British Isles & Iceland – Day 4 can be found here.
Breakfast the next morning was lovely – they had fresh cheese omelettes on the buffet, so I got one of those rather than the usual spoonful of scrambled eggs. I also made sure to load up on yoghurt and berries as I tend to neglect my veggies while dining at the restaurants.
Back to the room to sunscreen and pack up – it was about 15C in Shetland today so we didn’t need to dress too warmly, but it was still cooler than it had been for much of our trip. They had a small spot of trouble getting the gangway set up initially so the first trip to the Isle of Moussa was delayed by a few minutes, but ours was ready on time – and indeed they caught up so quickly that we had to dash to catch up, though we ended up having loads of time for the ferry. Still, we’ll be better prepared for next time.
The ferry across was just a small boat capable of taking perhaps 7 or 8 cars at a time. Bressay is just across from Lerwick, and the ferry takes perhaps 5 to 10 minutes to make the trip. Most of the traffic was heading into town, where most of the inhabitants of Bressay work and attend school.
The Bressay island hike was led by Chris Dyer, a local archaeologist and crofter (small scale farmer). We started off with a walk across from the Isle of Noss, where we took in some abandoned ruins. It’s amazing how much history is just lying around – such as the ancient stone roofing tile that Chris pulled out of a nearby stone fence.
Bressay Island, Shetland:
The Isle of Noss is uninhabited except for a pair of seasonal researchers who also run people back and forth via Zodiac. They weren’t making the run that morning, though there was plenty to see on the other side. Beyond taking in “Norther house” and “southern house” (the stone ruins shown in earlier pictures) we also took in the ruins of an ancient Viking broch that dates back several thousand years – and which was likely cannibalized to build the stone houses.
The remains of an ancient Viking broch – you can see one of the interior walls from the top of the mound (sadly, didn’t get a picture of it).
Chris mentioned that many of the brochs were visible from each other, which raised the question as to whether they would use some form of signal or semaphore to communicate with each other. I’ll have to do some more research into this at some point.
After Noss, we went to see the ruins of an early Christian chapel dating back to the 1200s. A stone containing Pictish inscriptions had been found there, but now only a replica remains. That raised further questions as to whether artifacts from Shetland should remain in Shetland, rather than being taken back to Edinburgh. I’d be inclined to have them remain in Shetland, personally, as I think they otherwise risk being “lost in the rush” in a larger museum. Curious to hear if any of you have thoughts on the matter?
We then went on to the local community centre (once a local elementary school) for some delicious scones and soup – my wife had the lentil soup, while I had the curried squash coconut soup which was quite delicious. They also gave the kids some cakes, which was very kind of them. Apparently they’re some of the first kids to have done that tour, despite it being run for several years…
The wee ferry that took us too and from Bressay.
After that we went back to Lerwick. We checked in at the highly-rated restaurant Dowry, but they were overwhelmed with other guests – not surprisingly, given the size of Shetland and the number of guests touring the town. So instead we found a playground where the kids could let off some steam, and we called C’est la Vie café via Skype (using our eSim plans) and booked a reservation for 2:30 pm. I’ll do a post on eSims later as they are our new favourite travel tool.
A side trip to a Shetland playground for the kids
Once we were done at the park, we walked around until we found Detective Perez’s house from the show Shetland and then headed over to C’est la Vie for lunch. It’s a small café, so good that we made our reservation. Kids had macarons and Viennese hot chocolate while my wife and I both had the Croque Monsieur. Really delicious, and glad we stopped in.
Lerwick:
Detective Perez’s house, for the Shetland fans
Viennese hot chocolate at C’est La Vie cafe
Croque Monsieur (I am truly terrible at remembering to take pictures before I start eating)
We then made our way to the tourist centre where we were able to hop aboard the shuttle moments before it took off. The shuttle was being run every half hour – departing on the quarter hour and quarter to – so we were very glad that we didn’t have to wait a full 30 minutes before the next shuttle.
Another power nap, and then we were off to trivia. We rejoined the same group as last time and this time – we took 3rd! My son was absolutely thrilled, and we look forward to discovering what the points will be worth.
We have 8 points at present – curious as to if anyone knows what the exchange rate is between points and prizes? I’m trying to temper my son’s expectations that he might – at best – get a hat or a T-shirt, but it would be great to have some sort of frame of reference, if anyone can provide one.
Now back at the observation lounge where I am sipping a Paris coffee that seems to be 93% cognac and 7% whipped cream. Soon off to our expedition briefing, and then to dinner.
No real surprises came up during the expedition briefing – we’d be using the zodiacs to get to the old harbour in Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, then heading off for our Treasures of the Orkney Islands tour which would focus on archaeological sites in the area, including the stone age village of Skara Brae (roughly 5,000 years old) and the standing stones at Brodgar (a relative newcomer at 4,500 years).
We are looking at an 8:30 am departure and a 4 hour tour, with the last zodiac heading back to the ship at 1:45 pm. I’ve been hoping to get a pint in one of these lovely Scottish towns that we’ve been visiting, but thus far have been thwarted. We’ll see if tomorrow offers any better odds.
Dinner went well enough – with the early departure, main dining room was slammed and service was a bit slower than usual. We had the porcini soup, the salmon special, and some sort of chocolate blueberry pastry concoction for dessert. (Great with names, aren’t I? This is what happens when I forget to take pictures of the menu…)
Not entirely surprising that service was a touch slow as everyone was trying to eat early, and I suspect it would be quicker if we were at either the Grill or La Terrazza. We’ve got another plan in the works for tomorrow night. But we were still in and out in about 90 minutes, which is not bad considering that we’d eaten 3 courses.
Tomorrow’s Chronicles:
The sun sets on a different side of the Cloud – taken around 11 pm.
Continue reading British Isles & Iceland – Day 6 here.
