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!