yell tae rah moon

A breakfast all made for me, well eggs tomato and mushroom with toast and a cafetiere of coffee set me up fair braw, I was off for nine am I had a look at my OS Landranger map? if I done what was at the south end of yell I could then have totally completed, a MAP ! the Landranger scaled maps cover the whole of the uk- OS Landranger maps at 1:50 000 scale show all the main landscape features - roads, settlements, terrain and points of interest. This covers the whole of Great Britain in a 204-map set, which includes the British Mainland, Scottish Islands and Isle of Man, maps numbered 1 2 3&4 (they are numbered from the north) is the Shetland isles, if I manage to do the southern trig points on yell? then I would have completed map number 3 the biggest of these four maps!

The weather was a wee bit windy cold and lots of snow and ice, the first trig was easily found straight up a steep hill and straight back down, next on my agenda was something a wee bit different that I technically didn’t have to do, right down near the mainland ferry terminal is a trig point style called a curry stool, these are not marked on the OS maps they are extremely rare and not being a pillar type, I could technically get away with not doing it? I wanted to see it and set off, because these curry stools are flat concrete plinth’s you cannot see them on your horizon as you approach the area, I just headed for the high ground and had a rake around! There was snow on the ground. I found a wee bolt and thought is that it? A bit disappointing,

I had seen pictures of substantial concrete star like structures, I took a photo anyway but thought I had best have a look at the potentially slightly higher ground a distance to the left, sure enough there it was I cleared the snow and had a sit down on ma curry stool! (sounds a bit gnarf gnarf)

I was glad to have seen it and glad I could make a mark on that map to say I had been there, as an added bonus on the way back to the car I went along the shore there was a pebble causeway between the sea and a tiny lochan, I was walking on it and an otter ran across the frozen fresh water lochan over the pebble causeway in front of me and dived into the sea,

Next trig was a cliff top scenic walk with nice views of about as rugged a coastline as you can get, then it was time for the otterwick trig point this was the biggest bit of work of the day, the conditions were really bad for this attempt as the snow and ice covering the approach towards the hill ridge was like an alpine crevasse scene I had to weave round over up and down high ground and make sure of every footstep avoid snow drifts and trust nothing that didn’t have vegetation poking through the snow, I cant describe it any other way than SHIT one day I will look at my route on my GPS to see how much weaving I actually done it must look like mr messy out the mr men on my route profile that day! Its stressful and frustrating also stopping every couple of meters thinking right which way now? Eventually I got up onto the ridge and made my way to the trig point, then had the same shitty journey back on a different zig zag this time or was it a zag zig this time?

Next was the wee easy hitter behind Duncan T`s favourite shop, hill of queyon at south aywick a real easy hitter, when I got to this trig point I was grinning ear to ear fair chuffed with myself I spoke to the trig, yes I am now starting to speak to myself and inanimate objects its perfectly normal for loners to do this, I was on the island of yell and about to set the camera timer for the photo of me on the trig that I am now in a habit of doing, I decided I should give a yell not a peerie wee yell not a mid yell but a muckle shouting at the moon yell for my achievement! As the photo timer counted down and I jumped up on to the trig, I yelled at the top of my voice yah feckin dancer, nobody would have heard it though as the wind was about thirty mile an hour and I was on a hill top WoooooHooo, Dunc had text me asking how I had got on? I told him I was at otterwick he said visit Marys shop so I did, what an absolute gem of a community shop it has got everything Marys daughter made me a takeaway coffee, while I looked at the stuff there was even a decent book selection! I bought my favourite chocolate (Bournville old Jamaica) a take away coffee two bottles of beer and three postcards all very reasonably priced with some good banter with the shop staff, you don’t get that at Aldi!

