Day 5: July 3rd ~ I go walking on Hermaness on Shetland & contemplate Swim 3
We had a relatively short overnight sail to the top of Shetland, Hermaness, which is the northernmost of the 2 peninsulas in the north of Shetland, & ~ according to a leaflet I picked up, means Herma's headland.
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| Hermaness, Muckle Flugga & Out Stack |
Some of us opted for a walk, & some opted for a zodiac cruise out to Muckle Flugga (great name!).
Muckle Flugga is an island to the north of the Ness where there is a lighthouse.
Legend has it that Herma was a giant who threw rocks at another giant, Saxa, who lived on Saxa Ford across Barra Firth.
They both fell in love with a mermaid, followed her to the north pole, but drowned as neither could swim.
The path of true love etc etc!
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| Not a clue what this is! |
Turning our tags & piling into the zodiacs, those of us on the walk were all transported down Burra Firth.
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| There were a lot of sea caves in the Firth |
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We were to get a closer look at them
later in the day |
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| The white building is the visitor centre |
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| David looking pensive |
I had put on a bikini, but it was pretty dull when we disembarked at the visitor centre & began our walk to the headland.
I had to turn back to the visitor centre, tho., as the walk would be about 3 hours & my bladder doesn't last that long!
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| A glimpse of Barra Firth from the footpath |
Everyone else - including the kayakers, had walked on, so I got a peaceful 1st look at Hermaness.
Heidi had warned us about the Bonxies: AKA Arctic Skuas, so I kept my eye out. They will dive bomb you if you get too close to their nests, & it was nesting season.
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| Skua on the skyline |
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| I think this is an orchid |
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| & this. They're very pretty |
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Believe or not, this is moss
Great colours |
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| Mum & Dad bonxie on the lookout |
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A Bonxie being Bolshie
Aren't they stunning birds? |
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| I didn't want a hole in the head from that beak! |
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| ~ so these Bonxie pics were taken with a fair bit of zoom |
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| It's possible the one on the left was sitting on the eggs? |
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| They are big birds. > a foot long & with hooked beaks |
I'd jogged a bit to catch up, & did so to a group looking at the flora with Heidi.
After about 40 minutes walking, we all congregated on the cliff top & Carol told us stories.
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A close-up of the rock formation in front of
the lady in blue with the camera in the pic above |
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| Carol mid-flow |
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| Question time |
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The Desolation of Shetland
~ with apologies to PJ! |
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| The cliff top view |
After a bit, everyone went over to the cliffs towards the west where the gannet colony was, but I took a few pics of our surroundings 1st.
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| Lamb & ewe admiring the view? |
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The white blobs are flying gannets
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The colony was awesome, as were the diving gannets.
I regretted not having a camera & the skill to take photos of them in the air & on their way seawards, but got some decent ones of them on their ledges.
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| Roosting gannets |
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| These gannets have lovely yellow caps |
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| ~ the yellow is just visible on this pic |
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This is the same gannets from the other side of
their ledge. Note the yellow on the L-hand one |
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In order to withstand repeated dives into water at
>50mph, a gannet's skull is strengthened &
its whole skeleton is amazingly adapted.
I love them |
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| I waited a while to get the wave on that rock |
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| Ditto to get a bird in shot! |
The twitchers & people with the special cameras eventually had anough photos of gannets, & I figured I has as well, so we all turned back south down the Ness.
I hung back a bit & went to find a secluded bit of cliff for another Rule 10!
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| A view from my loo ;-p |
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| Another sheer loo-view |
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| I spent ages photographing after my Rule 10 stop |
I had a great view, so stayed awhile in an attempt to get some decent pics.
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By the time I stood up after this pic,
there was no-one in sight! |
To save time I cut across some marshy ground to get back to the boardwalk & had a close encounter!
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| I'd set off across country to catch up |
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| And nearly stood on these skua chicks |
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It was pretty boggy underfoot, but I guess
she'd found a dry spot for her nest (or his??) |
I caught up with some of the peeps at the back, but they were walking too slowly, so I kept running & eventually passed everyone else before coming across a cute lamb pathside.
It was all alone, so I don't know where Mum was?
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| A lovely bank of white flowers |
Back at the bottom I went looking for a place to swim, despite it being a rather dull day. Unfortunately the tide had gone out & the only way down was over slippery rocks & seaweed.
I was just contemplating going in off the jetty when the zodiacs came in sight.
Once everyone had returned from the walk, had looked at the visitor centre, & been to the loo, we got into the zodiacs for a cruise along the Firth back to the PP.
