We've been to the Shetland Islands before...... Haven't we?
We were both pretty sure we had, but memory obviously plays tricks, and we've never been here before. The Shetland Islands are roughly 100 miles off the north east coast of Scotland and are Scottish. This meant when we got of the ship, despite being on a cruise, the place felt familiar. An unusual feeling to be honest, but pleasant too.
The weather was good too, making the day even better. We hadn't really thought about what we were gonna do when we go here, so as usually we decided to go for a walk. We'd spotted a path running around the outside of a sticky out bit called The Ness of Sound, just south of the port. Good choice.
We took the shuttle bus which dropped us off near Victoria pier and made our way towards Sound. We found Tesco's and bought lunch, then made our way along the path which skirts the peninsular.
We came across a series of WW2 bunkers and tunnels - interesting.
And then climbed over the peak at the end to enjoy these views for lunch.
Once we'd completed the circuit and got back to Tesco's, we decided to have a quick look at the Broch of Clickimin. The Broch is a stone-built round house with tower dating back to the Iron Age, and Clickimin is a loch that the Broch was built on.
I have to be honest, it's impressive considering when it was built, and the fact that originally there would have been a causeway out to it. It's also free to visit, which makes it even more impressive. We really liked it.
We eventually walked back to Lerwick and the pier and caught the shuttle bus back. A good day, which was going to get better.
As we set sail from Lerwick, the captain announced that we would have a quick look at the island of Noss before heading back to Dover. Noss which is a National Nature Reserve, known for its incredibly high cliffs.
With binoculars, you could see that the cliffs were covered with nesting birds, mostly gannets.
The final thrill came whilst watching the birds - an Orca! It kept breaching as it travelled around the bottom of the cliff- probably hunting. It was fantastic to see, but no photos sadly.
And that was it, the last port of the cruise. Tomorrow is the last sea day. There'll be a class in the morning, an exhibition in the afternoon, and then "packing". I'm glad to be going home, but sorry to be leaving the luxury of the ship, but that's not really an issue, we'll be back in December for a trip to the Caribbean. Awesome eh?
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