Road Trip Part 2 Easy Like A Sanday Morning

....our roadtrip continues...

the ferry from Shetland to Kirkwall took about 6 hours, passing Fair Isle on the way.

Fair Isle is the most geographically remote inhabited island in the United Kingdom, it is owned by the RSPB

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On Shetland we'd noticed more dead birds than might  be expected and indeed some nature reserves and islands were subject to restrictions to bird flu,
On Orkney restrictions were just as prevalent though we saw fewer carcasses.

Common to both were of course flags at half mast in mourning for Her Majesty.



In the background above is a "Churchill Barrier" one of four built with assistance from Italian Prisoners of War to block the eastern end of Scapa Flow to protect the British Northern Fleet after the sinking of Royal Oak
by a German submarine inside Scapa Flow.
Royal Oak was built in the First World War and outdated when she was sunk with the loss of 835 lives in 1939.

The Italian church built inside a nissen hut  by Italian POWs from whatever materials came to hand, what looks like 3D decorative masonry and tiling is actually painted




Watched a gull land on exactly the spot a diving Guillemot had just submerged at,
up came the Guillemot with a fish, only to be mugged by the gull.


Cruiseship MV Balmoral moored at Kirkwall.


This year, every cruise line in the world will visit Orkney.

There will be 140 port calls to Kirkwall with more than 120,000 passengers. That’s six times Orkney’s entire population.


After wave after wave of rain Sunday looked promising and we caught the ferry to Sanday



at Sanday's Bay of Lopness a First World War German destroyer lies a few yards off the beach.

https://meanderingwild.com/b-98-lopness-sanday-orkney/



Found a fish eventually!

Flounder? Halibut?
Or maybe Rock Salmon



Monday dawned bright and sunny, the sea was mirror flat.
Time for another ferry, Stromness to Scrabster on the Scottish Mainland. There was time to fish Stromness Harbour first


but bothering the shoals of fry in the clear water didn't seem appropriate on the day of Her Majesty's funeral.
The ferry buildings and  parking are built over timber supports - got to be monsters under there!

In the Northern Isles tackle shops  are a rarity,  fly fishing is more common, many shores are inaccessible or weedy, shallow margins abound; bring a beach caster, your own bait and seek out a sandy beach ( several to choose from) or you'll need very good directions to a rock mark or book a charter trip for the big sea stuff.

loving the Northern Isles though.

Very good Paul you must of had a very nice trip. I would love to go and visit Scotland but the wife is not so keen, so I’m dead jealous.

Kirky's Dad wrote:

Very good Paul you must of had a very nice trip. I would love to go and visit Scotland but the wife is not so keen, so I’m dry jealous.

A brilliant trip! Maybe you could tempt Mrs KD
with a scenic steam train trip!

Notbad wrote:

Kirky's Dad wrote:

Very good Paul you must of had a very nice trip. I would love to go and visit Scotland but the wife is not so keen, so I’m dry jealous.

A brilliant trip! Maybe you could tempt Mrs KD
with a scenic steam train trip!

My plan was to go in the car starting on the west side and going round the top and finish down the east side taking a month or so B&B. Your idea might work but I think she is a bit conscious of the nationalism, she doesn’t like conflict of any sort.

Kirky's Dad wrote:

Notbad wrote:

Kirky's Dad wrote:

Very good Paul you must of had a very nice trip. I would love to go and visit Scotland but the wife is not so keen, so I’m dry jealous.

A brilliant trip! Maybe you could tempt Mrs KD
with a scenic steam train trip!

My plan was to go in the car starting on the west side and going round the top and finish down the east side taking a month or so B&B. Your idea might work but I think she is a bit conscious of the nationalism, she doesn’t like conflict of any sort.

Some van/ car tourists have caused I'll feeling on the "NC500" ( The North Coast 500 ) which follows the coast; especially during Covid travel restrictions.
Ours is fully self contained and used responsibly with consideration for others and we've experienced no problems - on this trip we drove 1800 miles and used 7 ferries, in fact we couldn't get over how relaxed and friendly people were especially in The Shetlands, total strangers smiling and waving!
In some months the midges can be an issue but they can't fly if the windspeed is over 6mph.
For a taster you might try the West Coast to Skye (500 miles each way) I worked there for a few weeks and haven't hesitated to return on holiday - but do book accomodation in advance.



If you do, or only get as far as Glen Coe  I can very much recommend doing the Land Rover Tour of Glen Coe ( book with the National Trust visitors centre) I've driven through Glen Coe many times but the things we learned from the guide on this trip put a whole new perspective on the fauna, flora, geology and political history

Notbad wrote:

Kirky's Dad wrote:

Notbad wrote:

Kirky's Dad wrote:

Very good Paul you must of had a very nice trip. I would love to go and visit Scotland but the wife is not so keen, so I’m dry jealous.

A brilliant trip! Maybe you could tempt Mrs KD
with a scenic steam train trip!

My plan was to go in the car starting on the west side and going round the top and finish down the east side taking a month or so B&B. Your idea might work but I think she is a bit conscious of the nationalism, she doesn’t like conflict of any sort.

Some van/ car tourists have caused I'll feeling on the "NC500" ( The North Coast 500 ) which follows the coast; especially during Covid travel restrictions.
Ours is fully self contained and used responsibly with consideration for others and we've experienced no problems - on this trip we drove 1800 miles and used 7 ferries, in fact we couldn't get over how relaxed and friendly people were especially in The Shetlands, total strangers smiling and waving!
In some months the midges can be an issue but they can't fly if the windspeed is over 6mph.
For a taster you might try the West Coast to Skye (500 miles each way) I worked there for a few weeks and haven't hesitated to return on holiday - but do book accomodation in advance.



If you do, or only get as far as Glen Coe  I can very much recommend doing the Land Rover Tour of Glen Coe ( book with the National Trust visitors centre) I've driven through Glen Coe many times but the things we learned from the guide on this trip put a whole new perspective on the fauna, flora, geology and political history

Thanks Paul for the info. I will look into it over the winter.