Here there be ponies...
May 9th 2008 13:59
After my first long-term stint with a man with totally limited abilities, I decided that a break would be nice and a trip to Scotland would be interesting. My grandfather was born in the Orkney Islands, so it was there that I decided to make a beeline to. I stayed for a few weeks with distant relatives after a long bus journey (to Aberdeen) and an equally long ferry ride (To Kirkwall). The pilgrimage was well worthwhile and it was while I was on a fishing boat with a distant cousin trying to combat seasickness and come to terms with my station as an absolute "landlubber" (on a calm sea) that I was convinced to further my travel to the Shetlands.
Another ferry ride saw me enter the fogged-in town of Lerwick. This was no reflection of what I was to experience in the next 2 weeks. July in the Shetland Islands in 2006 was perfect. No rain, minimal fog and about 18 hours of daylight each day. It was peak tourist season on the islands, and outside of Lerwick, it was easy to spend a whole day walking around the natural beauty of the place without seeing more than a handful of other people.
This was heaven.
The coastline was the most scenic and stimulating I had seen anywhere. The emptiness, rugged beauty and interaction with numerous arctic birdlife was absolutely stunning. At any turn would be an unexpected surprise. Puffins would appear at massive cliff faces when I stopped to admire the scenery. They acted as if they were aware of my presence (and my camera) and decided to move closer and show off their best sides.
The hired car I drove back from some remote lighthouse passed only one or two other vehicles on the well maintained roads. As I drove - I happened to look out into the ocean and spied some dorsel fins in the distance. Hurriedly I pulled over and witnessed a pod of 4 killer whales (orcas) move in along the coastline below where I was standing to hunt seals which were playing in the crystal waters below me. The sheer power of these animals as they sped along the water in an attempt to trap a seal brought a feeling of adrenalin and absolute admiration to surface...luckily for the seals - the hunt was this time unsuccessful.
It was hard to leave the Shetlands after a few weeks of exploring and living a quiet few weeks with nature, but time soon caught up with me. I never expected or planned to go to this remote area between Scotland and Iceland, but I am far from disappointed that I did. The Shetland Islands were my absolute favourite experience of my 3 years in Europe.
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