Lerwick to Orkney - Hoy, Westray etc.

We cycled back to Lerwick and stayed in a fantastic hostel in the middle of the city. In the morning we took a Bird and Seal boat trip and went round Noss - thousands of Ganets and we were under the cliffs - a fantastic trip. Interesting to see the Skewers chasing the Ganets to regurgitate their fish.  Seals on the back of the boat, our guide throwing mackrel beside our boat and the Ganets diving 2 feet from us. A great trip - well worth the money.

Just before catching the ferry from Lerwick we met the 'Pie Family' and the first thing Mrs Pie said was 'there's a great Fish n Chippy just round the corner'. Mmmm. Our man from the campsite who had been there for 65 days was on the ferry with all his worldly goods in a rucksack 'too much kit' he said 'I must downsize'. I thought I was minimalstic but I am not sure I can match him.

Orkney is a less harsh environment and less spread community then Shetland however regetable the weather has not much improved. On Tuesday morning we set off early to catch the 1000 ferry to Hoy. A hilly but pleasant ride and we met up with the enthusiastic Jude from the Scappa Flow Museum who escorted us on a 2 hour walking tour of the Naval Base used during the wars. Lyness was the home to 12000 sailors and many more army folk looking after the Fleet. Pat's grandfather was CinC Orkney and Shetland during the war and would have had alot to do with them. We headed north to cycle to the northern ferry and stopped off at Emily's Tea Rooms - just as we were going in a couple of cyclists were passing - she shouted 'tea and cake' he said 'we have no time we need to catch the ferry and get a cuppa there'. She said'for fxxxs sake' and a domestic started. We did not interfer but we knew there was no cafe at the terminal. On Wednesday on Westray - one of the northern islands we met them again and had a good laugh over their domestic. It transpired that they were teachers and asked us lots of questions about cycling, as they were relatively new to touring but - they were facinated about Pat's african heritage and knowledge, then about our many tours and then about my Himalayan stuff. They left us in awe thinking they had a boring life.

We left Hoy over to Stromness (great little town) and got back to Kirkwall and our little lodge late evening. Wednesday we caught the ferry to Westray, an lovely Island, 600 souls, salmon farming, crab processing and sheep farming. We stopped for coffee near the ferry, run by a mancunian guy, now married to a local. He was called away as most folk have a number of jobs and he was a fireman. Enter his wife - boy she could talk for Orkney - she made my brain hurt, I said to Pat 'we should go' he said ' the ferry is not due for an hour'. The wife started on oil heating then air to air heating, then air to ground heating, then ground to ground heating - my eyes glazed over and lost the will to live. "time to stretch my legs' I said to Pat - he agreed - yeah - we escaped.

Today we have cycled south onto Ronaldsay to Pat's friens Rosemary and Nick. We came over the Churchill Barriers constructed to protect the Fleet from submarine attack - to lat for HMS Roay Oak which is now a war grave on the seabed of Scappa Flow. We stopped at the Italian Chapple where there was anotherc clue on our cycle quest. After cycling into 25 knots of southerly wind all day it was great to get to Rosemary's and Nicks. We are now showered and our clothes are churning away in the washing machine and a glass of red in by my keyboard. Life all of a sudden is very pleasant.

We are back to Kirkwall tomorrow and a ferry to Aberdeen. All is well.

Scalps Flow

Historical walking tour of Lyness - Scappa Flow

                                   Ganets

         Betty's Grave on a remote hillside

                        Our lodge in Kirkwall

                              Italian Chaple

                            Churchill Barrier

Lerwick in some sun .....

There were some interesting characters in the campsite last night. Firstly there was the Pie Family "Robinson" - Mrs probably 20 stone, Mr well into the uper 20's, 2 teenagers on the very large scale and a 10 year old who's future I can predict! Apparently they like walking but I guess reward themselves with Fish 'n Chips at the end. There was a guy who had been at the site for 65 days - he was a mental nurse but gave it up after 25 years 5 years ago and has been travelling ever since. All round Europe, South America and lives in a tent. Very old lifestyle - no car and is thinking of settling in Shetland - he has seen a house described as unihabitable but has a roof and walls for Pounds 10,000. I wish him luck.

