Shetland Autumn 2023: Day 14 Friday 15 Sept: A morning in Unst and arriving back on mainland Shetland

This was our last day for 2023 in Unst and we wanted to make the most of the time there. We had just over half a day and had booked lunch at Victoria’s Tea Rooms and then an early afternoon ferry. We would then drive down to our campsite, south of Lerwick, a distance of about 60 miles driving. 

We decided to start at Lund, we often go there when we are in Unst but it seems I don’t usually take any photos, well none of the 4 Viking crosses. I have some on my very old iPod, but the pixel count is so low they are virtually useless. So my first task was to take some photos so I can show my friends here in Norfolk what I am talking about! Lund churchyard always seems a beautiful but desolate spot. Many of the graves are kept beautifully and the air is so pure as shown by the amazing lichen growing on many of the gravestones. (I have since bought the Field Studies Council Guides to ‘Common churchyard lichens’ and ‘Lichens of heaths and moors’ so next time we are there I  am hopeful of identifying some of them’.) Cladonia spp is as far as I got without a guide. 

The Viking  crosses - all 4 

One showing more detail

How many types of lichens are here? 

The church is a 12th century or earlier roofless  ruin, although the churchyard is still in use. The church is thought to have belonged to a nearby Viking settlement, where evidence of 3 (or 4) longhouses, 2 with side rooms has been found. The walls of the church are noted as being up to 4 1/2 feet thick, I must look more closely at this next time. There is a trail, trail 4, a 2 page guide that can be downloaded and provide a walk from Underhoull to Lund, to experience this Viking World. 

It was damp  but no wind today and when I got down onto the beach, the sun came out. 

The church and beautifully kept graveyard 

A view of the beach and seaweed on the beach 

So to find a coffee spot, today we managed to get into The Final Checkout and buy some essentials to take onto mainland with us. 

Still time, so we went to Baltasound Pier, despite numerous visits to Unst we can’t remember being here before. Baltasound has one of the piers, the other being Uyeasound, where we stay. Baltasound still occasionally has cruise ships anchoring off it and passengers being transported to land by smaller boats in a shuttle service. I have read that this was the most important Herring Port of Shetland for some time (1902 ish) more important than Lerwick. Hence it was (and might be so today) the most important settlement in Unst. I feel, I have some links with this as Gt Yarmouth, about the nearest seaside to us in Norfolk was also a herring port. I have talked to at least one fine lace knitter who used to travel down to Gt. Yarmouth as a herring girl ….that would have seemed a very long way and hard work too. 

Lunch beckoned, I had a cheese scone and soup followed by delightful cake, and we tried not to be too sad. After all, once at Cunningsburgh and the campsite  we still had well over a week of Shetland to experience and friends to meet. 

What a sunset we were presented with that evening at the campsite.

Shetland Wool Week: Day 9: Mainly a technology day - Frustrations and learning new things: Thurs 21 Sept

It had rained hard in the night but it seemed amazingly warm when we woke up and the wind had dropped substantially. Even when dull, Uyeasound is still beautiful and we pottered and just enjoyed it. My plan this year was to publish my blog about our trip slightly retrospectively  but while we were still away. This day reminded me why that does not happen. Download speed is reasonable but upload speed is too slow. I had several attempts and then realised there were far better things to do when in Shetland. Leaving it until I got back home meant I could relive the experience again. However, I did not know I was to encounter a real technology bonus in the hostel. 

One of the cyclists, Laura of the yellow bike and I got chatting. She had been travelling with a tent and her bike since Sept 2015 and visited many countries, she wasn’t planning to get back home (Switzerland) until the spring 2018. She takes amazing photos and introduced me to Lightroom! It is now on my Christmas list- but that might have to be Christmas 2018 as  I intend to pack this years list with Shetland and Textile related goodies. If you know any German or even if you don’t but love great  photos take a look at Laura’s blog - www.la2rad.com 

I have been asked about the actual Viking longhouse in Unst, so here is a bit more information.  It is thought that Unst was the first place the Vikings landed in the North Atlantic and remains of 60, yes 60, longhouses have been found, which gives the highest rural density known including in Scandinavia. Three of these longhouses have been excavated in Unst and the replica longship in Haroldswick has made use of the knowledge and skills developed due to these. 

The roof is sealed with turf and the interior of the roof has all wood joints, the pattern at the end took my eye. 

I was particularly interested in the door, no metal was used, the hinge was very clever! 

The longhouse is a large building and events are staged there in the summer and sometime I hope to partake in some of these. It is a glorious building and I wonder what the Viking buildings in Norfolk were like. 

This site is well worth a visit and it is in sight of Victoria’s tea rooms and a very short distance from the Heritage Centre and that wonderful lace knitting. 

*** I didn’t mention in the last post the size of the Viking ship- 24m in length and 5m wide and made of oak. It is called the Skidbladner and is a full size replica.

Shetland Wool Week :day 8: wonderful people, Wool and archeology : Wed 20 Sept

This was going to be another restful day where we played at being tourists. It ended up packed full of things that form wonderful memories. One of the great things about coming to Shetland Wool Week over the years is that you meet 'spin off' craftspeople. This morning we were off to meet Cheryl from Glansin Glass (www.glansinglass.co.uk) which is in Uyeasound where we are staying - her products are beautiful. We had a hard job choosing what to bring back - delightful pieces for the newly decorated lounge that we will enjoy each day. 

We hadn't previously stopped at the Viking Ship and Longhouse but made time this morning. 

 It was a real treat, I loved this detail from the ship. 

The rope was integral to the ship, it felt wrong to ‘remove it’ and just look at the colours in it! 

We decided we would not have liked to row the ship, for one thing the oar was very heavy but it was lovely to sense what it might have been like. 

Lunch was in Victoria's tea room where we had  trouble choosing, the food was all so tempting- we booked to return for lunch on Friday. Then it was on to the Heritage Centre for me, to get a fill of the glorious lace again. It doesn't matter how many times I look at this lace, it is never enough. But today I was in for a treat, I started talking to a lady ( obviously up for SWW by her cardigan). We got chatting and introduced ourselves, she was Hadewych van der Werf ( look her up she does wonderful colourwork knitting) and we noted we had a common friend Monique Boonstra  (such a wonderful lace designer and knitter, look her up too) both  from The Netherlands. I guess Monique’s  ears might have been burning. Another treat was managing to buy the Whalsay Fair Isle book, beautiful pictures of the knitwear in the exhibition - which I will see again on Saturday. The book is worth getting (try Whalsay Heritage and Community Centre). It is a sheer delight with fair isle knitwear from the 1920’s to 2010’s from the island. Every page is worthy of detailed study. 

Having bought a few other items we went   to Lund Church where it is always atmospheric ( windy) but is a place like no other. I decided it was a great place to catch up on my knitting, I am still trying to do my prep  for Friday and Tuesday classes. I couldn't not walk there, so I rugged up and was delighted that I managed to find the Viking crosses in the Church yard. There are another couple behind this and one was in front of the one you see here. 

Back 'home' ( I wish - I mean the hostel where we park the motorhome) there are 3 ladies each on their own- 2 cyclists and a lady in a small tent but with a car  lots of interesting conversation for all as we prepare and cook dinner. 3 more people now know about Shetland Wool Week! 

Another night when I will have no trouble sleeping.