What an absolutely quality day I had done four trig points and a curry stool, but much more importantly I had now wiped-out OS map number three, I had a count later on this was thirty trig points scattered over mostly the mainland but also papa stour and these yell ones

Back to the b&b for dinner rob had a beer out ready for me, the thing about B&Bs is the personal touch you become a part of their extended family for a few days, air B&B site is bad for places like this bad for communities also I read an article about a young couple from the western isles that couldn’t find a home to buy because rich southern people had bought all the property up and were doing air b&b holiday lets while the local folk couldn’t find homes? I don’t think that’s happening here as there seems to be loads of abandoned cottages that could easily be done up as good homes, After dinner I filled out my logs and blogs and folded up that map for the last time (on Shetland anyway) I will send it home and maybe frame it one day,

Aff tae the isles

It was fantastic having a down day in the peerie swabby apartment at decca on the first night the wind and snow howled outside, I was so happy I wasn’t in the back of a van or camped better than that I had a warm wee haim from haim, A kitchen living area and two double rooms, ok some of that was pure overkill for me on my own I just shut the door of the second room when I arrived, I also don’t watch tv so never truly used the living area either, but the kitchen shower room dining table and bedroom were a dreamsville base for the next two nights With the camping gear and bike now set aside at sella and all mainland trigs done, I now had to make a definite plan of where to stay and how to get to trig points? The first thing I dealt with was transport I booked a car hire not a van this time, Friday to Wednesday I had a covid test to do on Tuesday then back to sellaness Thursday with all the mainland trigs done I needed to be on an island now? A few messages wi dunc Thompson I opted for yell, sitting warm and happy in my apartment I booked an airB&B, paid for it, sorted I thought it looked cool a converted barn great price job done for the weekend I thought! At nine PM I got an email from the hosts saying it wasn’t supposed to be on airB&B they were cancelling my booking, late at night I made a reservation on another airB&B place, this one never took immediate payment it said reserved pending owners’ acceptance of booking, obviously by then it would be morning before they got back to me, morning I was hoping to depart for yell, oh well off to sleep I would deal with it in the morning Decca apartments have loads of new cleaning instructions in place for the new norm they are well ahead of the game for these new procedures, before leaving in the morning there was loads of stuff, I had to do so they could come in and sterilize the place for the next guests they were super-efficient about it all, but these wee added chores meant I spent the morning up until ten getting things just right for departure not organizing yell stuff, Eventually I was all packed two carry packs one wee one at my front the big one on my back and a pannier to carry for my snowy march into lerwick to pick up the hire car, I joked with the reception girl, I hope it’s not a wee pink thing, naw she said its green, but it wasn’t just green it was GREEN bloody hell this wee thing was loud! I have spent more on hire vehicles this four weeks than its cost me for some of my cars! A great example is the Mitsubishi coupe I bought for £550 that me and cammy drove to Bulgaria in (see my Bulgaria by road blog) not only was that cheaper than my hire fares, I sold it in Bulgaria for not far off what I bought it for and flew home, of course it’s a different world now and my plan has changed far too quickly too often for me to sort out something like that, who could have predicted this weather? Or how long it would be here for? It is what it is! The wee green car will be fine lol

Sitting in the co`op car park surrounded by snow and ice with nowhere to stay that night now having had a second airb&b rejection! the second one was cool though they had no oil for their heating and the road to the cottage was a sheet of ice that the oil lorry couldn’t get up also the heating hasn’t been on for a long time it would never be ready for my arrival. I resorted to phoning places of which there is not many on yell, the old post office hotel is totally closed for the pandemic, but then Caching! I found a place phoned the owners up yeh we are taking reservations see you at tea time as we are out now! Excellent I was off to the isles I drove the green machine to the ferry terminal and as I had some time here on my hands, I booked an appointment at the chiropractor in lerwick (more on that later). Once I drove on the ferry, I was on there was no going back the staff know that also, the islanders all have a card they swipe which obviously I have not, but I reckoned I could just use the visa card? but no I had to fill out a form they would send me a bill, no problem I was on yell for the weekend now I was happy, Driving out the ferry it was left or right I hadn’t even checked the map! Which I really should have as unfortunately there was no view, I had to stay in the vehicle and had zero view of crossing the yell sound, instead I was making notes about appointments from messages and emails, worried I should do this while I had signal, no worries though I just drove right, there wasn’t much daylight hours left anyway, I just reckoned there would be no trig points this day anyway,