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| Fulmars (I think) in their nest high up the cliff |
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| Cormorants |
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It looks like silhouettes, but it
was just a grey day |
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| A bonxie tucks into some 'road-kill' |
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| We were under scrutiny by a seal |
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| Lots of waterfalls fell to the sea |
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Had it been nicer weather, I'd've asked if
we could go ashore so I could have
Swim 3 off this little beach - - - |
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| But it was a bit chilly, even for me! |
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| My notes don't say what everyone was looking up at |
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| Lunch time |
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| Everyone said Cheese for this one |
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| Stephen helped us all back on board for lunch |
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| Looking south down the Firth |
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| I'd been up on those cliffs |
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| Anchor aweigh! |
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| Coiling a length of rope |
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| The crew at work as we set sail for Norway |
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Out Stack just port of the mast, &
Muckle Flugga on the left |
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| Muckle Flugga |
Andy went on the Muckle Flugger zodiac trip, & said it had been a great - if a bit wet!
Here's what Wiki says about Muckle Flugga:
Muckle Flugga is a small rocky island north of Unst in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is often described as the northernmost point of the British Isles,[1] but the smaller islet of Out Stack is actually farther north. It used to be the northernmost inhabited island, but forfeited that accolade when the lighthouse was automated and the last residents moved out. The name comes from Old Norse, Mikla Flugey, meaning "large steep-sided island". It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[2] According to local folklore, Muckle Flugga and nearby Out Stack were formed when two giants, Herma and Saxa, fell in love with the same mermaid. They fought over her by throwing large rocks at each other, one of which became Muckle Flugga. To get rid of them, the mermaid offered to marry whichever one would follow her to the North Pole. They both followed her and drowned, as neither could swim. Muckle Flugga Lighthouse is located on the island.
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Not having a special camera for wild-life ~ like many of
my fellow passengers, I was a while on deck before
I managed to get an airborne bird in the viewfinder! |
After lunch we had a presentation about the Prehistory of the North with Carol, & another about Arctic Waterbirds with Heidi.
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| The island of Unst & Muckle Flugga to stern |
In the gaps between lunch, Carol & Heidi's presentations, & a get-together in the bar at 1830, I kept popping up on deck & elsewhere taking photos.
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| The Captain sets a course for Norway |
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| ~ while someone else writes the log |
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| Tonight's starter |
After dinner we all ended up in the bar discussing the day's trips, & it was a lovely convivial end to a great day.
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I included the 2 bent spoons mentioned in the previous
blog, so I hope the Purser doesn't read it! ! ! ! ;-p |
We were to have a day at sea as we crossed to Norway, & we were asked to make sure our portholes were closed to keep the sea out of our cabins, but as you know, I'd done a Uri Geller to get mine open!
Day 6: July 6th ~ Crossing the North Sea, ever northwards
Despite no trips ashore, breakfast was still at 0800, & afterwards I started to read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. This is a precis of what it was about:
Harold Fry is a recently-retired office worker. He lives quietly with his wife Maureen in the South Hams of Devon. One morning he receives a letter from Queenie, a colleague he hasn’t seen or heard from for years. She explains she is writing to say goodbye: she is dying. Her address is that of a hospice run by nuns at the other end of the country, in Berwick. Harold is seized by the belief that if he walks from Kingsbridge to Berwick – nearly 600 miles – he will save Queenie, in an almost mystical deal with fate. But he has to walk all the way - no trains, planes, or automobiles – and he must start at once; there is no time to lose. So he steps out of his suburban house in his jacket and tie, leaving his astonished wife behind him. He has no map, or phone, or compass, or waterproof, still less walking boots (he is wearing impractical yachting shoes). As Harold makes his painfully slow progress north, his dead marriage and a broken relationship with their only child slip further and further behind him – and yet, simultaneously, into increasing clarity and focus.
I thought it was a lovely story :-)
During the morning, Carol gave a lecture on Norse mythology. I have a memory of the slide showing Yggdrasil, the mythical tree connecting the nine worlds of Norse mythology. I don't remember much else, though! My notes say I slept through most of it ~ oops! ;-p
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Our Norse Mythology lecture by Carol.
At least I was awake at that moment ;-p |
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| Carol on Norse Myths |
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After lunch there was a presentation by Heidi
about sea mammals, but this was a duck ~ eh?
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In between whiles I kept popping up on deck for some fresh air, but it was fairly chilly, especially up top.
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Most people were reading, puzzling &
quietly chatting, so after my stint on the,
windy deck, I came in here for a warm
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I'd finished the Harold book by dinner time & went onto one about Sharpe's Rifles: with an image of Sean Bean in my head, of course ;-)
I was enjoying it, so chose not to go & watch the film at 2045, & continued to read in bed, finally finishing it at 0120.
At that point the sun had not quite set, so I nipped out on deck for a quick pic.
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| Almost a midnight sun |
OAO
