Scottish travel blog from an islander’s perspective
5 things to do in Shetland in autumn
The days are changing as the seasons switch. And, like a light that’s shut off, it feels as though the dial has been turned to autumn as summer fades into memory once more. The nights are visibly darker, and the air has changed; there’s a sting in its embrace, and I feel myself turning my collar against it.Yet, despite this change, the daylight is still long enough to make the most of the fine days, and the chill in the wind isn’t enough to leave us lounging by the fir [...]
A day in Whalsay with the Heritage Centre and friends
Symbister Harbour, Whalsay Every great adventure starts with a boat, surely? It certainly feels like that as you dart north, rushing to make the ferry on time, watching the clock anxiously and praying you don't meet a tractor en route.The Whalsay ferry has an altogether different feel to the North Isles ferries; the journey is longer, and booking is strongly recommended if you want to ensure you arrive – and depart – on the ferry you've chosen. It also has a more 'Shetland' f [...]
Book reviews - Best Days with Shetland’s Birds and Shetland Puffin
It’s hard to write a positive narrative of Shetland’s summer so far. Avian flu is devastating our breeding seabird colonies and, as I write, we’re enduring another spell of bad weather – low-lying fog, chill wind and drizzle – in all, there haven’t been many positives to write about this summer.Yet, as I stood last night, at midnight, watching the incredible frenzy of storm petrels returning to their breeding grounds within the broch walls at Mousa, I r [...]
A workshop with Island Ceramics in Yell – one of the many reasons to visit Yell
My creations from a recent Island Ceramics glazing workshop in Yell I often hear visitors say that they’re going to Unst, but they’re not stopping in Yell; they’re just driving through the island to reach the ferry. This is a mistake. Whatever you do on your visit to Shetland, don’t make the mistake of dismissing Yell, as you are guaranteed to have an excellent experience if you do choose to stay – even for just a few hours! I recently had an excellent [...]
Peerie Bugarth self-catering holiday home; an itinerary for your Yell stay.
The beautiful Peerie Bugarth, a gem of a property available for holiday let in Mid Yell I often drive past traditional Shetland crofthouses and wonder what they’re like inside. These are buildings that have fascinated me since I was little. Their simple lines, symmetry, and the way they bed into the landscape almost seamlessly continues to inspire my imagination in the same – perhaps less visually attractive way – that they continue to inspire artists and poets to commi [...]
Book Review – The Sandness Story
Sandness is the most westerly frontier of Mainland Shetland. It has the distinct feeling of being an island rather than part of the Mainland due to its relative geographical isolation from Lerwick. The boundaries of Sandness are clear and the community has the same tight-knit feel that you would expect to find on any of the outlying islands, where a bond of community exists that has, in many ways, been lost from the rest of Mainland Shetland.Ian Tait describes Sandness’ position w [...]
The Old Manse Holiday Home, Clousta: A review of our stay and your own West Mainland itinerary
The Old Manse Holiday home is the white house in the centre, beside the former Clousta church.“The winding voes and lakes of Clousetter, are wildly disordered by the irregular encroachments of the hills among which they run. Nature, from mere rocks and water, without the assistance of a single tree, has presented ceaseless varieties of interesting scenery.” ~ Samuel Hibbert (1818)Clousta is an ‘old place’ – it has that sense, as if you’ve suddenly stumbled off the map. It’s a beaut [...]
30 years of Seabirds & Seals - Noss Boat tours
Impressive sights from the Gannet colony at Noss with Seabirds & Seals If you're looking to experience some of Shetland's incredible wildlife, you definitely need to add a trip to Noss to your list of things to see and do in Shetland. Joining Seabirds & Seals recently, I was able to 'act the tourist' for a morning and witness the incredible gannet colonies of Noss. The experience is an astonishing spectacle – the natural world's equivalent of a teeming seabird a [...]
7 tips for visiting Shetland
I know what it's like when planning for a holiday – so many questions and no one place where you can find the much sought after answers. I spend a lot of time answering questions online, whether on Instagram or my Patreon page. A lot of the time, it's the same questions that come up time and time again.I've done several podcasts on my Patreon page that cover many of the frequently asked questions in depth (you can see the topics covered here). The following are some of the general [...]
Book review – Old Lerwick: Lanes and Lodberries
Old Lerwick Old Lerwick: Lanes and Lodberries by Douglas Sinclair is the long-anticipated follow on from Old Lerwick: People and Places published in 2017. Douglas Sinclair is a Lerwegian and historian who grew up in the historic south end of Lerwick and has spent most of his life living in the heart of Lerwick, immersing himself in the history, the people and the places. He has dedicated much of his adult life to unearthing and telling the stories of the town – in fact if you&rsquo [...]
3 days in Speyside: a whisky lovers travel itinerary
Whisky tasting session at Cardhu distillery For a lass from Shetland, whisky seems an altogether ‘Scottish’ thing – we don’t produce whisky (yet) in Shetland, and we never really have, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a good appreciation for the water of life.I’m leaving my island home for this blog and heading to the Scottish Mainland to tour Scotland’s famous whisky triangle in the beautiful Speyside region.I hope you enjoy this break [...]