It was single track road and the other cars of the ferry had their routes sorted I found a passing place pulled in and let them all pass, now I could look at a map, not too far up this road I could go visit the white wife, I wanted to do that! A few years ago, there was a brewery in unst called Valhalla that made many good beers, I used to buy them in the moorfield hotel before the brewery shut and the hotel burned down, one of the beers they sold was called white wife I liked it and had a fair few bottles of it back in the day, I had to visit this memorial

Strangely the signs for this monument were good but the path was not, it’s a totally class monument a ships figurehead with a great tale of struggle and survival I was extremely glad I had made the effort to visit

By the look of the map there was a trig point reasonably close to the B&B? I made a driving error the roads weren’t great due to the snow and ice once of the main roads, eventually I found where I could park up to do it, at a place called west sandwick I could see it from the car it was late but I had my head torch? Hmmm!? Naww? I got lazy and went to the B&B it can wait, the B&B was down a hill but fortunately there was a parking spot at the top of the approach road, the snow and ice down there was far too steep for the green machine especially with no winter tires, I don’t often do B&B`s they are normally a last resort for me as was the case here, my mate brottsy always says yer just staying in someone’s house, which it is of course I’m ok with that the couple that run this one are extremely good people everything worked out just fine for my three nights at their farmhouse B&B, even better you can get your evening meal also added to the deal if you like? She said? Superb said I that is wonderful, but I am really sorry I’m a wee bit weird with my eating habits, I don’t take dairy and I don’t eat mammals, the look on her face said what does that even mean? I explained I’m not vegan but close, I will eat eggs chicken and fish, argh that’s no bother she said do you want chicken broth followed by a salad for dinner perfect says I, fish the next night then Sunday roast was chicken all good, I know its hard for folk who are accustomed to meat and two veg dinners to understand veganism and its close associates! It would have been easy had I said I was vegetarian

scalla field A landmark! for us both?

waking cold in the van about the only time in my life i actually wanted the alarm to go off,Scalla field a landmark I would say I awoke with a really cold face not truly warm anywhere but still reluctant to unravel myself from my slug like cocoon of inadequate sleeping gear, but I won’t grumble (much)what I would say is as I lay there thinking about homeless people and low paid immigrants wondering how they survived or didn’t in these conditions, yes I was cold but I was still snatching sleep and could keep warm enough for survival, the two Jamie’s Scottish climbers stuck on an alpine peak would be envious of my shelter, so would the poor immigrant girl who died in the back of an arctic trailer trying to come to Britain for a better life, I was choosing these circumstances finding my feet and testing equipment for future ventures, the equipment was lacking but I now have the knowledge to fix that a solution can be found, a ship is safe in a harbour but it was built for the sea!(you like that? I was in a harbour looking at the wee boats) It was so bloody cauld I was awake before my alarm set for seven and actually for perhaps the first time in my life wanting the alarm to go off ,so I no longer had an excuse to lie there curled up in a ball not wanting to blow up the thermarest or discard a layer, how do the homeless folk survive at times like this? I had read that the Glasgow George square soup kitchen had a que of two hundred people this same week! how is that possible these days? Queuing in the snow in minus whatever degrees and snow falling with no home to go to! Sad That’s the downside sorted the upside was I was mega close to the big city lights of lerwick, I chose to drive into the harbour car park again, this time I would use the beautiful opened public loos and get a take away coffee from the shop with muesli and oat milk out my stocks while watching harbour traffic #brawtimes ! I’m a lucky guy