We left at about 0930 in the mist after a drizzly sort of night, packed up wet tents yet again but had breakfast in the comunal room (with cooker and washing machines) listening to the travels of the 'Pie Family'. 18 miles into Lerwickover 3 or 4 large hills but the gratient easing as we approached the city. For the first time we cycled in the sunshine withpout windproof or waterproofs.

We are in a hostel in the middle of Lerwick - an old secondary school which closed 40 years ago but is suprisingly good nick. We have a 4 berth room which has all our gear out drying.

Tomorrow morning we have booked onto a Seabird and wild life tour on a boat for 3 hours. We then catch the evening ferry to Orkney arriving about 2300.

Wild in Fair Isle...

Our ferry to Fair Isle was an MFV - Motor Fishing Boat - built speecifically for the role 40 years ago. In the 1980's I drove a similar but bigger version as a patrol vessel in Carlingford Loch, Northern Island. The Good Shepherd which carried us to Fair Isle was very uncomfortable. We had the 'breakfast Special'of scrambled eggs and smoked slamon not long before boarding and once out of the lee of Shetland this ended up in a bag as I 'chundered' my way across. Worse weather was expected overnight - we were wild camping as the hotel had been burnt down a few months ago, the Skipper suggested we hunker down behind a wall to prtect from the expected southerly gale. It was a wild wet night and it was still raining in the morning.

Fair Isle houses 50 ish people, a kirk, a chaple, a small shop, 2 light houses, an airport or should I say an air strip, 1 road which is hilly and a dock. We checked it out in the rain. The skipper saw us and invited us into his house for coffee, we bougt food which we ate in the shed at the airport and retired to our tents by 2pm.  The weather  cleared by about 5pm intime for us to cook up some noodles ans curry sauce. It is a wild rugged island, remote but I guess peaceful in many ways.

We were down at the dock by 0630 to catch the ferry to Sunborough. They had taken the boat out of the water - apparently safer when adverse weather is expected. One of the passengers with us was a young girl - maybe 10, who fell and broke her arm the previous night so it was strapped, she now had a 3 hour uncomfortable boat ride before a 25 mike ride to Lerick. The trip back was OK. Stern seas but still rolling a lot, however I kept my breakfast to myself.

We landed at the southern end of Shetland where there is a large airport - serving the oil industry I guess. we headed towards the light house to find another answer on our Cycle Quest. There is a Sperm Whale skull near the lighthouse apparently washed up a few years ago. Unusual as most whales in the area are Minke.

We headed north via the west coast via St Ninians Isle which is connected to the mainland by a shell-sand tombolo - sand spit - this was another answer on the cycle quest. It was a fantastic coastline, white sand and dramatic.

The terrain certainly tests the legs and the wind has been 20knotts since we arrived but from the south - we are heading north so are now getting help. We are in a 'Comumity' run campsite on the east coast at levenwick, 15 miles south of Lerwick. The wind had just dried out our tents, we had just done our washing and were going to hang it out and it is raining again. we've done about 70 miles cycling so far - most of it up steep hills. All is well.

Wild Night in Nesbister...

Well what can I say .. definately a very wild night and certainly not one to be camping in. We ended up in Nebister Bod on the west coast north of Salloway. The Bod system has been developed by the Highlands and Islands Council, they have refurbished old dwellings for tourists to stay  Some to a high standard and some to very basic conditions. Nebister Bod is one of the later, a mile long hose pipe to the outside for water, a chemical loo and a candle or 2 for lighting  - no electricity. The instructions for sorting the loo was to tip it into the sea when we leave. We decided to bypass the loo and use the beach below high water mark - save disposing the chemicals and with the added luxury off wet seaweed instead of loo paper.

We arrived on time in Lerwick after a good overnight crossing. After a coffee and a visit to the tourismo we headed over to the west coast and Scalloway. This was the old capitol of Shetland but declined when the fish disappeared. However it was the headquarters of the 'Shetland Bus'. A special ops thingy during WW2 dropping agents and rescuing distrerss folk from Norway. There is a good musem in Scalloway next to the castle. Pat and i were very interested in the 'Shetland Bus" firstly as naval men but also 'Shetland Bus' was the book we studies for English Literature 'O' level in 1964. P.S. Both of us passed!!!!

