Scotland 2015: Day 12

Time to ferry from Orkney to Shetland. This boat is huge. All of the cars and trucks pull into the lower level and then you spend the rest of your time on the other parts of the boat. You have to remember to grab what you need because you can’t go back down there!

 

I pray this means what it says! I love pigeons.  Wherever I go on the world. There they are!

 

The ferry ride from Orkney to Shetland is almost 8 hours long! I reserved a “sleeping pod”.

 

Or I can hang out in the “cinema”.

 

That’s the North Atlantic!

 

You can’t get this preshredded at home!

 

Landed safe it Shetland. Let’s get started! I love self service castles, it is kind of like those honesty shops.

 

Even when I am way too early! I only have the one day so I better make the most of it! My boat leaves for Aberdeen tonight!

 

I did get in to see the castle though! Castle #31 – Scalloway Castle.

 

Those are ponies. I am in Shetland. OMG – those are Shetland Ponies!!!

 

I came to see the Broch of Mousa.  It is an Iron Age fortress on the Island of Mousa. What you can barely see in the picture is the ruin of the historic Knowe House. Which of course still counts! Historic #7.  I’ve been running from ferry to ferry to get to Shetland just to see this iron age fortress. This is not it.  It is however located on that island. The boat leaves from Shetland to Mousa at 10am.

 

However, the island doesn’t have a dock and when the seas are rough they cancel the boat. Today it is pouring rain with rough seas. They cancelled the boat! I couldn’t even see it from the main island. My first official “miss” for the trip. I failed. It’s over. This one won’t even show up on my final list! Roll me up and send me home. This was always the risk. Actually there are always risks of time weather access and construction.  But I really did just take a boat into the North Atlantic to see this and it’s closed due to the rain. I was kinda bummed. That little kid bummed where you think if you wish long enough the sun will shine and boats will magically appear just for you. 

 

So I was staring wistfully at the sign at the side of the boathouse for a while when I met this family – who seemed very ‘meh’ about the boat getting cancelled. The father suggested that we all go to Scatness instead because they have a nice site. So unroll me and start me on a new path!

 

They discovered the site when expanding the airport in 1975. They were digging for an access road and started finding a stone wall and went – wait – and uncovered an entire village with tower. Best part is that the road goes through the runway! When planes take off or land you have to wait at a red light before you can cross. The islands here aren’t all connected by roads and some of the flights are only 10 to 15 minutes.

 

 

Further down the road another site. A fortified medieval farmhouse – Castle #33 – Jarlshof, Sumburgh.

 

So many things to see here at Jarlshof – Viking – Medieval – Prehistoric – These are great examples of Pictish Wheelhouses – Historic #8

 

Went off to look for puffins – instead I found more insane wind and rain!! Nature #9 Sumburgh Head.

 

And right as I was heading to the ferry I found a Fortress! Castle #34 – Fort Charlotte, Shetland. It really was a good day after all!

Summary of my day. Pouring rain – harsh mean rain – in the 40s – and the boat to the fortress I wanted to see was cancelled due to the rough weather. Almost no Internet & difficult shooting in the rain. Heading back to the mainland! Just a 14 hour boat ride to Aberdeen. Aberdeen, here I come!

 

Days: 12

Prints: 4

Castles: 34

Churches: 9

Historic: 8

Nature: 9

Prehistoric: 8

 

Map Day 12: Shetland to Shetland (to Aberdeen)