Northern Isles Day 1

The crossing was amazingly calm. I hardly knew we were moving so what with that, the Stugeron and a gin I slept till the 6.30 tannoy woke us for 7.30 docking in Lerwick. It was lovely and sunny but with a strong wind from the south that got brisker throughout the day.

We headed straight for Nesting where we found a pretty place to stop for breakfast. Then we pushed on for the Yell Ferry which was running on winter timetable. The drive up Yell to the Unst ferry was quick - there had been only single track roads in Mr C’s day and the ferry to Unst was a small fishing boat - there were no car ferries then. We didn’t manage to get onto the first ferry so had a sandwich before getting the next.

I kept a lookout for the jubilee bus shelter HazelH had blipped 10 years ago and sure enough, it was decked out for the current jubilee. Mr C took my photo wearing a crown, carrying a handbag and sitting on a throne.

Our objective was to walk the 5.5 mile circuit round the Hermaness Nature Reserve. This has well constructed boardwalks to protect the fragile ground. It also protected our boots from the bog. It was a pleasant walk out to the cliffs, apart from the danger of the bombing skuas. Sadly there were a few dead ones - avian flu had got them, as well as many more gannets we saw on the rocks later.

I didn’t enjoy the clifftop walk as the wind from the south was so strong I felt it would hurl us over the cliff. Walking in high wind always disconcerts me. However it did enjoy watching the puffins whirl in to land. We saw loads, and a young woman with a big lens lying close to the edge. The cliffs were stunning and it was fun to see Muckle Flugga lighthouse and a rock a bit further out, the most northerly part of the British Isles. We then climbed up to the top of Hermaness hill before descend into to the van.

We are parked for the night just opposite Saxaford where Mr C was working when we first met 55 years ago. It was early-warning radar built during the Cold War. The blip is Muckle Flugga lighthouse, built by the Stevenson brothers to protect shipping during the Crimean War. And now again Russia is rattling sabres at us.

What a great start to our trip.

At home Ella is baking for the cubs cake stall. They are raising money to the Scouts for an Iceland trip. Ella hopes when she is older she”ll can go. She wants to see all the ponies I saw. Nathaniel said if Ella went maybe she would find Grandad’s lost red fleece.