A 38 HOUR Return Trip: The Good, The Bad And The Stormy...

I couldn't believe it when I found out this was even bookable. A quick phone call and £281 later, join me as I step aboard Scotland's Secret Ferry! Enjoy the video, and let me know: would YOU do this trip?

Filmed 16-18 August 2024
Thumbnail designed using Canva
This video is not sponsored and all opinions are my own

I don’t pretend to be a travel expert, but I love what I do and would be honoured if you came along with me. My channel focusses on the wide-eyed wonder and excitement of finding somewhere new, and my genuine reaction to it. You may not get a history lesson in my videos, but who knows, you might pick up some useful travel tips along the way, add a few destinations to your bucket list and hopefully be entertained by what you see. Thanks for watching, it means a lot to me :)

I do ALL of this myself. Planning, filming, editing, promoting, all with a weekly upload schedule, so please understand not every video will be an epic adventure. But my pledge is to always do my best in any situation and KEEP THE CAMERA ROLLING :)

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FAQs:
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I was born in Glasgow but have lived in Carnoustie, Dalgety Bay, Stonehaven, Edinburgh, Montrose, and further afield (Salamanca, Spain & Devonport, New Zealand)
WHEN DO YOU UPLOAD?
Saturdays at 10am Scottish time. Occasionally a bonus midweek video will pop up (in which case, likely to be Tuesday at 5pm)
WHY IS THERE A DELAY BETWEEN TRIP AND VIDEO APPEARING?
This is both my business model and a result of doing everything myself. Editing takes time and I also like to schedule videos a bit in advance in case of any problems/illness/cancellations etc. Keeping my uploads appearing every Saturday is important to me, so I don’t want anything to get in the way of it. Also, I occasionally need some time off to recover from trips! But more than anything else, it's about budgets. I generally need to film a number of videos on each trip to break even. And each one of these take a while to fall into place on a Saturday morning.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
WHY DON'T YOU SPEND LONGER AT DESTINATIONS?
The usual suspects I'm afraid - time and money! Hotel prices especially these days make my eyes water like a true Scotsman. Also my weekly upload schedule means I need to keep on the move.
WHERE'S ALICJA?
Alicja will feature whenever possible, but she has her own life and a 9-5 job so it can take a while for our schedules to match up. Trust me though, I prefer it when She is there too!
DO YOU PAY FOR YOUR OWN TRAVEL?
Yes I do. I've only ever accepted a complementary ticket as compensation for a previous problem. All my opinions are frank and honest reflections of travel as I experience it.
WHY THE ADS?
It's my income, I can't do this for free. Notice I don’t have mid-roll ads though!
CAN I CONTACT YOU?
I used to list my email address but felt bad not having the capacity to respond to everything so took it down (and I got a LOT of spam so missed many genuine messages along the way).
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THE CHANNEL?
Watching my videos is of course support enough, but if you'd like to support further, I'll pop links in here for Paypal and Patreon. All kind donations are super-appreciated and will go 100% towards future filming trips.
DO YOU ACCEPT SPONSORSHIPS?
I don't like to upset the flow of my videos, so I don't even include mid-roll ads anymore (at significant loss of income to myself), so I prefer not to include sponsorships either. I'm open to a small slide at the start/end of each video, but I don't want to get into talking about products, it's something I don't like as a viewer myself (especially as a viewer who pays for YouTube Premium). So it's probably a polite no, although all of this goes out the window if you offer me something which can give me the chance to make a video for my audience that would otherwise be impossible.

#SteveMarsh #Ferry #SecretFerry

[Wertmarke]

For someone who loves travel by sea but can't stand these huge touristy ships and crowds, this trip is pure gold! Thanks for the video!

[DaveGeog]

Or - to paraphrase - if you want a travel Vlog, watch someone who's been on the regular ferry, but if you want an adventure, watch Steve Marsh 🙂

[JimmyBoqvist]

"Seasickness is caused by conflicting signals about movement received by the brain. This earplug trick has been used by sailors throughout the years. Simply insert an earplug into one ear; this fools the brain into ignoring signals from your ears and forces it to focus on signals being sent by your eyes. Sailors claim it works best if you plug the ear that is opposite to your dominant hand, such as your left ear if you are right-handed." 🙏❤💪

[JohnEdwardBerry]

This has to be one of the best YouTube channels, once again just brilliantly produced, edited, just great.

