Sumburgh Head and puffins every where you looked.

June 27th

We awoke to rain. MB had been buffeted all night and something kept rattling on the roof. Ian thinks it was the satellite dish so from now on, whether we watch TV or not, the dish will be raised.

What to do today? The forecast for this morning was more rain, and without a coat to keep the wet out, I was sort of restricted to indoor activities. But Ian wanted to go into Lerwick, we needed cash as some motorhome sites won't take cards. Also, an information centre was in the town and this would give us a rough idea of where to go.  Of course, no sooner had we parked, (and the only place was high above the harbour), than the heavens opened.

The walk down to the harbour was steep and with all the rain, I did worry about slipping. Also, I was getting wet! That coat of mine was useless. We passed the outdoor clothing shop and suddenly realised they were not closed as stated on the website so I did no more than go in, purchase another waterproof jacket, paid, and said don't bother wrapping it, I would wear it now! 

Lerwick

So everything done that we wanted to do in Lerwick we headed off to Sumburgh head. Not sure why because the rain continued to fall but it seemed a good idea at the time. We started out of Lerwick on the A970. This road is the main road from North to South, the island is not very big! The rain stopped but the cloud cover came down. As thick in places as fog, we crept along and soon gathered a long line of cars  behind MB. We found a layby to allow the cars to pass, noticed it said viewing point and laughed! 

But just as Ian was about to pull back onto the road I spied this. 

 First Curlew seen so far on this trip.

 

 Nearing Sumburgh the airport could be seen, then a real surprise. The main road ran right through the middle of the runway! Flashing lights on either end would warn drivers of incoming or outgoing flights. A whole new meaning to having to wait at level crossing for a train to pass! 

The mist started to lift, we could see Sumburgh Lighthouse and decided to stop. 

OMG was I glad we did because this was also an RSPB area. Sea birds were everywhere but for me only one bird mattered, the Puffin. They were everywhere. No matter where you looked on grassy slopes of rocky outcrops, the endearing little birds gave us a great display. Loads of photos were taken, not so many of the lighthouse, and when the sun put in an appearance, our day was made. 

This was my favourite

So after three glorious hours, it was off to where we would stop overnight. Sumburgh Hotel has 5 spaces with electricity for motorhomes. At £10 this was a bargain and a water tap was nearby. The only downside to where we parked was no internet and no satellite. Still, we found a few channels on ordinary TV so that will do for tonight.

I'm hoping this won't be the only Orca we see! Sightings are frequent around the Isles

Lighthouse and fog horn