After a super cold night, it was a very sunny morning, I had discarded my bedding in haste to get in for coffee and the loos, and now fed watered and happy with a bright sun and a warm cab, it was time to head off for hopefully potentially my last mainland trig point! Scalla field! Having Completed the northerly mainland trig points and the southerly ones, also as the young team would say while doing some fancy finger work westside! Lol, this left only one mainland trig point called Scalla field to do on the mainland, this if you have been following the blog is the one on the wind farm construction site, the previous jobs worth security bloke basically saying to me your not welcome in these parts, it was important for me to do this I could see from the new construction and my os map that the landscape to this trig and surrounding ground had changed dramatically, legally speaking they cant stop me walking over open fields there is no trespass law in scotland, I could have driven up a farm road as far as it went(it was icy) then hit the steep open ground, this would have been my only option only months previous anyway, BUT I could clearly see this new construction road heading to my objected peak! If allowed to walk this road it’s the difference between an easy day or hard day? I parked up next to the security container/shed the man was oot approaching me as I parked a different man but not shy he was in your face type security, hello what you up to? Give me a second buddy, I says as I grabbed my map and jumped out the van, explaining my objectives in a pleasant manner as always, Night and Day from the previous jobs worth- nae bother pal if you could just park your van a bit more over here I have some 60 tonners arriving that need to turn and reverse here, I will sign you into the visitors book .make sure the vehicle drivers see you as you approach fill your boots!! Braw

I marched up this I would say construction road but in actual fact right now it’s a destruction road, brilliant for me for my objectives this day, the sun was out I had to take of clothing layers and my gloves, my right glove I never closed the pocket zipper I lost it on the way up gutted! And angry at myself I consistently say to myself stuff in pockets zip closed, I knew what I had done and fortunately got it on the way back down, had this been open hillside it was gone forever!

The digging and drilling work that was going on at the top was impressive, a bit like the construction of the gas plant when people want to make money its amazing what they can achieve, I was there to tick my box I will try not to enter the rights and wrongs as I was using a lovely (for me) road the construction/destruction work was taking place right at the summit, I went up to the trig and took my photos. What a vista I got braw, i had to get the gopro out and filmed it also. thinking that my photos and filming may be the last footage ever of this skyline! two or three months from now it will be a sea of windmills I marched back down in glorious sunshine picking up my fallen glove happy as Larry, that was it that was the last of the mainland trig points, I only had islands to do now! Awesome, I was chuffed the sun was out life was good, and only one hour twenty to do that peak thank you mr road, where and what now?

There was a down side to the sun being out? In my haste for coffee and the loo in the cold dark morning, I had shoved my sleeping stuff aside, normally I hung them places to air safely! but i had drove off without thinking. once of the hill I wanted to get something out the back of the van, FFS the sun had defrosted the van roof! my sleeping back and silk liner were wet! I knew these wouldn’t be proper dry by the end of the day a fourth night in the van but this time with wet stuff! Oh no. I had a shiny plastic get out of jail card in my wallet for occasions like this! The camping baw was officially burst nae mair!

I text Steve at Decca apartments to see if he had availability? he did but at a different apartment called the peerie swabby(they are all Shetland names for well known birds) but only for two nights I took these and went to the web site and booked, I couldn’t work out how to apply my previous Tennent 10% discount but Steve sorted that for me later awesome, With it sorted in my head that the cycling and camping was a failure now! I decided to drop the bike and camping gear at sellaness accomodation block where i have a bike locker, the daunder will be resurrected after my three weeks dayshift, it was glorious sunshine on the drive I was happy a choice had been made and an objective had been achieved, the next weeks plan was forming, I deserved a break! I was still worried about some of the camping stuff getting mildew its only going to be stored damp for one week in winter? and a frozen one at that! hopefully all will be ok, the sellaness staff were super helpful, I organized all my stuff to stay or go, i was lookin forward then with my now only three bags to staying in a double apartment all to myself for two nights, Decca appartments call themself a haim fi haim and they certainly are

I met Decca Steve at the apartments he was working out where I could park the big van while I was trying to tell him I would be dropping my bags going to the shop for beer dropping of the beer then dropping of the van at the hire shop, to walk back up stress free, a guid days work done celebratory beers were drank i had accomplished a big step of the mission all mainland trig points done, the snow was falling fast outside on a windy night, while i sat in warm luxury

blowin a hooly

 shetland in windy day shocker! 

