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