wonderful day on whalsay

Leaving my room key at the empty reception I sent a text to who I think is the owner Harvey, saying I was happy with my stay thanks for the tour I would return, I got no message back so hopefully it was the right number and he got the keys, tug was bang on time loading all my stuff into tugs car we set of to vidlin for the ferry to Whalsay, tugs haim isle

Whalsay means whale isle in old norse but the place is also known as "The Bonnie Isle", It is situated east of the Shetland Mainland and has an area of (20 km2). The island is fertile and fairly densely populated, with crofting taking second place to fishing as the main local industries, it is also home to the UK`s most northerly 18hole golf course, with pubs a leisure centre with an atro turf football pitch the island has a lot of good amenities for such a small place, along with lots of history and a strong community spirit As we drove around the island it became apparent tug new everyone, even on the ferry over he spoke with all the crew who seemed to be his pals (or is everyone pals on this isle) and said it was cool if I wanted to leave the vehicle to go look at the waves which I did. I am a tourist I love seeing stuff all this stay in your car don’t leave your vehicle don’t visit museums or sites of interest on top of the pubs all being shut was starting to annoy everyone. The number of times each day I had heard people of all ages say they wanted their life’s back and were sick of no social interaction, it seemed it was absolutely everyone that I have spoken with; everyone is sick of zero social life. I went outside to watch the ferry boat bounce around the waves towards the bonnie isle it was braw, then with the swell up a bit(it was windy) the sea started to blow over the deck I went to the comfort of the car before I got drenched

the ferry comes into the main settlement of Symbister, where the fishing fleet is based. The fleet is composed of both pelagic and demersal vessels.(more on that later) As we drove off the ferry tug waving hello at everyone and occasionally putting a window down to shout some nonsense over to the other vehicle’s occupant, well when I say nonsense it’s a very thick dialect accent with words in their language of their own, in Whalsay (pronounced whaalsah or that’s what this auld bugger hears) the islanders like so many others are very proud of their own peerie words an sae yon folks shid be! Shetland in general has a distinct dialect and the people on the mainland even struggle with the whalsay accent, such a friendly place I also started waving at cars and folk that we passed

The first trig point was an easy enough march out from the car over tugs grandads peat cutting area, but then it got a bit boggy jump fi tussock tae tussock, on the approach I am now at the stage I get a wee bit excited when I see the trig point is something different! I said out loud ooo a Vanessa tug looked at me strange is that the type? Aye says I there`s not as many of this type, both trigs on Whalsay are Vanessa’s the second sat among some old military base ruins no guns like Bressay just concrete plinths with two wee (peerie im turning native) bunkers,

The wind had by now proper picked up to strong to get up on top of the trig for my photo but good for a bracing walk and the view of the sea becoming a washing machine like turbulence against the rocky shore and skerries. We went for a quick sandwich at the village shop, I bought a postcard also but they only had postcards of orcas none of the isle, the local museum was shut so I wouldn’t be getting one from in there either orcas would have to do,

When I first researched getting to Whalsay, I was ecstatic to discover that at the settlement of Sudheim one of my heros Hugh MacDiarmid had lived in the 1930s and early 1940s. Grieve House is now one of Shetland Amenity Trust's Böds which offers economic, self-catering accommodation in a traditional building. Scotland's great poet Hugh MacDiarmid (Christopher Grieve) lived for nine years in this croft house, where he wrote some of his best work. Aptly his most famous poem a drunk Scotsman looking at a thistle is very apt! (sorry tug) This is one of my favourites - The Bubblyjock by Hugh MacDiarmid It’s hauf like a bird and hauf like a bogle And juist stands in the sun there and bouks. It’s a wunder its heid disna burst The way it’s aye raxin its chouks. Syne it twists its neck like a serpent But canna get oot a richt note For the bubblyjock swallowed the bagpipes And the blether stuck in its throat. This childrens poem is a description of what ? for those that are unfamiliar with the scots language will probably struggle to guess, I shall tell you it’s a turkey which makes it better on a second read a big set of bagpipes, a braw bit o descriptive prose He was way ahead of his time its a shame the Bod was shut and a shame I never had longer I would have enjoyed staying a few nights reading his stuff

During my tour tug pointed out all the places he had stayed along with the sites and his grannies house where we stopped for a visit such the perfect granny she reminded me of mairi hedderwick`s books about katie morag and her granny on the isle of struay

