We've done a lot of travel to places that I wanted to visit during our time in the UK, so before we went back, we had time for one last trip, and I wanted to ensure that we went somewhere that my husband wanted to go. Frankly, I want to go almost everywhere, except to maybe places where it might be too dangerous right now, like Afghanistan - but I'd go if it were safer for women. Anyway, the place that we decided to go was the Shetland Islands. The idea of going somewhere remote, somewhere in some of the northern-most regions of the UK, was enticing, and we were eager to experience a bit of the ruggedness. The bonus for me is that it's supposed to be a birdwatchers paradise, so I knew it would be a place that had something for both of us to enjoy.
To get to Lerwick, you can fly there, but the cost was prohibitive. It certainly would have been more convenient, but to save about 40% on costs, we decided to fly to Aberdeen instead and then take the overnight ferry service. It's a 12-12.5 hour journey, but you sleep for the majority of the trip, so it seemed like it would be a good idea. We were able to book a cabin in the way in, though unfortunately, they had no rooms available on the way back, so we booked what's called a sleeping pod. The cabin room we booked even had a window, so we were able to see outside, though once we got going, we were on the east side, and all we could see was water and sky, so there wasn't a whole lot going on. But for the first hour, we stood on the back deck and watched the boat depart and then went on the very top of the boat for the view. I tried to do some bird photography there, but it was pretty difficult because it the wind was quite strong, so it was hard to focus my lens on much. It was a fun experience. The ferry meals were actually pretty decent. I had fish and chips (I'm filling up since I can't get this in Edmonton that I'm aware of), and it was actually the best I'd had in the UK so far. The fish was perfectly cooked, light and flaky local haddock (local to Shetland), and the batter was just the right thickness and crispness. The fries weren't quite as crispy as you might hope, but at least I could put malt vinegar on them--again, something that I won't get at home, at least not at restaurants. We slept fairly comfortably on our narrow twin beds. Rooms are outfitted with a small bathroom and shower, and they provided linens. They also have tea and coffee supplies in the room, so we really enjoyed that part. Oh, and one interesting thing I noticed about the ship was that they have the chairs in all the lounges and cafeterias clipped to the floor by a steel cord, so you can still get in and out them somewhat easily, but they don't go flying if the water is that choppy. It wasn't for us. It was actually quite calm the whole journey, the captain announcing they were expecting swells of only about a metre high, so we were grateful for that. You can see a few photos of our room and the scenes from our window and the sunset from the top of the boat here.
Lerwick First Day
After we arrived at Lerwick, the largest town of the main island of the Shetlands, we made our way to the B&B we had booked. Given that it's not a hotel, the doyenne of the B&B understands that may people travel by ferry and so you can check in after arrival, as long as someone isn't checking out of that very room you're being given on the same day. We got that privilege, so it was nice to set our things down right off the bat, freshen up, and then go out exploring the area for the rest of the day.
The first place we went to was the Shetland Museum. This was helpful for understanding the context of how the islands came to be, geologically. Formed millions of years ago through a combination of volcanic activity and collision between land masses, the Shetland Islands began their lives near the South Pole, according to what we read, and shifted through the oceans to eventually remain where they are today. If you're really into the details, you could click this link to find out more and learn about how the Shetlands are also a UNESCO geopark. The museum also went on to explain the Norse influence, as the islands had belonged to Norway for some time. But when the daughter of the King of Norway's daughter, Margaret of Denmark, was to be married to James III of Scotland in 1472, the King decided to give the Shetland and Orkney Islands to James as a collateral until he could pay a certain amount of money for the dowry as he was somewhat poor at the time. As it turned out, he was unable to do so, and the islands ended up remaining as part of the Scottish kingdom permanently. When you look at Celtic and Nordic cultures, there are indeed some similarities, linguistically and socially. Even clothing, Nordic style sweaters have similar patterns to Fair Isle patterns, for example. This company is actually good for seeing a comparison because they sell both types to compare their similarities and differences. In any case, the result of this long history means that the islands are also of archeological significance because there are all kinds of ruins and artefacts all over the place.
