Go west!

That’s where we’ve been today. After nearly two days of not moving the car we headed to the west side of the island to visit the ancient capital of Scalloway.
Arriving too early for the museum opening we headed down to the harbour and sought out a coffee at the Cornerstone Cafe.
Next door was a wool shop! Had to go in there. The lady was telling some Americans about filming so I asked if it was the new series of Shetland as we’d heard they were here in April and then again a few weeks later. Yes, her shop is going to be used, not as a wool shop but the Scalloway Gift Shop. We will be watching out for it when it is screened in October. 

Scalloway castle, seat of the hated Earl Patrick Stewart was closed and under scaffolding but the most well known thing about Scalloway in recent history is the ‘Shetland Bus’ in WWII. Locals aided the Norwegians in clandestine operations against the Germans who were occupying Norway at the time. Scalloway was a garrison town with restricted access and people elsewhere on the island didn’t know what was going on.

Lots of reminders on the harbour side. The Norwegian  flag was flying alongside the Shetland Flag opposite Norway  House, where the men were housed. At the beginning of the 21st century a memorial was unveiled to commemorate the men from Norway who died. Top left. ( The Anne Cleeves book Red Bones reflected back on this period)

We went to the museum where there is lots more information in English and Norwegian and there was a coach load of Norwegians visiting - not a cruise as there have been no cruise ships in today.
Also interesting to me was the display on the work of women particularly in relation to textiles.

We drove down to the peninsula islands - linked by bridges - to West Burra where we ate a picnic above this beach at Meal. Wonderful white sands and lots of noisy stone chats. Top right.

After, we decided to take a look at West Mainland, I’d read this area was the least visited by tourists. It did turn rather dreich at this point for a while but the area is as much water as it is land with long fjord like inlets called Voes. This one, bottom left, is Whiteness Voe. I think the houses have a Scandinavian look about them too.

We went to the end where you overlook Papa Stour and took a detour on the ay back to what was signposted the original Cake Fridge. A cafe but sadly not open as it was the only one we’d seen since Scalloway. We felt it was rather commercial and much pricier than the last one so we didn’t bother buying. There were some goats enclosed at the roadside and these little Shetland ponies opposite, young ones I think (one is hiding behind the other)
Ubiquitous like the Oyster Catchers and Curlews that are everywhere at the moment too. There is Bog Cotton behind that is also everywhere plus buttercups and lovely wild flower verges.

Having not found anywhere for a cuppa we came back and it’s now a lovely evening. We are eating in for a change though we have found the food here very good and very reasonable.


Thank you all for your response to my birthday blip yesterday. That’s it I’m not having any more and I’ve had my moment in the limelight it’s someone else’s birthday tomorrow!