       In the seven and a half years i have worked on Shetland I have witnessed some awesome winds, I remember during the commissioning stage the site shut for 80MPH winds me and gary park went out jaicket kite`ing up the hills round Mavis, it was a class way to spend the afternoon. Getting blown up hill with our jackets open, poking our heads above a cairn to be battered by the tremendous power of the wind, we had to shout at each other to be heard and turn away from the wind to breath, but i am not so sure the company would have seen it as such a great idea

             

gary oot at Mavis in the breeze!

    .To give folks an idea of how severe the weather really can be in Bonnie Shetland, I will go back to the so called "Hogmanay Hurricane" of 31st Dec 1991-1st Jan 1992. It’s not unusual for Shetland to get gales at the festive time of year. On average, January is Shetlands windiest month with an average of 8 days with gale force winds. The storm which walloped Shetland that particular New Year was rather exceptional however! On that Hogmanay night Dec91 – 1 Jan 92 Shetland experienced the worst storm in living memory with wind speeds of up to 197mph recorded. It is probable that the wind was even stronger in some places where there was no anemometer to register the force of the gales.  The storm had serious consequences across Shetland with widespread structural damage and two deaths. Two bird watchers in a hut at the bird sanctuary at Hermaness in Unst were blown over the cliff! My work colleague Duncan Thompson remembers it well he was heading out first footing (a great Scottish tradition now sadly dying off) the wind caught his jacket totally ripping off his zipper which then whipped open catapulting his first footing new years bottle to be smashed on the ground, a bad start to 92 for him but not a game ender he went back and binned that jacket and got a fresh bottle, Nae wee bit wind wiz gonna pit a stoap tae his perty , he still says sadly it was a cream of the barley!

Before going to work on Shetland I was warned by Bates`y to watch out for Shetland door! What’s that I asked honestly? He told me all the cars doors have a big crease on the sides due to folk parking with their car back against the wind as soon as they open the door the wind whisks the door out their hands and flies into the side panel making a big crease in the car door, sure nough every hire car or van has a warning sticker in it beware shetland is windy you are responsible! while I have had difficulty myself with doors, ive never caused a crease but i do know some who have, one big chap had said he tried his bloody best to hold the door back but naw the wind won, works vans etc generally now have an extra strap attached to the doors to stop them going that far round I know of at least two incidents of that happening to people, and this day in my wee hire car in high wind. (not the companys car) i was very careful to park the car where i opened the door into the wind so that it would blow it shut not open, only 45Mph winds today arcording to the forcast! but strong enough to make me double check wind direction before opening the door

the faithers up north

The first trig I wanted to do on this day was a fair undrivable distance from Johnny notions Bod. it’s called the faither I love some of the trig point names this is a good name, I would like to go see the faither like the real one it was difficult to get to a bit cold and distant but hopefully a rewarding visit where I shall gain some knowledge from the faither again! somehow, I had a feeling of impending doom and didn’t really want to set off, it was all negativity in ma heid! The Bod is locked up but the outside loos were open - what ma faither woulda called a shunkie, after using the open pleasant for where I was sit down loos at the Bod, it shoulda cheered me up as it woulda been a cold morning for a bare bum outside sit down, I had previously joked in the office that I would be taking tree seeds with me and planting trees next to every sit down outside number two, then that would leave a legacy of my trail around Shetland kenjos shitty tree trail, I’ve had my scoop at the ready but fortunately not required it yet, I’ve adopted the attitude of not waiting to go when I need but going when I find a useable loo, its worked out fine I’m sure your pleased to know

Unhooking the bike from inside the back of the van, then setting off on a snowy icy road wasn’t easy psychologically, it was very cold for me and that was with five upper layers on and two sets of mitts it was proper freezing, this always makes me worried I will work too hard get sweaty then never get dry again, an issue with all outdoors winter activities skiing cycling climbing don’t get sweaty on the uphill then never dry or warm on the downhill, I kept my pace slow hoping this wouldn’t happen, slight map reading error again I headed straight behind a farm building I shoulda veered left at, then headed right thinking I had come to the sea! but I hadn’t I had came to ronas voe which is sea but heads in land, (sometimes your mind tricks you into seeing what it wants you to see!