Next tug had arranged for me to get a tour of a big pelagic fishing trawler, I loved this what an absolutely amazing ship, the tonnage catches the size of the nets the methods and equipment the whole set up is incredible, it was thoroughly eye opening for me I had never previously known about these boats! Incredible machines due to how efficient these boats are they have to stick to their quota, which means they don’t need to go out too often either, everything about this boat was amazing to me I loved the tour beautiful big spotless engine room amazing accommodation clever fridge plant and fish processing and storage area, bobby who was giving me the tour explained how the nets were laid out at sea amazing, the huge weights at the ends of the net and the winch system along with the sonar! This is fishing in the space age

the difference between modern Shetland fisherman and their great grandfathers is the difference between, ploughing a field by hand or using a big tractor! Living in a croft or living in a manse, rowing a four or sixern or steering a powerhouse of a mechanical fish processing factory, we all know what we would rather do, let’s not get romantic about rowing an open boat in a storm to catch fish, these boats are the best way and the workers in these boats get good terms and conditions unlike their forefathers, hopefully this will keep their community thriving how it seems to be, the evidence of the hardships of the past are all over the island, but now there is also signs of a prosperous society which is a breath of fresh air in the highlands and islands

the tour ended up in the galley where bobby had more treats in store, first of a beer when we realized we hadn’t been onto the skippers deck, so I got a seat on the big chair drinking beer and getting an explanation of how the sensors on the nets and sonar system worked, (fascinating stuff) then back to the galley for another beer and bobby’s favorite miniature a German aperitive called under berg, we then had time to kill before our ferry journey back and could visit tugs mums house, where I got another beer and a half out of bobby’s whisky bottle a muckle Flugga whisky in a Whalsay whiskey glass braw

what a wonderful day out I even had a beer for the ferry back which was a big adventure for a town boy like me, tug hardly noticed the swell or the journey, but I was like a schoolboy high on life

back at work summary

Feb summary Trig point summary as now back at work In order to keep track of which trig points have been done and which were yet still to do, I not only had the spread sheets that I had been keeping. I also kept two logs and this blog all each updated every day, I kept a quick reference lined page log on which I had hoped to keep daily distance, number of trigs, cycle running and walking distances on, this quick read log didn’t truly work, due to doing my GPS watch wrong at the start which ruined the daily mileage in various activities, it would be better now as I am learning new ways to log this, it did work as an easy to see check list of days -trigs type and conditions I should have done a bit more of that again I am learning, this quick log is only of those twenty eight days that I had been of work for, day – trigs- distance- type- time-conditions, The answers to those questions in summary- forty four trigs were done in twenty eight days, time on the move and conditions is all too brief in that log, to make that info accurate it would need to be added to the information on the more in depth daily log& blog plus the checklist spreadsheet, there is also plenty info about that stuff on my strava and garmin connect, I logged it all on my GPS watch except one trig point even though I only forgot once out of all the ones I’ve done, it was still annoying I had forgot to start my gps watch at the start of the walk, it was only a mile or so up then a bit further than that back, due to opting to use the road back instead of jumping up and down a peat bog,

The blog has no dates of when each of these events happened which is how I wanted it? This is because people get frustrated if they think they are reading yesterday’s news which is fair enough, better to let a story unfold without a timeline as some folk would skip to the end and say they have read it if they knew where the end was! Where is the end? Well, it’s not here yet as you will have guessed by the title this is a summary of where I am at present, which is back at work for three weeks with all the mainland trigs ticked off and a few islands completed, I will definitely have to do some more work on this project when I finish work in three weeks’ time, (the planning has begun) the end is In sight but it’s not known yet when? There are seventy seven pillar style trig points plus two curry stool style of trig ( I touched on those previously)in the Shetland archipelago, forty five of these trig points are spread over twelve different islands that you require a boat to get to, this creates a logistical problem as I only managed to complete three of these islands, some islands have only summer ferries, two of them have no ferry vaila isle and balta isle, I have completed most of yell island which has eleven pillars and the two curry stools (I’ve done eight pillars one curry there)

