heading out east to skerries

The ferry time table is difficult to understand, well to me anyway the young islanders are good with it, young tug helped me to work out how I was going to manage to get to the trig point on skerries? it originally looked possible with a ferry from Lerwick and back in a day, but after a chat on the phone to the booking office (ferries to skerries must be booked), this turned out to be far too short a time in skerries to get the trig done, it became apparent that a Friday was the day to do this visit to bag the most easterly trig point in Scotland not the UK as that’s in England. Friday is changeover day at work, which makes getting out there harder for me logistically, during my previous time off I couldn’t get booked via the phoneline, which turned into a bit of a blessing in the end, as the weather turned that day!

Friday the 16th being my last day at work ever, I was heading to stay in Lerwick for two weeks, there was a window of opportunity in the afternoon so I phoned and booked myself on the ferry, The Out Skerries lie about four miles north east of Whalsay and Bound Skerry forms the easternmost part of Scotland, the islands have a (mothballed) primary school. The primary school in 2015 had just one pupil the previously open secondary school was the smallest in the UK; This secondary school was closed in 2014, In 2016 the school only had one student. The story of the loneliest schoolboy went viral and he received 10,000 Christmas cards that year from all around the world. The old schoolhouse found a reuse purpose as the smallest cinema in Scotland, called imaginatively Schoolhouse Cinema, which opened in 2017 and offers free admissions and free snacks There is now only Around 40 people living on the two main islands, Housay and Bruray, just east of the main Shetland Islands group. A third island, Grunay, is currently uninhabited. The two islands are linked by a bridge and boast a simple life with two shops, an airstrip, a church a police station, a fish processing factory and a community hall where dances are held (especially for the celebration for the annual Lerwick to Skerries Yacht Race held in August). Cal and magnus left me at the ferry pier at Vidlin, which was great i was by then free of work they may not ever see me again we reminisced about old times had a few laughs said our goodbyes in a pleasant way, all pleased to have crossed each other’s life’s, I was booked on the 11AM sailing but hadn’t paid, yet again I filled out a form that they said they would bill me, the card reader’s don’t take visa, and due to covid they are not taking cash, this is only an issue with council run ferries privately owned ferries manage to take card or cash, the ferry journey over was ace I loved it there was one car and three twitchers! These bird watching types weren’t the most social group each time I approached them their bino`s went up to the eyes! walk away bino`s down walk back bino`s up lol ok I take a hint! they were only heading over for the day like me, I cornered one of them on the return leg and they do this journey to check on the birds reasonably often, they take the ferry out go count birds and check for any rare ones then ferry back,

it was cold up top on the on the ferry I went up and down the stair to keep warm, I loved the sea level view through the porthole windows down in the passenger lounge but also loved the view on the open deck, where I got frozen then went back down for a heat at the porthole, the approach into skerries harbour is excellent in between rugged rocky outcrops and harsh cliffs, then round into a sheltered bay, the one car got off and the twitchers marched off there was no one to ask questions of, it was midday the shop was shut until two hours later. I never had the map for the islands but from what I had read online I should just easily head to the high ground from the harbour which is what I done

fresh water is a problem for skerries being so small with no loch they have built a dam to make a tiny reservoir which is fed from drainage channels dug into the hill, I walked up past this reservoir and stepped over the water collecting drainage on my march up to the high point trig, this was not a hard walk! I was there in no time but delighted to reach Scotland’s most eastern (vanessa style) trig point yet another mile stone accomplished for me, it felt great I took a photo using my mini tripod and timer with me holding my bespoke SGP trig point center piece the lads had made me, and smilingly took the panoramic view in the air smelled of fresh freedom, the horizons seemed much more distant remote endless! I was alone at the high point of Scotland’s most eastern area looking out over towards Norway feeling like an island, no`one around me, no work to go to not even a timetable of needing to be anywhere for any time, is this what freedom smelled like? My phone rang! Hello mum – waur ur yeh son? Skerries maw aye yeh dinny ken it! That’s great your heading home now son it will be guid to see yah its been a while, aye you too mum, mind I’m gonna cycle home though so a wee bitty longer yet! The signal died; I text maw to say I would call her later,

ok so I best head back then! I’ve Been up north and heading south and now been out east to head west, so I could technically now tell mammy I was heading home, am I a pensioner getting pulled in oot the street by the lug by his mammy for playing outside for too long lol, its not changed in over forty years, ok mammy um coming haim I walked back the other side of the wee reservoir doon over the catchment drain again, then down over a dry stain dyke, onto what I thought was an abandoned old run-down road! Which turned out to be skerries airfield, I found this out as I read the do not enter sign after I had walked its length and crossed over! I’m sure I would have heard a plane coming and it wasn’t like I was doing doughnuts on a quad in the snow as I had done wi dunc on the airfield at papa stoor

The wee shop still had an hour before opening, I knew there was another I had plenty time, I walked along the only road on the isle and went to the other shop over the wee bridge onto the other isle, this shop is also the post office, there was a hand written note sellotaped on to the door, due to me going to the mainland for my covid vaccination, the post office will be shut all day, oh well no postcards will be sent from skerries, I had a walk past the stone circle called the battle pund, then up the hill to an abandoned bird watchers hide (I think) then dropped back down the far side of the hill to walk back to the harbour and wait for the shop to open

Being 100% honest I only really wanted to buy beer from the shop, I had a look around the nik naks and grabbed some snacks, then at the till asked the fella where the beer is? I’m not licensed he said, ok what about the post office does that sell beer nope they aren’t licensed either! Irn Bru and crisps on the bench in the harbour it was then by way of celebration, the sun was out it was beautiful but as I sat doing nothing except write in my journal I got colder and colder from the slight breeze, spring is not warm this far into the north sea

The ferry journey back was slightly choppy to begin with in a fun way, it reminded me of the waves I had on a sailing ship journey around robin island off cape town except it wasn’t as warm there was no free champagne and no pod of porpoises, oh and no sails lol but the waves were similar, there was no car this time just me and the three twitchers huddled together, their bino`s trained on the coast line or cliffs or maybe so they didn’t have to engage in conversation,

Back at Vidlin for five I had an hour before the bus to lerwick arrived, I knew the shop in vidlin sold beer I had been here a couple of times before, the shop is at the bus stop I had time for a snack and a beer before the bus arrived which was a mini bus but posh for public transport cash only fare no change given, I had to put it in a jar covid rules, the shop like so many other island shops that are cash only also, but that’s to do with rip off visa charges for retailers,

It wasn’t long before I was back in lerwick dropped right at the harbour mega close to the grand where I was already booked in my room wasn’t ready yet Harvey got it sorted while I had a brew in the very nice dining room texting friends one of them Hamish he had said that he was having a BBQ and firepit in his garden if I wanted to pop up once I was settled to discuss the next mornings kayaking, this is exactly what I done I dropped my bags in my excellent third floor room with the most amazing room view oot over the harbour I loved it, then I marched up to Hamish’s hoose via Tesco en route for beer and vegan sausages as Hamish doesn’t really have meat and dairy free options, I loved his nativity with all meat products as he offered me bacon then sausages also marshmallows to toast at the fire biscuits etc. this was to become a theme, but this night I was sorted and he done me well with some vegetables roasted on skewers over the BBQ on pitta breads with my vegan sausages braw, the town was like a ghost town hardly a noise or a light as I walked back to the grand at midnight, The end of perhaps one of the most memorable days of my life, leaving work with all those warm goodbyes, visiting skerries, the ferry journey in the sun, then garden beers retirement was going well – and aboot to get better