this cost me a couple of kilometers to my journey, which also made me extremely happy when I eventually found the faither! The wisdom this faither gave me was- I was probably over worrying about the nearby sea cliffs as they truly are dramatic in this area all around the north west, this is what made me go too far to the right

I was back in good enough time to think I could potentially do the last two in the north for me this day, I started driving out straight away deciding on snacks and a cup of coffee out of the corner shop in Hillswick, a cool town with an impressive big hotel and sea cliff circled beach, along the coast, this wasn’t far out my journey, I had a good signal here also so could text some late replies quickly before driving out toward north roe, past Rona’s hill as I had previously done all the other trigs in this area, these last two were not on the mainland map but on the os map for yell and unst,

I mistakenly drove right past the first one, which I was wanting to do first as it was the harder of the two and it was midafternoon, I wasn’t doing the hard one if I felt I would be coming down the steep section with a head torch! But no point in turning back by then, I drove as far north as you possible can by road (on the Shetland mainland) and parked up, this was easy to find its actually a sort of land rover track most of the way which takes you eventually to an area called fethaland, which I really had hoped to visit with its abandoned village, carved messages crazy unique stones, I would have loved to have camped out there for a day or two, not in this weather though with the short days also, the trig was done and a quick photo taken back to van, maybe one day I shall return?

Looking at the sun coming down! the steep slope up to the next trig point on a ridge from the van, I was balancing the risks and timings I had a head torch a good one I knew was charged, I had no ice axe or crampons, there was snow hopefully not too much ice I reckoned it would take me an hour and there was two hours of daylight I went for it! Promising myself that if the light faded before I thought I could get back the steep section then I would turn around, I made good time it was indeed as steep as it looked from the road with one bad section, once on the ridge I made a mental note of where I came up but would most like to just follow my own footsteps,

Once along the ridge I could clearly see the trig it was a vanessa style I done my obligatory photos not wanting to spend a Minuet longer than required which was a shame as the views were stunning, I did follow my own footsteps back, I have friends who have made mistakes with this technique but that usually involves following someone else’s steps, there was defo only one set up there I could even make out my distinct tread and the way the shoe was facing at times, it worked out fine and I was down with plenty time for daylight

I was glad I had done the last of the north ones driving across mavis grind I wondered if it would be for the last time! I was fair chuffed with myself though, it had been a long but productive day with all objectives achieved, it was time for celebration I had conquered the north lol! My yell buddy Dunc would say that’s not the real north! That challenge is approaching my friend the true north awaits? But for this day I felt a guid fish supper at Frankie’s fish and chip shop a place I really like, this would be as good a celebration as I could get due to all pubs being shut. But No yet again Frankie’s was shut I was gutted, what to do? I had food I could park up and cook or I could drive to lerwick harbour where I knew the chippy was open then think of where to sleep and plan the next day, hell yeh lerwick here I come salt vinegar and lashings of broon sauce on that breaded supper please,

I had parked the van way down the bottom of the car park in the harbour as I wanted a beer with my chips as a celebration, I was only sat two minuet’s chips on lap beer cracked when some boy racer parked up facing me two berths away! FFS I was thinking can you no see I want peace there’s plenty space! Five mins later a girl’s car parks up along from him also facing me! Bloody hell thinks I there’s nae privacy in these parts, she got out her car went into his and they drove off! I now don’t think either of them were ever interested in an auld boy enjoying fish and chips with a sneaky beer, I opted to go park up at the lerwick bod down by the marina on reflection this may have been a mistake it was a busy area, the free car park I chose was a sheet of ice I had to watch while walking outside the van, it was late there was no point in moving anywhere or booking something eat sleep and repeat was what I had in mind, the next day should see a major objective achieved hopefully!

north mavine

 

North mavine

To enter north Mavine you must cross Mavis grind which is a narrow isthmus joining the Northmavine peninsula to the rest of Shetland Mainland. It is just 33 metres wide at its narrowest point where it’s said you can throw a stone from the north sea over the causeway to the Atlantic I had tried and failed? while staying at the excellent decca appartments at lerwick the appartments owner steve, said his grandads photo was on the info board dragging a boat across, i know the informationboard photo well its a great photo, i told him about the failed stone throw he said you stand at the centre of the road and throw one stone each way at high tide!ok that would work if it weren’t for this strip of road north mavine would be a big island it is a large area of Shetland and at one time was the more populated area