[ginnypeckham]

The helicopter was practising tailing the ship. We live on the Isle of Wight and sail a lot and and have several times been called up on the radio by the coastguard to ask if the helicopter can practise hovering over and synchronising speed with the boat. A huge downdraft and very noisy but quite amazing.

[BarneyLeith]

Brave man as always, Steve! Very many years ago my wife and I had flown from Shetland to Orkney for the weekend. I had to get back for work on the Monday, but the weather was bad and flights were cancelled. The only way home was on the cargo ferry from Kirkwall to Lerwick. They only took 12 passengers and our peerie bairn was the 13th! The three of us were in a cabin for two. The ship rolled so much that the curtains hanging along the bunks swung right across and hit the opposite wall of the cabin. It was particularly bad as we passed through the Sumburgh Roost (Sumburgh Roost is an area of sea off the south of Shetland where two tidal streams meet with dramatic results). We were very glad to get home to Shetland. (That was in the days of the North of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland Shipping Co – pre P & O Ferries and pre Northlink.)

[nodrogwarob]

I think you'd love a cargo cruise. I was in the RN for many years and there is nothing beats being at sea with the wind blowing fresh. We had few mod cons in those days and sleeping areas (the mess) could range between 20 and sometimes upwards of 50 people. Conditions were grim at times but I'd do it all again tomorrow if my old bones were up to it. Being able to see the horizon is a good antidote for sea sickness. Keep the videos coming, love em.

[urbankayaker]

steve, i have just recently found your channel and have enjoyed catching up with your adventures. one of the things that i have been continually struck by and that really shows the kind of person you are, is how without fail, you always thank the drivers/operators of whatever mode of transport you have traveled on. it's that simple expression of gratitude that so many people seem to forget about but that you express so sincerely that means so much. thanks for sharing your adventures and for being such a positive example in these increasingly rude and combative times.

[gailcollins]

My full appreciation for taking one for the team Steve! so glad that was you and not me…felt seasick just watching. Your face at times was more descriptive than words😂👍

[Thermuda]

Steve its likely the HMCG Helicopter was conducting some crew training, either for the pilots to shadow a vessel / casualty which they tend to do to help vector the RNLI to where they need to be (plus they have thermal imaging tech on board which is really helpful) - or it was for a potential training for the winch crew to put them on the deck which they would've been coordinating with the bridge crew from channel 16 - but based on the weather I guess this is why the ended up aborting it if this was their intention.
I did some work alongside one of the helicopters as a Coastguard Rescue Officer here in Wales and it tends to be the reasons they come alongside a vessel like this without it being an emergency.

[carlossaraiva]

Man, i miss Shetland. Beautiful country, nice people. Unforgettable

[StreakyP]

we "lost" a 4x4 on the regular Shetland ferry. Crossing was a little "lumpy" & the articulated lorry with a trailer full of sand decided to fall over & crush our 4x4. That was fun with the insurance with the car insurance trying to say "that wasn't a road accident so nothing to do with us".
LOVE Lerwick... great place (Gurkha Kitchen 👍)

[massivley]

This has just made my weekend seeing one of Steve’s videos in my notifications

[Nook]

Steve, I love it when i see you have posted a new adventure...You are so natural with your comments. Makes the trip so real for us watches! Thank you SO much..I never want them to end ...😅

[jeannellies]

Really enjoyed this one. I would LOVE you to do a transatlantic cargo trip. I live vicariously via your channel. Thank for everything you do.

[gregorylenton]

My My My...Must be one of your best shows ..you made a wonderfull experiance for US....ALL...THANKS AGAIN STEVE

[tartanblackcountrytourist]

Hi Steve always good to do a safety walk around.. find the life boats and the food.. Absolutely Alisja should have come

[danielscullane]

Essential to have WiFi to view Planes, Trains, Everything on these trips. Great video as ever.

[robingherasim]

That was awesome, Steve! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure! 🛳️👍

[adrianburn]

Loved the video. Some 60 years ago, when I was a wee lad, I went from Australia to England in a cargo ship. The memories have lasted a lifetime! Love to see you try another cargo ship voyage.