Our first few days here were reasonable weather. It was forecast to be rainy but held off till yesterday. So yesterday's walk out across the moorland to the Northernmost tip was beautiful but soggy. We also cycled to the end (or rather the beginning) of cyclle route 1, that goes from the Shetlands to Dover (with and few ferries in between) and is the North Sea cycle route in Britain. the road ended at someone's house by a rocky beach. No sign, nothing to say this is the start, or finish. The sign-posters have no sense of drama or photographers. We took a picture but it could hav4e been anywhere.
We went to the Island of Mousa in the south because of a well preserved broch. These are castles built all over the Shetlands 2000 - 2300 years ago. They are round with a double layer of dry stone walling and a stone staircase going round in between. There are a few small chambers on the ground level but they think the internal structure was wooden. There is now no roof but the staircase is there and you can go up to the top. It is mentioned in a Norse saga as having been the winter hideout of an eloping couple, so presumably there was more of it then. The other people going out to the island appeared to be bird watchers with enormous cameras. Not the sort of company for us who can't tell a tern from a skua. We needed pictures and I very much regret we didn't bring a bird book as we have seen birds all round the different coasts.
the big island of the Shetlands is called the Mainland. We did a diversion to the west out to a lighthouse to see the rock formations and have a walk. We met a couple of men doing a sponsored walk around the coast of all the inhabited Shetland Islands. I can't remember how many miles that is but it is taking them a month going at 25miles/day. If anyone is fancying doing it their website is www.jimandewan.com We stayed in a camping bod up there. These are simple huts with bunk beds. This one was very simple with no electricity or fire place, so the hut got rather cold, otherwise very pleasant and in a beautiful location. Actually we would have been better at the campsite which was on the route to the cliffs and had an excellent cafe. We would have like to stay in a camping bod tonight but you have to book them Monday to Friday between 9 and 5 and at 4.30 last Friday we couldn't get through.
The camping bod we stayed in was called "Johnny Notions". A local man, real surname Williamson, I think, who lived in the 700s and developed vaccination against small pox which he used successfully all over the Shetlands. Quite a complicated procedure involving taking small pox pus and incubating it in a horse. We took a photo of the account so can look at it all later.
From Mainland we went to Yell and camped in the south at Burravoe. This is a simple campsite down by the pier where a few boats are moored, made and looked after by the local people. There is a small area of mown grass for tents and an electricity supply for caravans. The toilet block with shower and washing machine has a roof made from an upturned life- boat. And the cost? £2 for tents plus request for donations for use of shower or washing machine. There was a great walk along the cliffs with puffins sitting on the ledges and other birds we couldn't identify. A woman walking there said she had just seen otters, but they didn't reappear. We were the only ones staying there, so it was very peaceful.
The next day we hoped to see the local museum and visit the cafe but they are closed on Friday - except they had a party booked in and let us in too, including the cafe. The wind was behind us for the day and the road took us past the sea and rocks where seals were resting.
It is time to leave, so no more for now.
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