Weds - it ain't half hot mum

Oh, excitement, it's my first class today "Learn to Crochet" whilst Liz learns about Steeking (I don't know either)

The crochet tutor is excellent. A really good communicator and educator. At least one of her pupils is not a natural to say the least. I really should have photographed the thing that others will turn into a nice decorative square before I unpicked it it. It was forgetfulness rather than embarrassment, honestly. Still I learned a lot of the technique and should I want to continue I have all the foundations. 

And I'm not sure Steeking (whatever it is) is for Liz either! 

The afternoon class is a talk on The Prehistory Of Clothing by a professor of archaeology over at the University college. And absolutely fascinating it is too. Another excellent speaker, injecting humour into a fascinating presentation. Would have asked for access to his slides had he not been busy with others taking to him.

So here's a question. Who knows what a "Tombolo"? Well we're not only going to walk across one but also spent the evening overlooking one. Tomorrow's classes (for both of us) are down in the tiny village of Bigton which overlooks St Ninian's Isle where a superb hoard of Pictish gold was found by a schoolboy in the 1950's.

A Tombolo is a narrow sandy isthmus tying an island to the land. Like this one

In the better light before that was taken we walked over to the island

(I'll adjust the exposure on that later) 

On the way back we stopped to see this on the sand

Any guesses? Today's title is a clue. 

This will give it away

Yes it's a beach sauna, with the cold part outside

I suspect the water is taken from the northern shore of the tombolo where it is 9⁰ as opposed to the barmy 12⁰ on the other side of the sand. 

But it's a nice location

(another into the strong setting sun shot) 

And a sailing boat comes in to make the scene complete

Right tea time now, the sun is in its way down

Just 28 miles today

Tuesday, being a numpty is expensive!

No classes this morning but Liz has Knitting Two Socks on one needle after lunch and I am going to a talk/exhibition entitled Archaeological Textiles at the museum. 

So a free morning. We'd initially planned a museum tour or a trip to the Upp Helly'A exhibition. But we have to go into town. Numpty here stupidly assumed a couple of his meds were in strips of 28. No, of course they are in 14s, two weeks worth and I don't quite have enough. 

But first things first, the brewery was good enough to allow us to overnight in their car park last night, so we should get up early and get our of the way before the workday starts. Fortunately one of the places Liz had a class at yesterday does a cooked breakfast so we don't even need a morning cuppa before moving, full Scottish breakfast awaits!

So pop to Boots where the pharmacist will provide a week's supply with minimal fuss, once I show my NHS app and the repeat prescription. Only downside in the Untied Kingdom, I'm in Scotland now and they can't charge back to the English NHS so I will need to pay. Just a few pence short of twenty quid too! I really should have gone with plan B and just missed my meds one day in 3 for a couple of weeks! But that'll teach me for not checking (annoyingly one of the other meds I did realise was in 14s and so packed more than enough!)

Compensation of sorts is finding a CD I've been looking for in the 3 for a pound section!

Time to slowly head back to the museum which is the Wool Week hub, but we get waylaid by a sign informing us the distillery is just a couple of streets away. Now they are not yet distilling, that comes shortly, but they do have a Shetland barrel aged blend of two 8 year old single malts. We ask for a tasting and it's very easy drinking so we buy a bottle (we were going to anyway!). But I get chatting (as I do) and suddenly the door to the rear of the shop is opened and we are invited for a quick impromptu tour of the almost operational distillery. I wish them every success.

Off we go to our classes. 

Here's a Viking mitten (in 2/2 twill)

and an undated dropped ball of wool that is probably quite old as the peat was about 2 feet deep

We've arranged to meet back at the hub. It's a hive of activity 

Everywhere this week there is the clicking of knitting needles. 

Now tonight, we have entertainment booked, here at the museum but first, where to park for the night? Liz has found a nice quiet car park tucked away in the corner of a small estate of offices but we've just noticed a couple of vans parked on the dockside almost directly outside the museum. One of the free spaces there would do (Shetland is very laid back re such things). So that's the plan. 

Wander off to the Co-op to get something for tea and take a couple of snaps in the way back 

Altogether now "I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay, watchin' the ride roll away"

Entertainment is a traditional Shetland at home style evening of storytelling, music and song. The acoustics in the room weren't great but the music and stories were

Right time for beef but let's admire the view from the van first, eh. 

Today's milage - not many

Nålbinding

Liz has an interesting workshop today. The ancient Viking fabric craft of Nålbinding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A5lebinding 

It's up here on Yell, so I'll be on the island until she finishes at 4. Unless I pop up to the next island Unst and back. Decisions, decisions. 

