The next day we played hopscotch, catching a ferry back to Shetland’s mainland and then more crossings to the islands of Yell and Unst, the most northerly of Shetland’s 100 isles.

The ‘peerie’ ferry between Shetland’s mainland and the island of Whalsay.

“In spite of Shetland’s reputed barrenness, there is a lot to see...”

BALTASOUND BUS STOP

We crossed the island of Yell quite quickly, then another short ferry hop on to Unst, the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell.

Outside the hamlet of Baltasound we found ‘Bobby’s Bus Shelter’ established by a 7-year-old local lad, Bobby Macauley who wrote to the local newspaper asking for a shelter to be built for kids waiting on the school bus. A shelter promptly appeared then bit by bit followed with various domestic items such as a phone (not connected), flowers, a table & chair, making the wee shelter all the more ‘homey’. I recently contacted Bobby, who’s now in his mid-30s, a PhD and Research Fellow at the University of the Highlands & Islands. He lives in Glasgow now but his bus shelter remains a local highlight.

*‘Bobby’s Bus Shelter’ was established by a 7-year-old local lad, Bobby Macauley*

VIKING INVASION

The ‘Skidbladner’ sailed from Norway to Shetland en route to America. It got as far as Haroldswick on the island of Unst.

A modern-day Viking working on a reconstruction of one of the 60 Viking Longhouses on Sheltand!

As we meandered north, we came across the ‘Skidbladner’, a replica Viking longboat that set sail from Norway in the spring of 2006, crewed by a group of modern-day marauders trying to sail all the way to America in the manner of Leif Erikson, allegedly the first European to set foot on that continent.

They only got as far as Shetland, decided to call it a day and returned home to their wives and warm Scandinavian bungalows, leaving the ‘Skidbladner’ to the Shetlanders.

“They only got as far as Shetland, ”

A reconstruction of a Viking Longhouse at Haroldswick, Unst.

Shetland was most likely the first footfall for the Vikings crossing the North Atlantic. There are the remains of at least 60 longhouses on the island of Unst alone, the highest density of rural Viking sites anywhere, including Scandinavia!

SHETLAND SPIRIT

The UK’s most northerly gin still at Shetland Reel’s Saxa Vord Distillery.

THE END OF CIVILISATION

We continued northward, determined to reach the most northerly tip of the British Isles. Saxa Ford pretty much ticks that box. The RAF established a ‘Remote Radar Head’ here and it’s interesting to note, following its closure in 2006, it is now operational again.

The station holds the unofficial British record for wind speed, which in 1992 was recorded at 197 mph (317 km/h) just before the measuring equipment blew away.

There was also once a golf course here which would have been the most northerly course in the UK but it no longer exists! Perhaps, now that the RAF are back in town, they’ll reclaim it from the sheep.

RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE

Scotland’s most northerly breakfast at Saxa Vord Resort. Everything tastes so much better this far north.

The fresh fish dinner was fabulous… even if combined with some Australian red - followed by a whisky or two.

The ex-RAF station has since been turned into ‘Saxa Vord Resort, Restaurant & Bar’ and we were delighted to find such comfort so close to the edge of civilisation. The rooms were basic but much to my surprise and delight, the food and service were both fabulous. It was one of the best meals I'd had in a while. Perhaps the fresh air helped!

SPACED OUT!

It’s all happening here at the ends of the earth! The latest news is Saxa Vord is being turned into a spaceport! ‘SaxaVord Spaceport’ will be a launch site and ground station for small rockets delivering payloads into low Earth orbit. Let’s hope it takes off!

Muckle Flugga is described as the northernmost point of the British Isles. Technically there’s an even smaller skerry a tad further north. The lighthouse was designed by Thomas and David Stevenson in 1854. Thomas was the father of the author, Robert Louis Stevenson who visited Muckle Flugga as a young man and found his inspiration for the map of "Treasure Island".

INSPIRING NATURE

I was lying in my cosy bed the next morning and despite a slight hangover from the bottle of wine and one or two single malts, I was feeling inspired and oddly full of energy. I couldn’t think why!

It began to dawn on me. It’s this place! Shetland and especially the island of Unst are teeming with light and life. You can spot an otter running along the beach or a dolphin breaching. Gannets and terns swoop through the skies. Sheep and Shetland ponies gambol on the hillsides amidst Sea Campion and Red Campion wildflowers. This is a place for our planet's more discerning inhabitants. Those of us who walk these roads ‘less travelled’ will be the ones who wake up, possibly with a slight hangover and a smile on our faces!

Above All Others