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| Yell bound |
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| Hermanness |
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| Muckle Flugga |
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| Viking longship |
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| Belmont House |
Saturday, 17 September, 2011
The weekend weather forecast was dire and the drumming of rain on the windows and horizontal washing on the lines next door suggested that it was probably accurate. I figured that the only possibility to get any decent weather was to go as far north as possible to the edge of the depression but even that was a long shot. The Yell ferry, normally as steady as a billiard table, was rolling a bit during the crossing and the seascapes were a study in grey. We wasted no time driving north across Yell and as we landed on Unst the rain and wind abated. Unst welcomed us with blue skies and it became possible to plan a walk at Hermaness so that Aileen could get to Muckle Flugga.
As we walked across the boardwalk from the lighthouse station to the west coast the sun warmed us which was a worthy prize given that dark clouds covered all places south. The ground was boggy after recent rains but we walked along the cliff tops in company with the sheep, the rabbits and the remaining sea birds. The sea stacks were still home to thousands of gannets, the puffins had gone and the Bonxies were fewer than before and had none of the territorial attitudes that give them a Hitchcockian presence during the breeding season. We walked to the far north and the sheep posed as we admired the views to Muckle Flugga.
On the return, we stopped to visit the Viking longship by Harold's Wick and we were joined by one of the men who was working on the restoration. He explained the project and life on Unst with the wisdom and serenity that his 80 years had equipped him with. It had been doors open day but we were too late to visit Belmont House which sits above the ferry terminal. I was told by someone on the ferry that it was a star exhibit since its recent renovation and that it had been furnished lavishly and included some Hepplewhite chairs donated by Historic Scotland.
We returned to Yell and revived ourselves with some tea and cakes in the friendly Wild Dog cafe at Gutcher and managed to get back to the car before we were spotted and chased by the famous geese. The journey back to Lerwick was into double darkness as the black clouds and nightfall competed to extinguish the joy of the day. In Lerwick, the horizontal rain told us that we had made a good call and escaped the inclement weather system.
The weekend weather forecast was dire and the drumming of rain on the windows and horizontal washing on the lines next door suggested that it was probably accurate. I figured that the only possibility to get any decent weather was to go as far north as possible to the edge of the depression but even that was a long shot. The Yell ferry, normally as steady as a billiard table, was rolling a bit during the crossing and the seascapes were a study in grey. We wasted no time driving north across Yell and as we landed on Unst the rain and wind abated. Unst welcomed us with blue skies and it became possible to plan a walk at Hermaness so that Aileen could get to Muckle Flugga.
As we walked across the boardwalk from the lighthouse station to the west coast the sun warmed us which was a worthy prize given that dark clouds covered all places south. The ground was boggy after recent rains but we walked along the cliff tops in company with the sheep, the rabbits and the remaining sea birds. The sea stacks were still home to thousands of gannets, the puffins had gone and the Bonxies were fewer than before and had none of the territorial attitudes that give them a Hitchcockian presence during the breeding season. We walked to the far north and the sheep posed as we admired the views to Muckle Flugga.
On the return, we stopped to visit the Viking longship by Harold's Wick and we were joined by one of the men who was working on the restoration. He explained the project and life on Unst with the wisdom and serenity that his 80 years had equipped him with. It had been doors open day but we were too late to visit Belmont House which sits above the ferry terminal. I was told by someone on the ferry that it was a star exhibit since its recent renovation and that it had been furnished lavishly and included some Hepplewhite chairs donated by Historic Scotland.
We returned to Yell and revived ourselves with some tea and cakes in the friendly Wild Dog cafe at Gutcher and managed to get back to the car before we were spotted and chased by the famous geese. The journey back to Lerwick was into double darkness as the black clouds and nightfall competed to extinguish the joy of the day. In Lerwick, the horizontal rain told us that we had made a good call and escaped the inclement weather system.
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