        

mavine sign in the sun

    When there was less roads and cars boats would get dragged across this isthmus to save a huge row or sail around the northern area of the islands there is now two information boards at Mavis and a big silver lettered sign like a small version of the Hollywood sign to welcome visitors over onto the north The parish of Northmavine has some of the finest views and best hill and coastal walking. Tucked in between the rugged coastline and wild hills are dozens of small crofting settlements, making this one of the most picturesque corners of the islands. Popular sights include Ronas Hill (Shetland's highest summit) and the spectacular cliffs at Eshaness.

Northmavine is home to around 840 residents, mainly living in the communities of Hillswick, Ollaberry, Sullom and North Roe. I couldn’t count how many times I have cycled ran walked drove over Mavis on countless runs cycles and other mini adventures kayaking was a favourite from muckle roe harbour probably the best way to see the islands is from a kayak

This time it’s different I nearly could have missed out this area altogether had I not had the final three trig points yet to do, as most of the others were easy accessed after work leaving me three awkward to get to trig points. 

the scattered islands and bays of Yell Sound and Shetland's largest sea loch, Sullom Voe

• The first bombs to drop in Britain during the Second World War landed in Sullom. The Germans were targeting HMS Cardiff, HMS Coventry and a number of cargo ships berthed at Sullom Voe. The only casualty was a rabbit, which was said to have inspired the popularity of the song 'Run Rabbit Run' during the war.

doing the last mainland easy hitters

Planning-Motivation-worries-choices Waking up at Eshaness lighthouse cold and tired, I couldn’t be bothered with breakfast I just felt time to get going, I organized the back of the van had a look around the icy car park with all my layers on, I had fond memories of walks around here the cliffs and the cannonball I would like to see the huge sea cave one day, but today it was icy and snowy, I was alone it was time to move on perhaps for the last time here?

The original plan that day for here was to drive up to hamnavoe johny notions bod park up get the bike out and cycle a couple of mile then hike to a trig called the faither. I drove to the road turning and thought! No way not in this thing,(the big van with no winter tyres)then later i got pissed off at myself for not driving there the previous day to the bod instead of the lighthouse, I drove down to Hillswick the shop wasn’t open for coffee but I got the loo, decisions decisions? People often ask me on this journey where next? And I can honestly say 80% of the time I don’t know! This day was like that the original plan was fecked, what to do?

OK i decided on the easiest option? I would head back and get the one at vidlin i then knew where it truly should be. Telling myself I knew exactly where it was now. I don’t yet need reading glasses I wear mine for distance but this is an example of what’s coming there is talk at the opticians of bifocals! I now knew exactly where to park and which direction to head easily finding the trig this time,not at the local high points but lower down out near the sea,the job was done in half an hour, still gutted about the wasted time and effort previously, looking for a biro mark! which was all a hard trek for nothing the previous evening also if i had only just parked there for the night i could potentially have had this one done before breakfast, ah well it wouldnt be an adventure if everything went to plan

I bought a coffee at the shop I am truly growing to love these country stores we must do something to preserve them, where I live, we have absolutely nothing like these anymore, I was looking at the stuff and wondering does anyone still buy these things anymore from an actual shop? Every single store throughout my journey has been nothing but pleasant and helpful I like it,

Its short days at this time of year you need to plan everything around daylight hours, I knew I could get another trig point this day by driving further south to an area called nesting, this was much like the previous one a pleasant enough hill trek/hike whatever over undulating frozen peat bog to the trig with decent views, they always have decent views in good weather, and i had been lucky with the weather view wise i had plenty clear skies Once this was done, I decide I must drive north I had to complete the northern mainland the previous nights sleep at Eshaness lighthouse was a mistake! I would go back up north and wipe these north mainland ones out (hopefully?), stop myself whimpering its cold up north like some sooth softie on game of thrones lol