Here's my final Shetland post, and it's a long one! There would be so much more for me to say, but I fear I would still be posting about this trip several months from now, especially given how slow I can be to blog sometimes. As hard as it is to leave this beautiful place, I do have other things I want to show you. So, here are the final trip highlights.
On a
glorious day we traveled by ferry to Unst, Britain's northernmost
inhabited isle.
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| View of Unst from the ferry |
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| The most picturesque day in Unst |
There we visited the Unst Heritage Centre, which houses a
stunning Shetland lace collection (sadly, photos were not allowed).
We also drove up to the Hermaness National Nature Reserve. Overlooking Muckle Flugga, Britain's most northerly point, the reserve is a sanctuary for thousands of seabirds.
After about an hour's hike through beautiful grassy moorland, we were treated the most stunning views of the ocean. The breathtaking cliffs are
home an array of nesting seabirds including fulmars, gulls, shags,
gannets, puffins and kittiwakes. Other notable inhabitants are enumerable sheep braving the perilous drops.
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| An unusually tame Bonxie |
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| Hiking in full-on Fair-Isle regalia. Such fun to wear so many woolens in summer! |
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| Surefooted sheep! |
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| Baaaaa! |
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| Very noisy and smelly gannet colony |
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| Perfect weather for a picnic! |
Now to the best part of the trip. Getting
to know the lovely women who signed up for this trip of a lifetime was the highlight of my Shetland adventure.
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| Me, Kathy and Lori |
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| Susan, Claire, Anne, Kathryn and Alice |
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| Me and Kathryn |
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| Kathy, Claire, Pat and Lori |
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| Kathy and Claire |
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| Pat and I |
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| Mary-Jane and lovely expert knitter (sorry I don't know her name) at the Shetland Textile Museum |
We
just had SO much fun together! Chatting and laughing while we
criss-crossed the islands in our mini-bus, sharing all those incredible
meals at Burrastow, learning together from some of Shetland's most talented craftspeople, hanging out late at night with our knitting and our
life stories, marveling together at our immense luck to be in such a
beautiful place, with such wonderful company... It was overwhelming and
life-changing. I will never forget the
wonderful time we had together!
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| Me, Kathryn, Gudrun, Lori and Claire. We're showing off our Bressays. Photo courtesy of Alice Stern. |
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| Paula, Linnea, Susan, myself, Liz getting a master class from Hazel Tindal. Photo courtesy of Alice Stern. |
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| The lucky trip people, on our way to one of the happiest places on Earth! Photo courtesy of Lori Graham |
Cheers Shetland, it was unforgettable. I cannot wait to go back!
