We really weren't expecting much in the way of good weather for our 6 day stay in Shetland. I'd had such luck in the summer, that I thought it was too much to dream of more of the same. And yet...
This is the view across the tombolo to St Ninian's Isle! The sky was deep blue and the sea was all sorts of sparkling blues and greens. We simply couldn't believe our luck.
It was plenty warm enough to wander around the island without coats, and we sat and ate our lunch on the grass overlooking the most amazing cliffs.
No, it wasn't boiling hot by any stretch of the imagination, but for early October, we couldn't complain! The cliffs were covered in gulls, swooping in and out as they fished for lunch.
We spotted a wide variety of mushrooms - does anyone know what type these are? They were really red in colour, with orange around the edges. When we got back to the car, a group of birdwatchers had monoculars set up and were looking out to sea. I cheekily asked what they were looking at and was allowed to have a look. I got excellent views of a Great Northern Diver, and we also saw some seals swimming off the shore of St Ninian's. What luck!
In the afternoon we took the audioguide round Jarlshof - an incredible collection of buildings dating back from the late-neolithic era right through to the 1600s. The site had been featured on a BBC programme about the Vikings the previous week, and it was brilliant to see in person. The wheelhouses were almost snug against the sea and wind.
I am constantly fascinated by lichen, and there was LOTS on the stones of the site.
Our luck didn't hold out for the entire stay, and our trip to Eshaness on Saturday was a lot less nice...
That's the view out of the front windscreen into the driving wind and rain. Eshaness is definitely on my list of places to return to another time. It was spectacular and the violent weather added a level of rawness to the landscape, but it would be nice to be able to get out of the car and wander around without risking being blown off the cliffs!
I took fewer pictures of food this holiday than I normally do, but this new discovery definitely warranted a shot:
We dubbed it Shetland Breakfast - fried scallops with bacon and scrambled eggs. Oh my word! These were DELICIOUS!
The holiday was then topped off completely with a display of the Northern Lights on Monday evening. Sadly I have no pictures as my iPhone just wasn't up to taking shots of something so subtle. I've always wanted to see them, so it really just rounded things off nicely.
On my next trip to Shetland, I'm hoping to see either otters or whales... Is this asking for the moon on a stick? I'm not sure!
We pooled our photos, so some of these were taken by me, and some by Rachel Coopey. Thank you m'dear!