Having now completed all the Shetland mainland trigs, I am at present left with nineteen trig points and one curry to do spread over nine islands, much of the hard work is now done to complete this task, I have always had a second agenda to add to the list of cool things I am proud to say I have done in my life, that is too have cycled the length of Shetland, in order to be able to claim this achievement I will need to complete the cycle from Lerwick to the top of Unst right where I can see muckle Flugga lighthouse, once I have done that I can then say that I have cycled the length of the UK, well maybe not as I have done the LEJOG but not Orkney, do you need to do the channel islands to make that claim? Regardless; I want to completely cycle the length of Shetland just as I have done on the mainland on the Hebrides and in Ireland, maybe i should develope a cycle rout lie the hebway- the shetway! i prefer just my way though All this lock down stuff has set back a lot of my adventuring, I know I am still lucky and feel guilty mentioning it when others are not getting a chance to get out, I am also still at work, which I suppose right now is a better social life than being stuck indoors for some, up until today the twentieth of February I was intending this to be my final three weeks of work, I wanted to be at home to get training for the cape wrath ultra which I have now had to postpone for a year, I wanted to cycle home the slow way having time in Orkney then down through the highlands home a long cycle tour home. then once home concentrate on my writing while planning a european cycle tour and doing the cape wrath ultra, all now having to be changed to the current covid situation,Shetland is tier three the rest of the country tier four, everything is shut on the mainland.

I knew I was going to be staying up here after work for at least one week to complete my trigs on Unst yell and Fetlar (plus the cycling) it was then potentially going to take two weeks to get to Orkney after these projects were completed, if I stayed up here a full three weeks I could defo get all the trig points and cycling done everything except fair isle and Foula (potentially foula also) is achievable, then if I do only two weeks at work as that’s all I am rota`d for, it would pay for any hotels and travel costs from those three weeks, with the added bonus that maybe things will start to open up (ok the pubs) on the north and orkney for my journey home? It’s a no brainer really the best place to be for me right now is here, i am now reasonably certain i will do this three weeks at work then stay on shetland for three weeks to complete my adventure, then do two weeks at work before i then definately finaly cycle of to the sunset on a new life adventure free of work,

The Planning for the completion is underway already!

A grand stay in lerwick

I had made the journey from yell to lerwick much quicker than expected, I was in lerwick with two and a half hours to spare before my appointment, I bought some fish out the chippy, taking the fish back to the car, the seagulls know when you have food at the harbour so annoying, they were right at the car window standing on the bonnet squawking, I ignored them what filled most of this time in this car park was thinking about where to stay for the next three nights? I had this days appointment at the chiropractor lerwick then two the next day one at the gas plant the other back in lerwick for a medical

After much thought I opted to book somewhere in lerwick for all three nights, I took a walk and discovered the grand hotel, mega central right in the heart of lerwick and looked just like its name grand, solid stone high ceiling turrets a proper old-fashioned hotel, I tried the web site to phone for a price the number online was not correct, there was a note on the front door which had a number to call I phoned it. While speaking to the chap he said are you the fella at the door I said yes, he said I will come down and see you, it turns out this very pleasant chap was the new owner they had only bought the place two months ago and basically the whole hotel is going through a big refurb. If I wanted a room it would be x amount but it would be room only. No worries buddy all good with me, I was in the grand for three nights and liked it, it’s weird being the only guest in a hotel and rubbish the bar and kitchen was shut, mostly the bar though as hotel breakfasts and meals can be bit of a non-event for people with my dietary choices!

this hotel has all the characteristics of what you would expect of a title of grand, big strong wooden stairwells big windows old paintings thick carpet chandeliers I loved it but the new owners have a huge task ahead much of this old building will need ripped out and rebuilt the sky light had leaked causing damp they were working on this and other roof issues, I do not envy them their work but they seem to know how much they have got to do and are going at it,

the owner kept checking with me to see if I needed anything, so I asked him if I could get a wee tour of the hotel bar, no problem he said this was great I got to see the dining room with its fireplace and big windows old paintings, some people would call it dated I would call it classical much better than the modern day chain hotels I am used to staying in this had character, the high ceilings had beautifull plaster work with in places gold cherubs, the woodwork was embossed also with gold paint in the decorative carved areas, there was two bars to see and he fully intends to put a hand pump ale on when all this pandemic stuff is over with, again these bars had character with great old paintings and photos, then the best bit a tour of posers nightclub he even put the lights on for me and some tunes oh it was indeed a grand tour, he promised me that the next time I come to stay he will make sure I get one of the fancy rooms with a harbour view, I shall definitely take him up on that offer and I hope by then the bar will be open for an ale also

