More about Unst

 For an island only 12 miles long, there's a lot to do here. There are beaches. Hikes. Sheep. And closed attractions. Mom and I took the big adventures and the little ones, driving just about every 'road' that we could find to see where it would go. Some adventures that stood out include:

Most Northerly ... in the UK
Unst is the most northerly inhabited island in the UK, lending itself to many more "most northerly". Kirk (which is a church), post office, shop, biking trail, and beach. And finally, we got to be the most northerly people in all of the UK at that moment!

Bobby's bus shelter is often much more decorated than this.

Skaw Beach

To get to the most northerly beach, we had to take a road up and over a hill. No problem - except that they were resurfacing it. By the time we had gotten a miles or two up the steep hill and along the crest and were waiting for the heavy machinery to pause to let us through - I was really regretting attempting this route! But we inched along at 5-10 miles an hour and our little yellow Kia Picanto made it through! At the very end of the road was a little parking area next to a footbridge to the beach, and a beaten track in the grass further north. We gingerly walked from dry spot to dryish spot, finally reaching some very strange ruins from WWII, when the RAF had a surveillance outpost. The Germans had taken Norway, so Britian was a bit worried about their coast. It was a fantastic hike and a beautiful day. 

Hermaness

The Hermaness reserve was one of the big reasons I wanted to visit Unst. In summer it's full of puffins, skua, gannets and more. In winter, it was still dramatic. The trailhead was right across the firth (inlet of water) from our airbnb, but the 3-5 hour hike was too much for mom, so I headed off alone one morning, my backpack packed with all sorts of "in case" supplies. After a Minnesota winter, it was a total delight to stride out up the steep hill, across the boardwalk and then along the steep marshy cliffs. OK - the last bit wasn't so delightful. My sneakers got soaked, and I slipped a couple times and was soaked from the waist down, but the cliffs were stunning, and after a couple hours I finally caught a glimpse of Muckle Flugga lighthouse! The most northerly structure in the UK. And since it has been automated since 1995, I was definitely the most northerly person in the UK at that moment. 

Later I did take mom back on the first part of the hike - she loved it too. 

Museums

There are some lovely museums and attractions on Unst - most of which were closed. Unst Heritage Center. Unst Boat Haven. Victoria's Tea Room. Shetland Reel distillery.  Valhalla Brewery. Saxavord Space Center, which wasn't exactly closed, but doesn't seem to have much of a presence for the public. 

Then back to our incredibly comfy and scenic airbnb. 

Next up: The Big City