Unst

Unst is the most northerly place in Britain and it takes a bit of an effort to get there. Once you have travelled north to Toft in the mainland you have a 20 min ferry trip to Yell, then 25 mins across Yell to pick up another 10min ferry to Unst

The world famous bus shelter at Baltasound is worth a look, the theme changes each year and it has its own website. The theme this year was all about the possible satellite launch site at Saxavord, would be great to have it in Shetland.

                                                   A world war 2 lifeboat at Skaw and the most northerly house in the UK

Looking back to the new RAF radar base at Saxavord, just after this was turned on a Russian jet flew the length of Shetland, just to test out the response

                                    The other Skeggie, we used to go to the one down on the east coast of England

                                                                                           Longboat outside the Viking longhouse

                                                             Viking long hut now completed at Haroldswick

                                     A great welcome, Unst offers something different to the other islands in Shetland

                                                                        Back down in Lerwick for a coffee at Mareel

Fethaland

You can tell we are in the throws of winter with frequent gales, which has affected the ferries with a couple cancelled already.  This in turn will hit Tesco and we shall see empty shelves once again.

With Shetland trying to attract tourists in winter they will have to have flexible travel arrangements.  The attraction which brings most tourists to Shetland is Up Helly Aa season which starts in January in Lerwick  and ending March.

The Aurora is another attraction and we have had some superb displays so far this season (Sept - April) - join Shetland Aurora Hunter on facebook for more information. Music has to be another with frequent sessions at lots of venues. We recently went to the Mareel to see the Shetland Mandolin Band, the sound of 26 Mandolins is something to savour.

While most people come to see the Autumn migration there is still plenty to see, not just birds but whales as well. Only last week we watched a mother and calf Humpback Whales for a good two hours and they stayed around all week before moving up to Yell. Killer whales also sighted in a few places , the most impressive was a pod of 50+ from a boat.

Now at this time of year, it wouldn't suit me to be out in rough seas but the Shetlanders are renown for their seamanship skills and are often out even in small boats.

The most interesting news this  week was that Unst may be in line to become a satellite launch site. It seems that this , one of three may be the ideal location and it would be a boost to the local economy.

The RAF recently moved back to Saxavord with a new radar base so it would be sensible to have it there. The only draw back is that many European flights go over Unst heading for America.

A few days ago I headed out to Fethaland, right up in the north mainland, a place I have wanted to go to for along time.

I picked a good day, dry and still in between gales, a good job as this is a 6 mile walk. This area was recently up for sale for £595,000, this is a large area which once had a Fishing station but was abandoned in 1906. This whole area is a SSSI and is superb not just for the scenery but the wildlife as well.

Lerwick Power Station closure has been postponed until at least 2025 which might not mean much but this was not the right way to go ahead with a proposed multi million pound cable from northern Scotland.

People are saying this could pave the way for the Viking Energy windfarm, this is over 100 wind turbines, connected to the interconnector which could import and export electricity. I think that they have found out the cost and problems associated with a cable and would want someone else to pay. The application for The Contract for Difference is available from 2019 again I would not like this to take place and ruin the Shetland Landscape.

Talking of landscapes, I will be selling Shetland landscapes and wildlife photos on canvas and as prints at Hoswick Visitors centre from next week. Hope you can get along and see them.

This week I also had a colour photo printed in the Shetland Times- this was a photo of Scatness using a LenSphere a new gadget I have acquired from America.

Shetland Aurora Hunter is one year old and has 1546 members which is a superb, good to know that so many people are interested in seeing the Aurora. Join us on Facebook

all photos from Fethaland