my covid test result got sent via text to me from the NHS! its normally an email from the company, I got a fright when the text came through as its headline made me think it was track and trace stuff, but nope a negative result I was cleared for mobilization, I had also been for a medical, I had a bit of trouble finding the place as its still under the construction, you need to use the back door again no issues the doctor who gave the medical is a bit of a local legend and he can talk! Turns out he was once a touring cyclist and had a near death accident in Norway, I got this story along with many others as he complimented me on my health for my age except of course the hearing test!

While out and about in lerwick being a proper tourist I was up at fort charlotte again,I came across a big red letter with an A4 info sheet attached, it was a word search treasure trail with clues to the next destination? I ended up doing this as I’ve never done one before! Then after four or five easily found letters in shop windows and stuff I realized it was for the bairns! They really should get the pubs back open, men like me shouldn’t be oot doing bairns treasure hunts, I started to fantasies about an adult one for pubs find a big red T outside a harbor bar go inside and find your next clue at the bottom of a glass

Staying right in the center of town in tier three meant I could sit down in cafes for breakfast and lunch, they close at six but there was two take away chippies also a Nepalese noodle bar and a Chinese, all within easy walking distance open later than six

The chiropractor says I can be fixed, he reckons it’s a fascia issue on my second visit to him the first was an assessment he gave me a poke and prod, along with some serious stretching while his elbow was forced into my hip at various points one or two explisives were said! He emailed me some stretches I’ve to do these twice a day and made another appointment in ten days’ time, Its bloody ironic that he thinks it’s the fascia, as nearly all of the forgotten art of running book was about how important activating your facia was to perfecting technique and avoiding injury! I don’t think that was what was to blame though now anyway, I think it was a combination of too much time at desks and not enough stretching

achy hippy back & ankle issue!

Why was I visiting a chiropractor? During December I was doing my usual annual marcothon, this is a challenge of running 5km or 30mins everyday of December it was the sixth year in a row I had been doing this, I still considered myself an ultra-runner having kept up my training for the cape wrath ultra, I had taken my foot of the gas a wee bit due to the lock down stuff but I was still fit and finding the daily runs as easy and enjoyable as always, I had been listening to Shane Bengazies book the forgotten art of running in November the month previous, this fascinating audiobook I listened to mostly on the running machine whilst listening to this unbeknown to me (well the outcome anyway obviously I knew I was making changes to my style) listening and changing small bits while running, I had started to change my running style! I then got muscle aches in places I hadn’t before and wanted to change back but I couldn’t remember how I originally ran, the muscle pains this new running style caused, was making me walk like a cripple! not sure the correct word to use for having to walk crouched over in pain from muscle ache? cripple seems a harsh word as this was just muscle growth, I knew this pain well rom my body building days its just lactic acid killing old muscle and growing new stronger muscle, waking for a pee in the middle of my sleep I would walk to the bathroom all crouched unable to stretch my calves or back, slightly changing my running style I do not think is related to what happened to the back? but you never know,

On boxing day, I was hung over as it had been a good Christmas day! When I started to prepare dinner, I bent over to pick a pot out of the bottom drawer and bosch what was that Mmm ouch base of back pain! A stretch and shake didn’t fix it I went upstairs where I have one of those roller ball electric massage thingies? And proper went to town on all areas of the small of the back trying to alleviate the pain, nothing I done seemed to help after around 45minuits of massaging with feet in the air pillows all ways nothing stopped the pain, I gave up and thought I will just need get on with it and continue to cook, but I cancelled my daily run in hindsight maybe I shouldn’t have six years was a great achievement now screwed due to one bit of back pain, plus a hangover which of course was psychologically looking for any excuse not to don trainers, now I often think back to that day and wonder if I had done maybe even just one thing different would it have stopped what that back ache became? I lazed the next couple of days chatting with Cammy it was great to have him home staying with me, stretched out on the couch no exercise no stretching just rests, then I went to Aberdeen two days before flying off to work on Shetland, basically locked up in the hotel room for two days the roads were icy walking on icy paths was sore on my back, for the first time ever in my life I had a sore back! , once on Shetland I was nightshift so went straight to bed lying down was painful I spent a while with my legs up against the wall and snatched a little sleep before work

