms the suspension damping. The Gen 2 air suspension system has been considerably revised and updated from the previous model. Alloy casting components have replaced the former cast iron units, and the air compressor valves have been recalibrated and upgraded to provide a more sporting feel to the chassis. Having done this same route many times before in my 718 Cayman GTS also in Sport mode, the ride quality of the Macan Turbo on the ripples and bumps of the well surfaced roads compares very similarly to that of the sports coupe. Because many of the roads in Wester Ross are built on peat moors, there are subtle subsidences taking place continually giving the suspension a very busy time. Being well used to the firmer ride of the Cayman, I don't mind this at all. I prefer the sharper throttle response and firmer body control of Sport mode for the terrain encountered. I used a combination both manual and auto gear shifting, and surprisingly I found the fuel economy at 25.4 mpg to be almost identical to my 2.5Lt turbo Cayman GTS on the 220 mile round trip. In my opinion, I would say the Gen 2 Macan Turbo provides superlative performance in combination with supreme comfort with a sporting edge. Despite what some motoring journalists say, the Macan is most certainly not a hot hatch. It's more akin to say, a BMW M5 saloon or Alpina variant in performance and handling. The Macan is far better than an Audi equivalent in similar conditions, mainly due to the rear drive bias compared to the Audi's understeering front wheel bias.
Before I close, a word on driving on north Highland roads. The watch-words are care and attention, consideration of other road users, and always expect the unexpected. For example, on the A832 and A835 free-roaming livestock are frequently encountered. On my trip I had to slow down to walking pace for wandering cattle, sheep with young lambs, and most dangerous of all, two separate goat herds with young spread out across the road. This was in broad daylight, and I would not wish to encounter such hazards after dark on this route. I have profound fears for the coming tourist season where many visitors from the south will be travelling to the Highlands for the first time. The wide, straight sections of the Highland A roads are very tempting for the keen driver to put the foot down. The local police know the places where speeding can be a problem and take enforcement action as appropriate. Top Gear hotheads take note. When the camper vans arrive in their masses, convoys of slow moving traffic can cause frustration for other road users. Many car touring visitors more used to driving on dual carriageways and motorways are often not well practiced in the art of overtaking. Opportunities for overtaking slower traffic are often infrequent and limited in clear visibility ahead. The many bends on the winding Highland roads are often deceptive in severity and camber. Such roads were constructed long before road safety was a criteria in civil engineering. Blind bends often have a tightening radius in addition to an adverse camber. The unwary, or reckless drivers unaccustomed to such terrain will surely end up in the trees or down a ravine when caught out by such roads. It would not surprise me in the slightest if road collisions becomes an increasing occurrence in the Highlands this summer. The other notable result will be the overwhelming of the very limited car parking at many remote beauty spots. The more popular areas already have been identified by Highland Council for the upgrading of car parks and the provision of public toilets. Many of the more remote Highland areas have neither of these facilities and are not well placed for mass tourism.
In conclusion I would say this. If you are coming to the Highlands for the first time plan your route carefully. Distances between destinations take longer than expected. keep your eyes and attention on the road ahead and be prepared for the unexpected. Look out for traffic coming the other way on single track roads and always acknowledge those who give way with a wave of the hand. Avoid parking in the designated passing places. Give way to following traffic if they catch you up. Locals use the same roads as tourists. Be considerate, conscientious, and careful. By doing so, you will enjoy this beautiful and unspoilt part of Scotland.
A few photos of my tour to Wester Ross to follow.
Brian
This is the view from the A832 viewpoint looking westwards to Loch Maree.
Brian_Innes
Member
On the B8056 Red Point road.
Brian
Brian
Brian_Innes
Member
One of the beautiful beaches at Red Point.
Brian
Brian
Brian_Innes
Member
On the A832 looking towards Aultbea. The sea loch, Loch Ewe was the former marshalling point for the WW2 Russian Arctic convoys. There is currently a museum being constructed at Aultbea to commemorate this wartime event.
Brian
Brian
Brian_Innes
Member
In contrast to my previous Caymans, I decided not to apply Xpel PPF to my Macan Turbo as Porsche had already affixed protective film to the most vulnerable areas in the vicinity of the rear wheel arches.
