my brief time on Fetlar

My time on fetlar When the ferry arrived at fetlar all the cars (four of them) were off first, they dashed off as I pushed the daunder over the ramp and onto the isle, not wanting to look like a toursist and look around I cycled uphill with intent! Normally for me there would have been a photo or two taken, maybe a wee video but no I felt it best to cycle off uphill without a glance around,

It’s a steep cycle up from the ferry port, as is the norm for ferry’s all over as you are starting at sea level! But the northern isles all seemed to be sort of hump shaped you don’t cycle round the coast a bit, its generally straight up a hump, the roads all over these isles are very unforgiving huge undulations, there’s not much road on Fetlar really just the one main one and a few small branches but all of them steep ups and downs hardly any flat, As I cycled on alone all cars now gone I felt I could then stop for a few photos here and there, while stopping to check my map and plan a camp site, (I do this at the tops of hills especially on the loaded bike as its easier to cycle off downhill than up) strangely just as I stopped and was looking at the map a 4x4 stopped! Are you lost mate He said? I was thinking its hard to get lost on the roads here, lol, I played the game though sort of buddy I was looking for a place to camp my map shows a camp site at tresta beach? Yeh bud that’s the place to camp but the camp site has been shut for years just camp up on the beach, thanks said I what about the village shop and amenities? The shop is only open 11-3 but if you’re struggling for something I have a number you can call to get them to open briefly, that was an awesome shout I thanked him for, I thankfully never required this, I was only wondering if the island had a heart I could cycle to, but it would appear not this fellow basically said the islands fecked nothing to do no`one to see we are all on our own! Probably right enough from what I witnessed. For an island that had a population over a thousand at one time the population recently fell to as little as forty eight most of whom were elderly! It doesn’t bode well for future habitation or community growth,

I headed to the beach absolutely awesome what a beautiful spot I had what some would think the perfect camp site, I set up the tent and sleeping stuff then after a quick look at the map reckoned I had time to do a trig point before dark o’clock, gilles field trig point was on what looked like a track on the map, the track start from my beach camp it headed steeply uphill to a fork where I should fork left, I had a couple of hours headtorch packed I was off There was a sailing bought/yacht anchored of the bay(Voe) of the beach beach! As I set up camp I witnessed the boat people disembark onto a motorized dingie when my camp was set I witnessed them beach, one person from the dingy headed off up the hill( same hill I was heading for) the other stayed on the beach, once I was organized to walk I passed the beach stayer, she had a huge camera snapping loads of pics, full of the joys of life her English was stinted at a guess I would say French? We never spoke much just pleasantries from a distance when I got near to the steepest part of the path from the beach I turned to take in the view, there I witnessed the other crew member unfurl a parachute, I’m guessing a he no idea really and it also doesn’t matter but the parasailing person eventually got the parachute sorted and had a very short flight back to the beach right into the camera girl, the photos probably looked amazing but the actual flight was seconds not minutes

I followed my track to its boggy end! And yep I had missed the fork too far to the right by then, I just made my way to the high ground feet soaked again, the trig point wasn’t big it was a vanessa style. I was still very glad to see it, due to being alone so much I spoke to it and we bonded for a few photos before I speed marched back to the beach. Through the tussocks of heather

The boat people were back on their anchored boat in this idyllic spot, the lights were on their boat I’m thinking French wine some music a heater? I looked out my stove and warm clothes to cook on a picnic bench, but then the drizzly rain started, I quickly went into the tent to keep things dry, the wind and rain picked up through the night, there was zero signal on my phone the nearest people were all in the graveyard behind me sleeping! I couldn’t find my ear plugs until the morning I was to wonder how I couldn’t find any at night? they were everywhere when I didn’t need them, I woke before my alarm and gave myself a talking to, yes it would be nice to set up the burner have coffee and breakfast but I would be far better off getting up and at it if I got the trig points done early enough I could save myself a very early rise the following morning, due to the only ferries being early morning or evening according to how I read the timetable, (it’s not the simplest of timetables) I set off To get to my first trig I had to cycle to a place called funzie locally pronounced funny I was surprised while on the island to see so many stones painted with funny faces on them, later discovered once off the isle the significance of funzie and pebbles/rocks it has been a key global site for the quantification of rock deformation in three dimensions – thanks to the pioneering work of Derek Flinn. It was here that he was inspired to create his “Flinn Plot” a graphical way of describing strain symmetry and strain histories. The stone conglomerates here are stretched into a variety of ellipsoidal shapes, from cigars to pancakes. I wish I had taken more photos now of the funzie faces

I left the daunder at a place called everland and walked out to the coast a nice dramatic cliff top walk to another vanessa style trig point I kept away from the edge of the cliff on the walk back as the wind was coming in that way! My phone buzzed woo hoo I had a signal I replied to some text messages and posted something on Instagram that stops folk at home wondering where I am if I post on insta they know I’m alive oot and aboot On the cycle back to the main area of houbie I passed the camping bod where I stopped and had a look around shame these are all shut I think my trip would have been much better had these been open and folk were using them I am not used to life alone on the road yet and was craving company,

The biggest trek for me was next where I left the bike at the closed school and headed up to a crest where I had to take a compass bearing to be safe the cloud was low visibility was down still good enough for my purpose I could see far enough but if it got worse and visibility came down more then there wasn’t much in the way of land marks zero paths or cairns, the trig point is called Fetlar but the map has it on vord hill this one had a stone circle round it shame I had no view, on the way back to the bike I picked up a flock of sheep there must have been twenty to thirty of them right at my heels baaa`ing at me it was a bit disconcerting I don’t mind admitting, I filmed it while marching fast but fell on my arse in my panic while trying to film! I am not an apex carnivore it would appear.

Back at houbie was the island shop I wanted beer and some snacks, for a place that calls itself the garden of Shetland due to its fertile soil there wasn’t a lot of garden produce! It was all your standard fare cans of stuff I opted for a couple of bags of crisps and some cans of Tennent’s lager, being of the meat and dairy has its limitations when shop supplies are also limited it was the first time in a long time that I thought a roll on cheese would be nice, its been about three years since I’ve had that I use to love it with raw onion or Branston pickle back in the day when I didn’t choose my food! I also bought two postcards.

Once out the shop trying to pack my stuff on the bike I got harassed by a piglet! It was right at my heels every time I turned my back on it squealing like hell noisy wee nuisance, but then its mum and brothers and sisters joined in with the squealing from the back of the shed, went back into the shop to tell the woman, she blamed the electric fence not working she said it wouldn’t bite but don’t let it near any food it was being weaned and would snatch anything I had she shooed it while its mother tried to burst through the fence and I slung off from the farm animals for the second time that day,

Once back at the beach I decide I had time if I was quick to take the tent down and pack and make the afternoon sailing get myself to yell that day instead of a mega early rise potential pack in the dark in the morning. Cycling now fully loaded bike was hard work on the uphill’s, I had one last Fetlar trig to do near the ferry port the road went close by it at not far of the same hight it was on my way, as I approached it four cars passed me, I knew what this meant the ferry is going soon I dashed up to the trig it had to be done then it was down to the ferry I was just too late! The ramp was up the only ferry user one car already on (the other cars were ferry workers) I stood at the closed ramp praying they would see me and let me throw my bike over the ramp, after a long minute or so a man came down the stairs and over to the ramp I shouted am I too late buddy he said no your fine you’ve got a minute, he lowered the ramp and put it back up once I was on and the engines kicked up we were off to yell with me alone on tip toes looking out through the water level porthole. i probably should have stayed up on deck im sure the crew wouldnt have minded,