This was the last days of 2020 I was nightshift for New Year’s Eve 21, I had not taken any painkillers since 2008, which even then I had only taken on hospital advice due to major surgery, I still haven’t taken any painkillers but if I had any that first morning in my accommodation, I would have taken them! The pain in my lower back was excruciating when lying down in bed I tried all sorts of different positions nothing was working, the only time the pain went was when I was standing up or walking around, we had drinks in the morning for new years that was a pain killer and I slept! but the next day all went back as it was before even slightly worse as I was losing muscle strength in my left leg when walking, I mentioned to young tommy T at work he gave me the name of a chiropractor in lerwick, I emailed the practice, but it was the weekend of the festive season in the middle of a pandemic I sent them that email as the pain when lying in bed in the mornings was unbearable, looking back I should have put a flat mat on the floor to sleep on it was maybe a soft mattress (I will now never know), that was the Saturday morning, they emailed back on the Monday by which time I was coping and just got on with it, no need for a drive to lerwick be like iron josh Naylor (heroic record breaking fell runner who has a bad back)kenjo and just get on with it, it will come good was my mantra, from then on and over the next three weeks I stopped exercising thinking I would rest it, this was definitely a mistake I should have done extra stretching probably with bands and foam rolling maybe some light weightlifting,

You would think this was bad enough for someone who up until Christmas day 2020 was an ultra-runner but now in the first few days of 2021 was in constant pain and couldn’t run a mile never mind more than a marathon, but naw there was mair to come my left foot/ankle WTF !! I was falling over while out walking as it just started to fail me? I was trying to correct my walking by taking big steps like an astronaut on the moon, concentrating on my movement as at that time I was thinking possible brain issue? same height and stride both legs and feet, but the left ankle wanted to turn my foot in! this is so hard to explain and I kept hoping if I ignored it, I would soon be able to get back to exercising walking cycling stretching, then it would stop and I could get back to running? I was totally flummoxed as to what was happening to my left-hand side from my hip to my toes it was all to pot, muscular wise I felt my left ass cheek had a bit surgically removed and it no longer works As I have already said I have a good pain threshold I wasn’t really in pain when moving (this came later), off course I did get pain if I went to pull or stretch the aforementioned area! I was just sliding slowly into someone who could previously run whole mountain ranges alone, to someone who should perhaps be accompanied on a wee hill walk as this left ankle had me falling at least once every day, especially once I got slightly weary, the worry was that the ankle was going to break, or worse I was going to fall in front of a moving car, when cycling I found it hard to get off my bike standing on that side and would sometimes fall,

On the eighth day of February (remembering this all started on boxing day) I decided I could no longer just still keep trying to just ignore it, I couldn’t run and I couldn’t trust my left side going down hills, I had told nobody about this for obvious reasons (I was out marching hills and cycling in shit weather), i had a long think and a talk with myself coming to the sad conclusion, I would have to postpone the cape wrath ultra for a year, as there is no way I can even train with this left ankle issue which at that time I reckoned probably stemmed from the psoas muscle back issue I sometimes get if I sit at a desk to long, unless I was seeing the first signs of something sinister like Parkinson’s/motor neuron or such like! Normally I can explain muscle issues for what they are but this ankle seems almost psychological it doesn’t want to do its share of the work! I had done nothing about it as I was out on an adventure trying to do every trig point on Shetland, some days I get angry at the ankle it seems to be getting slightly better I only go over on it once I am weary but I still haven’t tried running as my perception of what my foot should do and what it does do are two different things! When at it its worst I was even going over on my ankle in my sleep BIZARE The ankle has gotten a lot better this last week but the left hip has got worse this is why I was coming back from yell and attending a chiropractor,

north yell

OSlandranger Map number one covers yell unst fetlar and the northern mainland (mainland area I have now done) there is eleven trigs plus two curry stools on yell, four trigs on fetlar seven on unst, one of the unst trig points is actually on a wee island called Balta (no ferry) this is not a lot of trigs, BUT it is a logistical problem getting to them, having now completed map three i wouid progress map one!

