Lerwick; Saturday, 06 August, 2005

After a stunning breakfast (scrambled egg should be cooked fresh, not reheated at 33,000 feet!) I wandered down to the bus station to catch the bus to Scalloway. Up until the middle of the 19th Century this was still the capital of Shetland, but with the port at Lerwick becoming far more important the title eventually switched to leave Scalloway as an important, though sleepy town.

The most impressive sight in the area (after the generally stunning scenery) is the castle. Vacant for more than 300 years it is still in relatively good shape (the roof may have disappeared, but you can see what is supposed to have looked like when it was inhabited). You can wander around the castle grounds without a problem, but to access the castle you have to try the door. If it's locked (as it was) it's a short walk back to the Scalloway hotel to pick up the key to let yourself in! Inside there is a display on the history of the castle, and its commissioner Earl Patrick Stewart (eventually beheaded in Edinburgh for his tyrannical treatment of his tenants and residents of the Orkney and Shetland Islands). The most bizarre display, though, is on the back of the door informing you what to do if you get locked in (Better hope you have a mobile, as the walls are very thick and I don't know how loud you would have to yell to be heard!!)

I spent a little more time wandering through the town, unfortunately the museum was shut for lunch, and with the first of the day’s downpours preparing itself I decided to head back to the bus shelter and wait for the bus back into Lerwick.

After booking myself onto a sightseeing tour for the following day I headed over to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry over to the neighbouring island of Bressay. The ferry only takes about 5 minutes to do the crossing. If Lerwick was quiet then Bressay is positively asleep. This is a beautiful island with lots of gradual sloped hills rather than steep climbs. I had a wander over the northern part of the island before taking the road that runs across the middle(ish) of the island to its Eastern coast. From here a small boat takes you across the narrow channel to the smaller island of Noss.

Today Noss is a national nature reserve as it is a nesting ground for thousands of sea birds including puffins. The walk to the nesting grounds takes you around the top of the cliffs. Unfortunately, the weather conspired against me and, only about half way round, I decided to turn back as the grassy slopes were becoming very slippery and the driving rain was making it difficult to see. By the time I got back to the boat (almost completely waterlogged) the sun had decided it was time to come out to play.

I walked back across the Island to the ferry terminal and caught the ferry back to Lerwick. After changing into some drier clothing I headed back out for a well deserved bite to eat.