We discovered that our proposed campsite for the night had closed which left us a little stranded but we stumbled across Nesbister Bod online and booked the last bunk (the 3 others had already been booked) and Pat volunteered to kip on the floor. It transpied only 1 person turned up, the other 2 had posponed there stay. We shared with Hazel, a forties something lady from Hitchin who had been on a weeks sea kayking course and was spending another couple of weeks on Shetland.  Brave lady to be in an islolated stone shack, on the end of a spit, surrounded by water with no escape with 2 old fuddy duddys of unknow moral standing.  She was good fun and hope she enjoys the next 3 nights in the bod.

We have been looking for clues to the British Cycle Quest - there are 402 in the UK and 6 in Shetand, we have found 2 and should find 2 more before we leave. We are now back in Lerwick awainting the departure of "MV Good Shepherd IV" so Fair Isle. After driving rain and gales overnight today is calmer and the sun is out. On Fair Isle the hotel has burnt down so we will be wild camping for a couple of night.

The folk up here are very friendly and helpful, the divers great and give us plenty of room when passing and we have not be peeped or cut up. Tis all good.

Distance 29 miles so far - may not sound far but boy, Shetland have some steep and long hills added to a strong southerly wind has made the cycling challenging.

                Arrival in Lerwick

   Our first cycle quest landmark thingy

our 'bod' is the building out on the spit

          Memorial to the 'Shetland Bus' folk
 

Aberdeen

11 hours on a crowded train does nothing for the flexibility of ancient legs. Stiff knees and cramping quads eased by the 1 mile ride from the station to Pat's friends.

I guess the journey was OK. Cross Country train was a little on the older side but adequate. It left on time and arrived on time - amazing if you consider it must be one of the longest train journeys in the country.

Pat led me, in the drizzle, from the staion to Ros & Normans pad where some smoked salmon canopes followed by a pheasant and beef casserole awaited, washed down by a couple of glasses of red. Mmm -my slimming world corset has been loosened!!

Today has been a sorting day, repacking after the train journey and buying the stuff we forgot to pack. Pat has had a quick turn round having just got home from a month in Kenya 4 days ago - just time to do the dhobe!

There are some fantastic granite buildings here - one of the best is Masrischal College, University of Aberdeen.

The statue is of Robert the Bruce and sitting on the bench is a 'pie lady' who snuck into the pic.

we catch an overnight ferry to Lerwick tonight then cyclie in the rain tomorrow.

Scotland - 'ere we come!

It starts again - another year, another tour and another adventure. Pat, my cycling buddy and I are meeting up in Aberdeen on Monday (19th August) to explore the 'Scottish Isles'. We have about a month and are hoping for half reasonable weather. Amazingly, there is a straight through Cross Country train from Newton Abbot to Aberdeen - it has space for 2 cycles. I have used this train before and the space is minute and only suitable for child's bikes or slim road bikes. I am hoping I'll be the first bike onboard. However 'tis a 10 hour journey.

We are catching the overnight ferry from Aberdeen on Tuesday to Lerwick in Shetland, scooting across to Fair Isle and then to Orkney then ferry back to Aberdeen. We train across to Glasgow and then Oban before catching the ferry to Castlebay in the Outer Hebrides. We head north until the land runs out at the Butt of Lewis before heading for home via Ullapool, Inverness then Aberdeen for the Cross Country train to Devon. We decided on this way round in the hope that the midges in the Outer Hebrides will have lost their bite by early September and we can sleep easy in our tents with out being eaten alive!!

Pat joined me in July for our annual Adventure with Martin Symons (https://www.martinsymons.co.uk/) - this year was the 10th anniversary ride across England - we followed Hadrian's Wall Cycle Route from Bowness-on-Solway to South Shields. 

Last year I cycled around the Cherbourg Peninsular with my son-in-law Ian - that's me relaxing in camp - at least the sun was shining then!!

The good news for both of us is that we have slimmed down since our last 'big' ride which should make the tackling of the Scottish hills a tad easier.