My mate AJ`s aunt and uncle have done all the Shetland trig points! or so I thought when I stole their idea, this trig point adventure had all sprung from a conversation me and AJ had, when we were out running my brae three peaks challenge run together, I have since learned they have one to do, I am only guessing that AJ`s aunt is Decca Steve’s sister! As his wife Gillian told me, they have the most northern one left to do called saxavord but it’s on MOD land, further logistics issues? This along with a conversation with AJ that his aunt and uncle had one left to do, it must be the same couple! In short there was no way I was completing this bag o trigs (like it) in the short time I had left, not even if I never had appointments on the mainland, (which I did) I decided I would do what I could while enjoying a look around the island no stress day by day,

Come morning I had a lazy extra hour not leaving until ten AM! I was chilled main objectives achieved yesterday, I had decided to drive right up as far north on yell as you can to a place called gloup, there is a trig there should be an easy hit, the final stretch of the road was snow banked either side and the wind was howling. It was also raining the thaw was on!

There is a monument up there at gloup for the fishing storm disaster for the sixerns. I could write way much more here about this as I have researched and looked into all of this, it was a work system whereby men went to sea in inadequate boats for the purpose to basically just pay their rent to a fat cat land owner! For far too long far too many men died in these boats for a subsistence living, this monument was poignant, it meant a lot to me from the social misjustice of what I consider my clan, regardless what they think of me, I signed the visitors’ book and put some cash in the box, heart-breaking tale

As I drove back from gloup the road being very undulating it had become apparent that the gritter had went up this single-track road the previous week with his plough pushing snow one way out the other way back, thus creating a bank of snow either side off the road which was car roof height in places it’s a wee car! That’s fine I felt like a hot wheel’s car on its plastic track on the way out I couldn’t skid of the banked track, but it was thawing on the way out, big balls had fell onto the road but worst of all the water from melted snow had gathered in banked dips! Hitting these pools, I Had to gun it! in a one litre car that had zero power praying the water wouldn’t enter the electrics or distributor cap (that’s what happened in the old days) it was fine in the end,

the next trig was on a ridge that had a wind farm it wasn’t on the map so its reasonably knew, the route I would have taken would have been across some shitty peat bog, but I could see it from the road, among the turbines I knew there would be a road to these is could walk and chose this route a longer walk but walking not hop skip and jumping over uncertain ground. First time I had walked in amongst these big wind turbines it was not as bad as I thought noise wise and environmentally scar wise? the sheep have done way much more damage than these electricity makers have, both have made people money the planet pays the price of, you will have to make your own mind up on which is the worst people sheep wind farms?

Daylight hours and conditions? The map showed my options for the rest of day my options by this time were restricted to nothing too remote there was to easy hitters, one at mid yell one near the B&B? I coulda shoulda potentially done both? It was at least fifty MPH winds I opted to do the easy hitter at west sandwick, then go for my tea and a hot shower,

This was a lovely wee walk out from a picturesque village, had it not been so bloody windy! Its one of those things you need to experience to know about, but my approach to the trig was into the wind, the only way to describe it that I know is the Scottish words hunkered doon! This basically meant I was bent over into the wind making my profile as low and stable as possible had I stood up the wind would be much to powerful, making breathing seeing and moving forward too difficult

Top tip of the day while out in 50MPH winds while zipping your rain jacket up back to the wind, always remember to tuck your beard in whilst closing the zipper at yer face! Only three trig points when I had hoped for more but I had a good day out, my dinner was good I had beer, another guid day,

The next morning, I had bought some postcards I sent these off to my mammy, for over 15 years I sent my mum and my son postcards from some wonderful places around the world, it’s now just mum that gets these cards, Cammy lives in Germany now and probably doesn’t want postcards from dad anymore, I sent them from a traditional British post-box at the pier in mid yell they arrived two days later an unbelievably good service we should be proud and grateful off,

I then done a quick trig point at the back of town easy hitter thirty mins taking my time, then I headed to the ferry stopping to take some photographs along the way, I had time as my appointment in lerwick at the chiropractor was at 14:20 the ferry is only a fifteen mins crossing you hardly even notice it sitting in your car if its calm weather, possibly because I’m deaf lol are we moving yet shit we have arrived! You’re not allowed out the vehicle unfortunately and the sides are high so you can’t see the sea

yell tae rah moon

A breakfast all made for me, well eggs tomato and mushroom with toast and a cafetiere of coffee set me up fair braw, I was off for nine am I had a look at my OS Landranger map? if I done what was at the south end of yell I could then have totally completed, a MAP ! the Landranger scaled maps cover the whole of the uk- OS Landranger maps at 1:50 000 scale show all the main landscape features - roads, settlements, terrain and points of interest. This covers the whole of Great Britain in a 204-map set, which includes the British Mainland, Scottish Islands and Isle of Man, maps numbered 1 2 3&4 (they are numbered from the north) is the Shetland isles, if I manage to do the southern trig points on yell? then I would have completed map number 3 the biggest of these four maps!

