We walked how far?

 July 2nd

Yippee...the sun was out, it felt much warmer, and finally some decent weather. Today we set ourselves a challenge. Walk to the Gannet colony at Saito. It meant a 4.5-mile round trip through the Hermaness National Nature Reserve.

Loads of painkillers were taken by us both, backpack packed with waterproofs and water bottles and by 10 am we set off.

The trail was varied with firm gravel, boardwalk and grassy sections. We had to trek up two steep slopes and one flight of steps but generally, the going was good. We stopped several times to admire the views and when an angry Dunlin decided we had got too near to it's nest and kept up an alarm call, I must have taken a zillion of photos. (Just the two you'll be pleased to see)

A  junction had us wondering which way should we choose. Left to the Gannets or right to Muckle Flugga, the most Northern lighthouse in the UK. As far as distance was concerned, no difference so Gannets it was.

Finally we made it to the cliffs. The view was amazing, which got even better with a walk up toward Neap. You could even see Muckle Flugga. (lighthouse)

Skua

The last section toward Saito was very windy and extremely smelly. It didn't take rocket science to show how near to the Gannets we were. Ian nearly lost his woolly hat so strong was the gusts. The Gannets were everywhere but Great Skua, Fulmars, and the occasional Puffin were also seen flying around the cliff edge

The walk back didn't take as long but we were both thankful for the sticks. Going down had always been problematic for us. We came across two Great Skua's, they appeared to have a nest in the moorland grass and ever aware that being dive-bombed by these birds could hurt, we kept well away.

Skua

Back at MB, Ian did a time check. To do the 4 miles took 2 hours 15 minutes and to say we were euphoric that we had achieved this long walk was an understatement. Neither of us had walked more than a couple of miles in ages, it has made us even more determined to continue in the same vain.

After a well-earned coffee, we headed for the Viking Longboat and house. Having passed it in the pouring rain yesterday and refusing to get out and be drenched, it was great to see them both in the dry.

A little further along the road was Bobby's Bus Shelter. This from Shetland Island of opprtunity

The Bus Shelter which has now become a focal point for locals and visitors alike, sporting a different and imaginative theme every year, was created by local boy Bobby McCauley when he was at school on the island. Bobby, who lived nearby, growing tired of the often long, cold and wet waits in the morning took matters into his own hands and wrote a letter to the local newspaper requesting a new shelter for him to wait in.

The shelter was duly built and, soon after, a sofa appeared… and a table… a microwave… and a carpet. Before long, the humble bus shelter was a warm and welcoming place with its very own visitors' book for those seeking refuge and a place to rest

Our last destination before getting the ferry back to Yell was Muness Castle. We passed this stone on the way, completely out of place in this landscape. Must be a reason for it being there.

The castle was brilliant. Very dark inside and on leaving noticed a cupboard by the information board with torches for public use. Shame we hadn't seen them until we got out. Still, being as dark as it was inside, helped with the atmosphere. 

We left for the ferry. On arrival, gosh, what a queue for Yell. We joined lane one, those without a booking, and prepared to wait. And wait we did. Two ferries came and went before we finally got on the third. We decided to spend the night on Yell and found this wonderful small car park next to a beach at West Sandwick. Tomorrow we leave for Shetland again, we have another week on the island and in truth, are wondering what else there is to see. I know we want to go back to Sumburgh Head and there is a wildlife boat trip on the Noss Boat that we are considering. That is to be decided as the weather (surprise, surprise) is set to turn wet again!