From this museum, we went to the Textiles Museum. This museum documents the history of looming tweeds and wool rugs as well as knitted lace and the Fair Isle knitting style, which is characterised as a seamless knitted sweater. That means that aside from the arms, there should be no other seams in the garment; it is knitted as one piece. I was hoping to buy something there in the gift shop, but all the things I liked were unaffordable, and what I was really hoping to find was a Fair Isle pattern poncho, because I had seen them online, and I felt it would not only be practical to throw it on and not worry about sleeves like you need to with a cardigan, it also won't fall off like a shawl would, so I wanted to hold out in case I found that. (And I did at a store on Commercial Street later on that was also more affordable as well.) I love fabric arts. I'm not good at any of them. I have crocheted and knitted as a kid, making a couple of items, but it was hard for me to continue a lot because with my mom being right-handed and me being left-handed, there were some things that were spatially just tricky to figure out and demonstrate if I needed troubleshooting help. But I love things that are knitted and crocheted (and to any readers, should you ever wish to make slippers or sweaters for me, I won't say no hahaha). My husband was less interested in this place, especially since there was a small entrance fee, so he waited for me outside on a picnic bench. When I came out, he had a mug in his hands as someone from the museum came out and offered him tea! People there are so friendly. We sat there for a bit, and then I noticed some bird activity next to the shore (it seems like almost everywhere is by the shore here), and as I was watching and trying to get photos of birds, I noticed that some seals appeared nearby! I didn't get great photos as they were just peaking above the water, but that was really excited. It's the closest I've been to seals in the wild in my life!
We walked along The Knab, a lovely pathway between Breiwick Bay and a 9-hole, free and open golf course, and enjoyed scenic views along the way. Once we got to the top of the walk, you could look behind the area and see a WWII era anti-submarine lookout sneaking into the harbour. Various parts of the main island have been strategic places for wartime activity to protect against enemy forces, deploy people from, among other activities.
We rested up for a bit before going out to dinner at a restaurant called Fjara. It's right by Breiwick Bay, but on the side opposite of The Knab. The restaurant was recommended by a colleague of my husband's who is from Shetland, and we did enjoy it. I had cullen skink, which is a creamy Scottish seafood soup I'd tried in Kelso when I visited my grandpa's hometown a couple of years ago, so I thought I'd give it another go. There was good birdwatching for me as well, though I wasn't taking photos there.
All in all, it was a fantastic day. We did quite a lot, considering we'd only just arrived that morning! You can click here for the photo album if you want to browse photos in addition to this post or just want to see the photos without reading the post. I have to admit, this is a trip where I have had a harder time narrowing down my photos to a small album of the best. There were just many pretty sights and experiences.
Lerwick Last Day
Don't get confused: the above isn't a typo. I just wanted to add a few tidbits about our last day on Shetland, where because we were travelling, we didn't venture too far. I wanted to do some more bird photos, so we spent more time on Knab Road. We also visited a Clickimin Broch, a set of ruins about 3000 years old. It's incredible to visit such and old site and be able to interact with it so closely. Not much is known about the true purpose of these structures, but they had multiple levels and seemed to be able to fit quite a few people in them. We then checked out Fort Charlotte, which was built for the Second Dutch War but ended up not being used in the end. Entry is free, and you get lovely views of the town hall as well as the town and harbour. But it rained mostly, and lots of places were closed because it was Sunday, so it wasn't an ideal day because we'd also had to check out since someone else had booked our room for that evening, so the doyenne needed to have the day to prepare the room. We were able to leave our stuff at the B&B with her, but just didn't have anywhere to just sit and relax and stay out of the rain. We were happy when we were finally able to check into the ferry 2 hours prior to departure so least we could hang out on the boat, and the cafeteria was open to get coffee and tea, so we could finally just sit and relax for a little while and have a hot beverage. We were unable to get a cabin, as a mention, so we had these things called sleeping pods. They were okay for sleeping in: the chairs recline 70 degrees, they have a reading light and USB port, and you get an eye mask and ear plugs along with a blanket. And you also get a token to use the shower and for a towel, so it's not bad. And the showers are just for people who have booked the pods, which when full would probably seat about 40 people, but ours wasn't. But it was nice that you needed a key card to access the pod lounge so it added a little safety and we didn't feel like we needed to bring all our stuff everywhere when we left the area, though we did take our phones and cards with us as a precaution. As before, the water was calm all the way through, and we were both able to sleep decently and also have a half-decent shower (the token only gets you 5 minutes, but it had good pressure and was the perfect temperature). It was fun looking out the window and seeing birds pass us. Turns out they fly faster than the boat does, which travels at an average 18kn/h, which is about 44km/h. Fulmars and gannets were passing us (more about them in a future post)! We arrived feeling refreshed back in Aberdeen the following morning. Photos of our second Lerwick day are here.