We are on our own at the campsite now. The only other visitor last night was a very chatty lady who has dropped out from life in London and is touring the islands. To be honest she seems a little unprepared. Her tiny coffin tent has condensation problems, so her sleeping bag gets sodden. She's on foot so no easy way to dry things. Anyway last night she was huddled around the radiator in the kitchen here on the site, and slept in the chair.

Oh, yeah, and this very handy campsite -

Just saying! 

Anyway Liz duly dropped off at her class and I use an hour or so to take advantage of the good 4g in the car park to finish a couple of blog entries. I've said before, blogging, especially on the phone, is surprisingly time consuming and time is often at a premium on trips.

Right, let's see if we can make it to Unst, if I put a shimmy on I can just about make the 11:30 ferry. It's an 18 mile dash up the main road to Gucher ferry, supposedly 23 mins. I make it with 3 mins to spare but there's a tractor with trailer and mid-sized lorry booked along with about eight unbooked cars in front of me as well as those already on. A couple more cars, then the tractor, then the lorry, then squeeze another couple of cars, then another, and another. That's it, gate closed, with just one car in front of me. Oh well, I'll go explore Yell instead because the next ferry will leave it right for me to get back and we're in a rush tonight.

Having rushed up the main road it's time to take the back roads. First stop is the tiny store in Mid Yell where the lady makes me a coffee to go with the biscuits I buy. Mmmm lunch in the car park. But I want to go in round to the famous Mary's shop or Aywick Shop as it is properly known. It's just a large steel shed

But inside it opens up like a TARDIS and seems to stick pretty much everything vital for island life. I bought some glue, a CD, and a bottle of the strong Orkney Skull Splitter beer but she had all manner of contstruction stuff, housewares, clothes, gifts, food. Whilst I was there someone rang asking for drainage channel, the sort you put in the ground in front of garages and she had to admit she was out of stock. But it was that sort of shop, where you could buy a length of drainpipe and a Mars bar! And it was run by the old lady herself, albeit with help for a younger assistant. A wonderful find! 

Onwards takes me back to Burravoe where we spent last night, but this time instead of going down to the pier and campsite I go into the centre of the village to the Old Hass museum, gift shop, and tearoom for my afternoon tea. And a very nice piece of lemon madeira it was too. The machine woven Fairisle jumpers seemed very reasonably priced but it was this handsome  fellow who caught my eye

I've still an hour before Liz finishes so round to the pier for a walk, passing this beautiful coo en route

The walk I wanted to do turned muddy after a couple of hundred metres so I cut it short, we are due out this evening and no time for a change of clothes. But even that short distance was enough for a close encounter with 4 seals, one of which stayed bobbed up for ages just watching me watching him. Delightful curious creatures. And a small delight on the fence post behind me too

The seals were just too far away to photograph. I did take some pics of the small harbour but they are on the camera and I've yet to find time to transfer them.

Right, pick Liz up, I'm on time, a free minutes early but the class is running late. At twenty past four I decide the four thirty ferry is unlikely. Rats! We really are on the clock today. But out Liz pops and it's only 5 mins drive to the ferry. 16:28 we make it with two minutes to spare. Great, the next ferry, even though it's only 30 mins away, would be a real rush. 

A rush? Why? Because we have an evening appointment back in Lerwick at 6pm and it's some 30 miles away! 

The run back is quick and we have 30 mins to kill bit we want to turn up at the brewery early and find a nice quiet parking spot as much out of sight as possible. Why, because I've already exchanged emails with them and hopefully we'll be able to overnight in their car park. Yep, sorted, we've chosen a nice spot round the back and they are more than happy for us to stay. 

This special brewery tour and tasting also comes with food and three locals from the dialect preservation group reading stories, poems and asking riddles in Shetland Dialect. It's entertaining and mostly understandable. The brewery tour, is, well pretty much the same as any other small brewery tour. Interestingly the head brewer is Californian (I did ask, he met his Shetlander wife in Australia and they decided to make the islands their home). The food is traditional, potato soup accompanied by a bread bannock filled with salt beef. It was good too. Three taster beers, their best seller 60 North Lager, a wheat beer and, my personal favourite, an IPA. All were fine but not spectacular. 

At least we didn't have to far to go afterwards! 

Oh, Liz's nålbinding I hear you ask

It's a small pot holder, probably needs a bit more practice to get a really even stitch tension. But as you can see she now has all she needs, her own wooden nålbinding needle! 

79 miles today but nearly one of those was by ferry