Radinunst

 Friday 2nd June Somehow we have failed to post this picture of a scarecrow from Unst. Is this some kind of tribute to the new monarch or a an Unstian statement of rebellion?  We are going home day today so the weather is the best we have had yet. Blue skies, sunshine and barely a flutter of wind. We fulfill the march out requirements at the Peerie Nuek and hit the road south. We have time to stop in Baltasound and buy some of the really excellent local oatcakes before heading south to the Belmont ferry terminal. As we crest the hill above the jetty we see the ferry departing for Gutcher. Luckily the next one is only half an hour away. There is lots to amuse us in the bay around the terminal including a grey seal and a splendid Red Throated Diver, also known as a Loon or Rain Goose. The weird thing about the Shetland inter island ferries is that you only get charged on the way out. In contrast to Tuesday we almost have a private ...

Thursday 1st June Sometimes there is sun in Unst and not just in some kind of anagram answer. The start of the day was much like the last couple, overcast with a fresh breeze that is probably described as a flat calm by the locals. After breakfast we decide to start the day with a visit to nearby Nor Wick beach, home to a colony of nesting tirricks and a good bet for a plodge. The terns are about in good numbers and, even better, people are not. For a while we have this beautiful beach to ourselves. The beach shoes get a work out and prove to be comfortable and practical. Returning from the beach we see a lapwing chasing off a crow. The lapwing goes to ground in a small, rather soggy meadow and we walk up to investigate. The meadow hosts dunlin and whimbrel as well as the lapwing which moves off to the next field and poses beautifully. By now the sun is breaking through the clouds and we drive south to our next target. The Keen of Hamar i...

Wednesday 31st May We sleep well in the high level bed at the Peerie Nuek which stays warm all night without the need to fire up the log stove. The wind has eased considerably since yesterday and the forecast is for it to be dry all day so we gear ourselves up for a walk round the Hermaness National Nature Reserve. This requires a 3 mile drive to the car park at the entrance to the reserve. The car park is quite busy and there are plenty of people setting off up the path which climbs quite steeply up to an area of tussocky moorland. The sound of skylark songs fills the air. The terrain changes to boggy peat but the management have seen fit to install a Filcris boardwalk with steps so our feet stay dry. For those unfamiliar with Filcris it is a product manufactured from recycled plastic and produced as planks, posts and spars. It doesn't rot, requires no maintenance and can be sawn and drilled just like wood. Enough with the commercials. We climb to a boggy p...