St. Ninians

St. Ninians Isle

On the southern end of the Shetland mainland is the tombolo of St. Ninian's Isle. A tombolo has beach on two sides. We got there on one of the warmest days of Shetland's summer. It was gorgeous. We walked down to the beach - and then I went swimming in the Atlantic! And yes - it was cold. 

Sumburgh Head

The most southern tip of the "mainland" of Shetland is called Sumburgh. It's a high point, so of course there's a lighthouse. And near the high point is a very flat area, which is used for both the airport and 

Lerwick

 The next morning we woke up to Shetland! An international flight, another flight, a long wait, then an overnight ferry and we made it. 

We walked the 1/2 mile to our Airbnb, and Sarah met us to show us the little house we'd be staying in - she lives next door. Most guests come on the ferry, so she arranges her rentals to start first thing in the morning. We were very grateful! We settled in and gratefully took a rest. 

Shetland!

COVID-19 has been challenging in many ways, and one of the hardest for me are the travel restrictions. We were supposed to take an Alaska cruise in the summer of 2020. The cruise eventually got fully cancelled and our money refunded so we could just accept that it wasn't happening and move on. 

But by the summer of 2021, I was really ready to resume travel. I worked crazy hours for over a year - I needed a break. 

My lifeline during the long summer of 2020 was the shetlandwebcams . I loved peering into the chilly, grey, wet days in Shetland during the long hot summer. With travel restrictions in place, I loved seeing residents walk dogs and babies and themselves along the waterfront and visit Sumburgh, the puffins, and Escheness. I was glad they got the space to enjoy their own island. 

Here are some of the screenshots I took that first summer:

And ... I wanted to visit. To see the views behind the cameras - and to see and feel Shetland for real. 

So I planned a trip for summer 2021. Surely that was long enough! We were vaccinated - we just needed countries to lift the quarantine period for visitors. But they delayed and delayed, and I had to cancel. 

So I planned again for 2022. Summer was the most expensive time - but that's what we really wanted - so that's what we scheduled. Wendy, mom and I got tickets for 2 1/2 weeks in Shetland!

Aberdeen

It's not easy to get to Shetland - and there's no fast way to get there. We flew to overnight Amsterdam:

We then took another flight back from Amsterdam to Aberdeen:

On that flight - I talked almost the whole time with Jennifer, who I discovered was from Shetland! We had lots to talk about. But in Aberdeen, we parted ways - she took the plane to Shetland. 

We took a taxi from the airport to the ferry. Here's our first view of the NorthLink ferry: 

We were absolutely knackered from overnight flights and no sleep, but it was only 11 am. So we checked our luggage at the ferry terminal, and walked into town. The NorthLink staff directed us to the Maritime museum. I parked Wendy and mom at a table in their cafe, and walked over to the Iceland store for snacks for the boat. On our way back, we walked down SHIPROW, decorated with the Umbrella Project, highlighting neurodiversity in the UK.  

At 3 pm, we were allowed to board. I think we were first in line! We were given little paper keycards to our two outer cabins. Those beds felt SO good! 

We took a quick rest, then explored the ship - and the other boats we could see in the Aberdeen harbor. I'd seen the Jura (and her sister ship the Hirta) on the webcams in Shetland - they're Marine Protection Vessels. Whatever that means. 

I'd also see the VOS Faithful, a supply ship.

A nap later, and it was still light out when the Hrossey turned around and eased out of the Aberdeen harbor. It's a long way to the shore, and all of the passenger areas are on the back of the ship - so we watched the Aberdeen harbor recede behind us. 

Orkney

The Hrossey stopped in Kirkwall at 11:30 pm. I woke up and wandered out to see the ship dock and unload some passengers. Look at that sky - that is NOT dark!