Lerwick - 60° 09' 15" N 01° 08' 33" W

Now what?

Here is a fact that you may not realize - we are travelling by boat - here, there and everywhere - and we often have no idea what we are getting themselves into.

We know that Shetland has ponies ... but we are somewhat vague on the history and culture. 

The average person might spend the better part of a year planning their trip, talking to others, gathering information, reading travel guides, watching documentaries, looking on the internet ...

We change locations every three or four days.

We are busy: sightseeing, visiting museums, art galleries, churches and castles; working out how to next move the boat, taking into account tides, currents, wind, weather; connecting with others; figuring out shopping/supply gathering in the language/customs of whatever country/region we happen to be in; visas and other formalities for us and the boat; writing our blog (!!) etc..  There really is very little time to plan very far ahead.

Leaving the Orkney Islands, we were buddy-boating with Spike and Annemarie aboard Lava and they had plans to visit Shetland. It made sense for us to stop there too before jumping to Bergen.  We could explore together and keep each other company.  Lava, being a bigger boat, can travel faster.  They arrived two hours before we did and tied up at the Alexander Dock.  They secured a place for us to tie up, too - very handy as a few boats were arriving just before we did.  They also had prepared dinner for us onboard Lava and invited us over shortly after we finished dealing with our dock lines.

So we are safely tied up, fed and have a moment - now, let's see what Shetland* has to offer.

*One thing we do know is there is no such place as The Shetlands.  It is Shetland, Shetland Isles if you must, but never The Shetlands! 

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As with Orkney, Shetland bats well above its weight in history and culture.  It was settled in the neolithic times and around the 8th century the Norse arrived and Shetland remained Norse until King Christian I used it as a dowry for his daughter's marriage to King James III of Scotland in 1469.  Despite being part of Scotland for over five centuries, they retain a very Nordic feel.

Quiet high street on a Sunday morning

Shetland ponies do indeed come from Shetland.  They are hardy little things and can survive harsh winters on limited food.  No wonder the Shetland ponies we rode as kids always had a tendency to founder in the spring.  They were used for agricultural work then, during the Industrial Revolution when is became a bit uncool to send kids down the mines, the Shetland ponies were sent instead. And somehow, we have managed not to take a single photo of the ponies!

At 11:30pm, the sun has not set

Shetland lies at latitude 60°N which is further north than Moscow and roughly the same latitude as Anchorage and Helsinki.  At this time of year, it never quite gets dark.  It is known as Simmer Dim, that beautiful soft light most of us only see during the short twilight hours.

The Shetland Bus memorial in Scalloway

One of the most fascinating things we learnt about was the incredible feat known The Shetland Bus.  During WWII, Norway was occupied by the Nazis and it was particularly brutal.  As part of the resistance, a small group of Norwegian fishing boats would smuggle spies, weapons, ammunition and, most importantly, radios into Norway and bring back refugees and resistance workers whose cover had been blown.  Due to the activity in the North Sea, these trips were carried out only in the winter, braving frightful conditions.

Shetland Museum in Scalloway

Such a fascinating story! So we rented a car and with Spike and Annemarie, we all piled in a headed to Scalloway to the Shetland Museum which had a large section on the Shetland Bus.  The museum was excellent.  Beautifully laid out, it ran through the history of Shetland from neolithic times to now.  It talked about the importance of fishing, Shetland lands more fish than the rest of the UK!  The Shetland Bus display was simply extraordinary.  Such bravery and a story we had never heard of.  If you want a rollicking good read, get your hands on "We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth. It tell the extraordinary story of Jan Baalsrud who escaped capture and managed to survive through a series of incredible events.

St Ninian's Beach

After lunch, we headed to St Ninian's Beach, an ismiuth of sand that joins St Ninian's Island to Mainland.  We meandered across the sand to the island, working up an appetite.  It was then back to Chinook for birthday dinner of take-away Chinese. What a way to mark a milestone birthday!  

Happy birthday to you!

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