60 Degrees North

 

Shetland is at 60 degrees north. On par with Norway, Greenland, the Yukon and Nunavut. Obviously there is a craggy, mountainous range that follows along the parallel as they can clearly be seen rising from the inland waters here. In places, the scenery is similar to what I have seen of the Fjords in Norway and indeed the inner passage in Alaska.

The scenery is just so incredibly dramatic at points and there simply aren't enough laybys to be able to get out and capture even a portion of it. 

I left Yell this morning and was one of two vehicle/passengers on the ferry back to Shetland's mainland. The scenery in those first few miles is absolutely breathtaking. 

On the recommendation of a couple I had breakfast with at the B&B, I went to visit St Ninian's Isle. Again, absolutely breathtaking but on a very different level. Instead of crags and fjords, this was a sandy beach. Split in two by a sand tombolo. The tombolo was formed by the sea from the west being sent around the island in both directions and meeting again on the eastern side of the island. The waves carried along sand and shells from the sea as it moved around both sides of the island, and deposited them here, forming a sand spit that links the island to the mainland, much like a causeway, but made of sand and shells. Very dramatic while also very peaceful. 

I will be staying in Lerwick for the rest of my time in Shetland, making short trips to see other parts of the island. 

Shetland's Northern Isles

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. 

I took the five minute ferry from mainland to Yell, drove across Yell and took the five minute ferry to Unst. Unst is a Viking haven with loads of remnants of Viking life scattered across its 46 square miles. I was able to see the Viking Ship, a large (very large) replica, literally at the side of the road. 

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!

Transition Day

Saturday was a day of transition. It was check out day for the tour. I was able to spend the morning shuttling the participants to the ferry for their next adventure or to new digs for a longer stay in Orkney. 

Unfortunately the ferry for Lerwick doesn't leave until nearly midnight so filling the day was a long, tedious process. Since I still had the car, I could have done some sightseeing, but in reality, there wasn't anywhere left to see. As a group. we had pretty well covered it all. 

And the weather didn't add to the day. We were so fortunate that when we had rain, it was either a brief sprinkle (or a few of them) during the day and maybe a steadier one at night. Not so on Saturday. It was a steady rain with regular downpours. 

Finally the time arrived and I headed to the pier. A short distance off the roundabout and I was flagged down my police. I had forgotten to turn my lights on. It was evident that I was missing my trusty co-pilot, Nancy, who had kept on top of these details for me through the week!

Dropped the car, walked the half mile to the terminal and checked in. Before long I was cozily in my cabin and ready for some sleep. 

Free Day Friday

Today we all had a free day in Kirkwall. Each person was free to do what they wished. Distillery tours, genealogy research, shopping, sightseeing. 

I wanted to see the witches memorial so popped into the Visitor Information Centre to get a map and a point in the right direction. 

Then I popped into the visitor centre for St Magnus Cathedral and watched a fascinating movie about St Magnus, the saint, as well as St Magnus the Cathedral. 

I went into the Cathedral to see the memorial to John Rae, but first I took the opportunity to sign the book of condolence for Her Majesty the Queen. 

The memorial to John Rae is at the front of the nave. His grave stone is in the kirkyard. 

I paid a quick visit to the Orkney Museum, then met up with a couple of others in the group. We finished off our time together with a wonderful dinner at Hamnavoe, a seafood restaurant in Stromness. 

Stromness

Today was spent in Stromness. We walked along the cobbled street full of shops, amazing scenery and dotted with blue plaques documenting the history of the town. 

We enjoyed our visit to the Stromness Museum. 

Then made our way back to the harbour for a bite to eat. From there, we headed to Unstan Chambered Cairn. This cairn literally sits in a farmer's back yard. It is not nearly as popular as the nearby Maeshowe, but is more accessible in that no booking is required. And once inside, photos can be taken. The cairn sits near the loch. 

We managed to miss the turn into the Cairn, but discovered a wee church off in the near distance, so, being genealogists, had to stop to check out. We were quite taken, of course, with the old cemetery. The view from the cemetery looks over to the Stones of Stenness and Barnhouse Village. 

Then it was back to the hotel for some down time and the opportunity to process our time together before heading into Kirkwall for dinner at the Storehouse.