base one to base two on unst

It was hellish weather in the tent outside the youth hostel, the previous evening I hardly slept for the battering wind and heavy showers on the tent, I was warm enough with my new thermarest the foam mattress and my sleeping bag inside a bivvy a bag up against the draughty bottom of the tent inner, but even though I was pitched in a walled garden it still was wild enough for me to wonder if the tent was gonna get blown away,

The workies at the youth hostel arrived early and unlocked, excellent I got in there first thing after updating my blog and Instagram a few coffee’s and breakfast ate, I got great tips and chats with the workies one was an absolute star made sure I knew where things were and had no issues with me using the hostel electrics or toilets basically a nice human being, also recommended where I should stay that night more on that later, but I had a destination now I could take my time packing then cycle all my gear to a new northern base, I took an absolute age getting packed it seemed to take forever to get organized, I had phoned mum for Mother’s Day and done lots of social networking also ate plenty and drank loads of coffee in-between drying gear and getting the camp site emptied, I had just put some cash in the hostel honesty box and was just about to leave when a woman burst into the kitchen area! Hi you do know we are closed what are you doing here? Oh, yeh said I, I’ve just put some money in that honesty box as thanks and was just about to leave, well we are shut she said so you cannot stay! No problem said I, I’ve left money because I camped in your garden and the workers said I could use the kettle and charge my phone, well you can't stay she said. If you were five minutes later, I would already have been gone I said, thanks for the use of the loo the place is lovely hopefully I can return one day I cycled off quickly before she quizzed further or spoke to the workers about me, the wind had changed direction and was now at my side not my back which was better than in my face but hard to steer a fully laden bike, I never had far to cycle but it was a fight with the wind and hills and weight a slow slog with regular stops, jacket on jacket off for the heavy rain showers one of which was so bad I took shelter in one of the excellent Unst bus shelters, when I got to the town of Baltasound, I seen the sign for post office it was a downhill cycle away from the main road and my destination but this was the most northern post office in the UK , also it must have a shop near where I could buy beers sit on a bench and do a postcard! A Cycle down to sea level only to discover the shop and post office are shut on Sunday's heartbroken slow heavy cycle back up to the main road Once I had established a base there was a set of objectives I wanted to achieve, for the northern part of Unst, one was a cycling objective more on that in a separate blog, there was three northern trig points to get done from my short-term northern base,

In the morning While cycling towards haroldswick, I needed the loo but everything is shut just now unfortunately, there was a lovely sea front café called Victoria’s vintage tea café I wish it were open but its not, this is in front of the boat haven museum which obviously is also shut, I asked some workies outside if there was a loo I could use somewhere? they let me use the museums, I was lucky yet again I managed to get a very quick look around on my way to the loo and back, I wish I could have had longer the exhibitions and layouts are excellent, there’s even the mast from the British sub that hit a German mine in the water nearby

I then cycled on to skaw beach more about that in another blog, on the way back from skaw beach, I laid my bike against a fence, ive gotten used to trusting Shetland folk I never bother padlocking my bike up here! I better remember to change that thinking as I head south, the trig point at clibberswick sat right at a cliff edge, I wouldn’t want to be navigating to it in the clag using a compass! But I enjoyed the view especially as I had just cycled back that coast,

Next that day was saxa vord but I’ve already posted a blog about that this completed that days adventures I went back to base for a fire food and beer, the following day I had to get to the trig point at libbers hill which is out near hermaness Hermaness National Nature Reserve is one of the world most unique and stunning places, attracting tens of thousands of visitors a year. Stay away from the cliff edge, and wear appropriate footwear, they say! I had my trail running shoes and waterproof socks combo! Following the road North and out to Burrafirth, most people journey here for a bit of twitching as its one of the most sought-after spots in Europe. For bird watching to see thousands of gannets on the cliff edge, or friendly puffins pottering around,

I was after the trig point too early in the season for the birds anyway, I left the daunder down next to some rowing boats and set off uphill it was a damp peat bog jumping trig to get to and the clag was coming in I didn’t stay long as I hadn’t took a compass bearing and wanted to set back in the right direction before the clag got any worse,

It all turned out well and I cycled off towards the town of Balta sound hoping to find a place to stay and hopefully a boat to the island of Balta for the trig point out there, lady luck was yet again at my side Stuart Fergusson a work mate said his dad could take us out if I could be around the pier for four PM, off course I could I said I will find somewhere to stay nearby

Deciding to cycle to the door of baltasound hotel and then ring them to say I was outside was a good plan as the owner initially said he was shut, I said I was outside and not needing much only a bed one of his many empty chalets would do, he came out to see me I explained I was working in Shetland and actually not left the isle for three months an essential worker who is on his way home basically, he relented and sold me a chalet, which was handy as it was right next to the pier for my boat trip to Balta, no Wi-Fi no breakfast could I hide my bike and stay in the chalet -yeh no worries, never mind no Wi-Fi there wasn’t even a signal, it was nice to get a bed and a sit down loo though, oh and a shower!

Meeting stu and his dad at the harbour at four everything went brilliant I loved it we zoomed across to the island jumped of at the beach, walked up to the trig point stu gave me a walking tour as his dad went and done some stuff he needed doing, we had a walk round the islands coast with stu showing me the other isles and where his family traditionally moved the sheep around, all interesting stuff a great wee tour and brilliant trip back ashore where we had a quick beer in stus dads other boat, before I left for my chalet, yet another successful day all Unst trig points now visited