Now that my car has crossed the 6000 mile threshold, including winter driving on gritted roads, I had a close inspection of the rear wheel arch areas for road rash damage. The rear quarter panel behind each wheel arch has a PPF coating as applied by Porsche at the factory. On the Turbo model with the 21" wheels option this area is very exposed to road grit thrown up from the 295 section rear tyres.
Upon close inspection of this vulnerable area, the factory applied PPF seems to be doing its job as intended. Although some surface damage to the PPF is evident, the paint beneath seems to be protected quite well. The lower sills on each side of the car, although unprotected, are presently unmarked.
Given that my car is driven almost exclusively on rural roads and in all seasons, I would doubt whether it was worth the financial outlay of a full PPF covering. Apart from a windscreen stone chip now repaired, my Macan is free of stone chips on the paintwork.....so far.
A couple of photos follow for your interest.
Brian
Now that my car has crossed the 6000 mile threshold, including winter driving on gritted roads, I had a close inspection of the rear wheel arch areas for road rash damage. The rear quarter panel behind each wheel arch has a PPF coating as applied by Porsche at the factory. On the Turbo model with the 21" wheels option this area is very exposed to road grit thrown up from the 295 section rear tyres.
Upon close inspection of this vulnerable area, the factory applied PPF seems to be doing its job as intended. Although some surface damage to the PPF is evident, the paint beneath seems to be protected quite well. The lower sills on each side of the car, although unprotected, are presently unmarked.
Given that my car is driven almost exclusively on rural roads and in all seasons, I would doubt whether it was worth the financial outlay of a full PPF covering. Apart from a windscreen stone chip now repaired, my Macan is free of stone chips on the paintwork.....so far.
A couple of photos follow for your interest.
Brian
Brian_Innes
Member
This photo shows how the rear wheel arch quarter panel is exposed to the elements.
Brian
Brian
CamGTS
PCGB Member
Brian_Innes
Member
The unexpected cold weather snap in May has caught everyone by surprise. Snowploughs were out at Glen Shee last weekend rescuing a van driver stuck in deep snow, and one of my favourite routes the A939 Tomintoul - Cockbridge at the Lecht summit, was also affected by heavy snow falls. This May snow fall is not unprecedented in the Highlands.
Ironic though this sudden change in the weather is, I'm not refitting my winter tyres. Maybe I tempted fate by changing over to summer tyres in April. The weather forecasters are saying this temporary Arctic airflow will end on Sunday May 9th. I'm hoping so anyway.
I have a long list of Highland day trip tours to do before the main tranche of tourists arrive.
I'm awaiting delivery of a folding e-bike which I intend to take with me in the Macan. More info on this will follow.
Brian
Ironic though this sudden change in the weather is, I'm not refitting my winter tyres. Maybe I tempted fate by changing over to summer tyres in April. The weather forecasters are saying this temporary Arctic airflow will end on Sunday May 9th. I'm hoping so anyway.
I have a long list of Highland day trip tours to do before the main tranche of tourists arrive.
I'm awaiting delivery of a folding e-bike which I intend to take with me in the Macan. More info on this will follow.
Brian
Brian_Innes
Member
Following a long delay due to a combination of factors including Brexit, the Covid pandemic, and the Suez Canal blockage, my folding e-bike finally arrived last weekend. This e-bike is made in France, assembled on a frame manufactured in Taiwan. The model I finally decided upon is the Eovolt Confort Electrically Assisted Bike. (EAB). The motor is in the rear hub and has 5 incremental assistance settings. 20" wheels with wide tyres are equipped with hydraulic disc brakes and a 6-speed gear set. The bike folds easily into a compact unit and fits easily into the Macan luggage compartment without the need to fold the rear seats. I have to say, the bike is no lightweight tipping the scales at almost 20kgs. I am now very thankful for the air suspension facility for lowering the rear tailgate height for loading and unloading this heavy and unwieldy object. Once loaded it sits perfectly stable on the rubberised side of the rear floor mat, and for short trips, does not require anchoring with elasticated load ties.
A few photos for your information follow.
Brian
Photo 1
A few photos for your information follow.
Brian
Photo 1
Brian_Innes
Member
Photo 2
The folded e-bike is quite compact albeit unwieldy and quite heavy to load into the Macan. The folding process takes about 10 seconds to complete.
Brian
The folded e-bike is quite compact albeit unwieldy and quite heavy to load into the Macan. The folding process takes about 10 seconds to complete.
Brian
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