The weather was a wee bit windy cold and lots of snow and ice, the first trig was easily found straight up a steep hill and straight back down, next on my agenda was something a wee bit different that I technically didn’t have to do, right down near the mainland ferry terminal is a trig point style called a curry stool, these are not marked on the OS maps they are extremely rare and not being a pillar type, I could technically get away with not doing it? I wanted to see it and set off, because these curry stools are flat concrete plinth’s you cannot see them on your horizon as you approach the area, I just headed for the high ground and had a rake around! There was snow on the ground. I found a wee bolt and thought is that it? A bit disappointing,

I had seen pictures of substantial concrete star like structures, I took a photo anyway but thought I had best have a look at the potentially slightly higher ground a distance to the left, sure enough there it was I cleared the snow and had a sit down on ma curry stool! (sounds a bit gnarf gnarf)

I was glad to have seen it and glad I could make a mark on that map to say I had been there, as an added bonus on the way back to the car I went along the shore there was a pebble causeway between the sea and a tiny lochan, I was walking on it and an otter ran across the frozen fresh water lochan over the pebble causeway in front of me and dived into the sea,

Next trig was a cliff top scenic walk with nice views of about as rugged a coastline as you can get, then it was time for the otterwick trig point this was the biggest bit of work of the day, the conditions were really bad for this attempt as the snow and ice covering the approach towards the hill ridge was like an alpine crevasse scene I had to weave round over up and down high ground and make sure of every footstep avoid snow drifts and trust nothing that didn’t have vegetation poking through the snow, I cant describe it any other way than SHIT one day I will look at my route on my GPS to see how much weaving I actually done it must look like mr messy out the mr men on my route profile that day! Its stressful and frustrating also stopping every couple of meters thinking right which way now? Eventually I got up onto the ridge and made my way to the trig point, then had the same shitty journey back on a different zig zag this time or was it a zag zig this time?

Next was the wee easy hitter behind Duncan T`s favourite shop, hill of queyon at south aywick a real easy hitter, when I got to this trig point I was grinning ear to ear fair chuffed with myself I spoke to the trig, yes I am now starting to speak to myself and inanimate objects its perfectly normal for loners to do this, I was on the island of yell and about to set the camera timer for the photo of me on the trig that I am now in a habit of doing, I decided I should give a yell not a peerie wee yell not a mid yell but a muckle shouting at the moon yell for my achievement! As the photo timer counted down and I jumped up on to the trig, I yelled at the top of my voice yah feckin dancer, nobody would have heard it though as the wind was about thirty mile an hour and I was on a hill top WoooooHooo, Dunc had text me asking how I had got on? I told him I was at otterwick he said visit Marys shop so I did, what an absolute gem of a community shop it has got everything Marys daughter made me a takeaway coffee, while I looked at the stuff there was even a decent book selection! I bought my favourite chocolate (Bournville old Jamaica) a take away coffee two bottles of beer and three postcards all very reasonably priced with some good banter with the shop staff, you don’t get that at Aldi!

What an absolutely quality day I had done four trig points and a curry stool, but much more importantly I had now wiped-out OS map number three, I had a count later on this was thirty trig points scattered over mostly the mainland but also papa stour and these yell ones

Back to the b&b for dinner rob had a beer out ready for me, the thing about B&Bs is the personal touch you become a part of their extended family for a few days, air B&B site is bad for places like this bad for communities also I read an article about a young couple from the western isles that couldn’t find a home to buy because rich southern people had bought all the property up and were doing air b&b holiday lets while the local folk couldn’t find homes? I don’t think that’s happening here as there seems to be loads of abandoned cottages that could easily be done up as good homes, After dinner I filled out my logs and blogs and folded up that map for the last time (on Shetland anyway) I will send it home and maybe frame it one day,