Tour blog 22

Tour blog 22

05 Nov 2008

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It's a cold night in Aberdeen for Aftermarket On Tour as we continue our BEN fundraising trip

Tuesday 4th November . . .

5:35pm - Welcome to you all from somewhere in the foggy and freezing cold suburbs of Aberdeen. There we were assuming that it would be easy to find somewhere to stay in the last major city before John O'Groats.

How wrong we were! After an exhaustive trawl of the city's guest houses, we've finally found somewhere that doesn't have a 'NO VACANCIES' sign in the window.

The last third of Aftermarket On Tour's day has seen us take our Renault Trafic van through the some stunning scenery and some similarly stunning inclines.

Quite by chance, Simon had some haunting Celtic music on the stereo which really made it seem like a drive through the set of The Lord Of The Rings.

On the way, we pass a sight so old that I don't even recognise it. It's only my colleague (and birthday boy) Simon that realises it's one of the few remaining 'AA boxes' - phone box-style contraptions where stranded motorists can call for help.

Anywhere else, 99 out of 100 people would probably have a mobile phone these days but here in the wilds of Scotland, it's actually getting reception that's a problem.

Instead of following the main road from Dundee to Aberdeen, we've taken the B974 through the hinterland between the coast and the Cairngorms to Banchory. And, surprise surprise, servicing of 4x4 vehicles is big business in this small town.

Here's a quick look back at the last three garages of the day. That's 80 down and just 20 to go before we reach our target of 100.


P&E Burnell Servicing & Repairs in Banchory
We pop in and say hello to boss Phillip Burnell who, alongside his workshop, has an impressively-sized accessories shop selling everything from oil and air freshners to engine treatments and anti-static bumper hangers.

Combining the benefits of a workshop and an accessory shop has clearly paid off because there's a car park full of customers waiting to buy products. Like other workshops we've seen in rural areas, this garage has combined different businesses into one to good effect.


Graeme Reid at C&D Autos in Banchory
This garage is a Volkswagen specialist and part of the workshop micro-empire of local businessman George Dempster, who also runs the Land Rover specialist down the road.

We have a quick chat about BEN and workshop business in general before jumping back in the On Tour van to visit the town's Land Rover specialist.


George Dempster at Caldwell & Dempster Vehicle Service & Repairs also in Banchory
On a personal level, getting a great reception when we turn up is always nice. Not getting a friendly welcome is also a good sign that business is going so well that most people in the company are too busy to spend hours chatting away about the details of the trade.

This garage is definitely in this category. It's a Land Rover specialist, and Autologic subscriber, and given the rugged terrain surrounding Banchory, there are plenty of 4x4s on the road.

Graeme from C&D Autos just up the road says that more and more people are now buying 4x4 Nissans and Toyotas because, according to him, they can offer better ride quality compared to the bone-shaking Defenders.

Either way, business at Caldwell & Dempster is clearly booming. There are around nine separate lifts and vehicle bays in the workshop and even at just gone five in the afternoon, they're all still in operation.

This garage is a great example of a specialist workshop having picked its market to perfection. The lifts are full and the courtyard is still packed with yet more vehicles waiting to be worked on.

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