5 reasons to visit Shetland in Spring
St Ninian's Isle, Shetland in her spring colours Sunday marks the first day of spring, and to mark this calendar milestone, I’ve been thinking about what makes spring such an exciting time of year and why you should consider a springtime break to Shetland.As the days begin to lengthen and the dark grip of winter is slowly released, shadows shorten as the sun rises higher in our northern skies, and there’s real optimism in the air. There’s an urgency to the days as peopl [...]
A weekend getaway and a walk to the Muckle Roe lighthouse
Busta House Hotel I woke on the night and heard footsteps – it was her – I nudged my husband and said, “ssshhh, can you hear her?”I was on high alert, we were staying in the West Wing of Busta House Hotel, and I knew that this was part of the building she haunted. Busta sits, tucked away on the shores of Busta Voe, just a few miles from the village of Brae. Today it’s a three-star hotel placed in an idyllic rural location in one of Shetland’s most b [...]
Book review – : Fiction and reminiscences in the Shetland dialect
Ah, what a read, what a joy – Aye Someane Deid, Aye Someane Boarn – is the literary equivalent of a big bosie [hug] with an old and trusted friend. After the rush of Christmas, I read this book in the long month of January and what a tonic Barbara’s words were. She left me laughing, smiling, and longing for more.There are many fantastic books published in Shetland and, with Scotland's Year of Stories kicking off, I thought it was a good opportunity to review Barbara Fr [...]
13 facts about Jarlshof
Late Iron Age wheelhouses at Jarlshof Jarlshof, sitting at the southernmost point of Mainland Shetland, is a fascinating archaeological site spanning some 5,000 years, outlining the various stages of human habitation in the islands. The site is complicated and complex, yet fascinating and awe-inspiring – in fact, this is my favourite site on the Mainland to guide visitors around. Jarlshof is mind-blowing. It's a site that will immediately put you in your place. It has the [...]
5 reasons to visit Shetland in winter
Shifting light in winter at Bressay Lighthouse If I had a penny for every time I was asked about winter in Shetland, I’d be a millionaire – and then some – and there are many reasons to visit, but you need to ask yourself first ‘what do I want from a visit’. If the answer is puffins, light, activities, and long hikes with a picnic, you’ll likely want to visit in summer when the days are long, and the hills are dry enough to walk anywhere. If you&r [...]
Book Review: In Days Gone By by Charlie Simpson
In Days Gone ByCharlie SimpsonThe Shetland Times (2021)Buy it hereIn Days Gone By, Charlie Simpson’s latest book is a newly published collection of essays that Charlie has written over the years and published in the Shetland Times newspaper. Across 20 pieces, Charlie covers much of 20th-century life in Shetland, from salt herring and wartime sinkings to developing the islands’ infrastructure and services. From a social history point of view, I found the [...]
Christmas Gingerbread recipe
We all have Christmas traditions – those things that we insist on doing, just to add to the Christmas "to-do" list. I'm no baker, but every year I like to make gingerbread, oatcakes and mince pies. I've shared my oatcake recipe before, and this year I thought I'd share my recipe for gingerbread.I've no idea where this recipe came from, it's handwritten in my recipe book so is likely plagiarised from someone beyond me! Anyway, it's tried and tested, and I hope you enjoy i [...]
A traditional Shetland Christmas past - Gӧd Yule
Shetland Crofthouse Museum under a dusting of festive snow Christmas in Shetland is something I’m asked about time and time again. What does Christmas in Shetland look like? What traditions do you have? What do you eat, and so on. And, to be honest – it looks a lot like Christmas all over the world, and certainly throughout the UK. We have the John Lewis advert, Wham, Buble and the great hunking turkey on the day. We’ve lost so many of our Christmas traditions over [...]
Shetland Christmas gift guide 2021
With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to share a selection of fantastic Shetland gift ideas with you. I always try to support local businesses as much as possible and try to buy unique, one of a kind gifts. Last year I commissioned artist Gilly B to make an artwork of my dad’s boat – I think you’ll agree that it’s fantastic!I also commissioned Alexa Fitzgibbon @lex_in_the_north_sea to make a unique Kokeshi do [...]
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Shetland is in my blood. Visit my blog for local insights, tips and advice.
In 2020, just before the world as we knew it drew to a standstill, my husband and I went to New York. We spent five days exploring the city and ticking off all the ‘must sees’ from the list. I spent months planning the trip in a notebook, and while we were there, I kept a little diary of our time. We did all the main attractions: Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, Madison and Times Square, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, DUMBO, Top of the Rock and much more besides.
I loved the few days we spent there, but a part of me felt that I could have planned it better.
But why am I telling you all this? When planning the trip, I felt overwhelmed and frustrated that nobody would prepare it for me, sit me down, and tell me what I needed to do to make the most of this beautiful city. I felt sure someone would offer a service to create a perfect New York itinerary tailored to my needs, but there wasn’t.