Scrae Field

Taken on the return visit in September

Scrae Field      216 metres, 

5 kilometres,  41 minutes from Wester Quarff to Uradale

Back in Shetland for the first time in three weeks, I was struck by the daytime brightness, the greening of the landscapes and the fluorescent quality of the seas. Returning from work to the house at 6:30 meant there was a couple of hours of light left and the conditions were benign. I persuaded my colleague to drop me off at Wester Quarff and pick me up near Scalloway so we could enjoy a meal in the Scalloway hotel, our favourite place for fresh seafood.  

Unfortunately, I had left my camera in the car but the visibility was not that good so this hill will require a return visit. At the start of the ascent I disturbed what looked like a former electricity sub-station full of pigs who came snorting to the fence as I walked past. As I climbed  the steep south facing slopes of Scrae Field,  sea birds wheeled overhead and rabbits made diagonal runs across my path. Arriving at the summit ridge I was surprised to find two military looking ruins facing westwards over Burra. There was a long peat bog along the ridge leading to the trig point and from there good views in all directions although they were marred on what was an overcast evening. I had arranged to be picked up 40 minutes later at Uradale so I jogged down the north-westerly slopes. Two red-throated divers whirled into the air as I hurtled past and a lot more rabbits scurried away as I made for the burn of Sundibanks.  

My lift was coming up the road as I arrived at Uradale so I lengthened my stride to arrive at the same time. We drove to Scalloway for another excellent bar meal in the hotel. So another Marilyn completed and an excellent evening excursion to complete my first spring day on Shetland.