The ferry arrived at 7 and we were able to stay on board until 8:30 to enjoy breakfast. I picked up the car at 8 and headed north. My plan was to spend today in Unst and tomorrow in Yell before heading back to Mainland tomorrow night. However, I was able to get through everything on my list in both Unst and Yell today, so it will be back to mainland tomorrow after breakfast.
The landscape in Shetland is very different than the landscape in Orkney, and largely reminiscent of the landscape in the remote parts of the Scottish highlands. Vast, rugged, open. The roads are narrow, usually single lane with the exception of the road from one ferry to the next, likely to accommodate the buses.
Orkney was almost over populated with cattle, while here in Shetland, cattle are few and far between. There are sheep.
Beside it is a replica Viking longhouse.
There is archaeological evidence of some 60 Viking longhouses in Shetland. All are built slightly differently to one another. Some have room for animals, others don't. Some have thatched roofs, others don't. Some have mud walls, others don't. Some housed Jarls others housed ordinary folk. There seems to be no specific pattern.
I visited the Unst Heritage Centre and was quite delighted at the genealogical information available there. The Heritage Centre is housed in a former school so has the school admissions from 1894-1997. It also has census information, with little clues written in the margins to help people know they have the right family. There are several large family history charts for the more common names in Unst. As well, there is a very large family history book, with sketches of vod (now abandoned or ruined) homes with the names of the last owners who lived there, taken from the census records.
As serendipity would have it, the volunteer running the centre today said that in the last month, she had 2 sets of people come into the centre who were, in fact, related to her and fit into her ancestral lines! Queries can be sent to the heritage centre by email.
Anyone with Shetland roots may want to check out Bayannes if you haven't already done so.
While in Unst, I was also able to visit Bobby's Bus Shelter. This was a fairly typical bus shelter but at threat of being removed by the Council. Seven year old Bobby wrote to the Council asking them to reconsider and explaining that he rode his bike to the shelter every morning, left his bike in the shelter and picked it back up at the end of the school day. He would have no where to leave his bike if the shelter was removed. The Council not only left the shed but took it over and the locals in the area work to keep it decorated. This year's "theme" is in honour of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.
Soon I was back on the ferry and over, once again, to Yell. Yell often gets overlooked by travelers who see it as a necessary step en route to Unst. I decided to spend time here but, quite honestly, unless you are a hill walker, hiker or cyclist, there really isn't anything of interest on the island that would warrant more than a couple of hours.
That said, I took a lengthy and rather harrowing drive to Burravoe to visit the Old Haa Museum. In and of itself, the museum wasn't worth risking life and limb for. However, I chose to have a cup of tea and a slice of cake in the coffee shop and was able to engage in conversation with an incredibly delightful resident who certainly made the stop worthwhile. I found a much shorter, safer route back from the Old Haa and using that route, the museum is certainly worth stopping in to see. It is the home of a former merchant and gives a glimpse into the lifestyle of the merchant. It has old stories playing on an old radio and the gardens are lovely and serene.
Then I was more than happy to head to my B&B for the night!
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