Fair Isle. Day two.

Fair Isle. Day two

We were able to walk to the South Light after dinner for a couple of reasons. Firstly, dinner is served at 6pm, so quite early and secondly that the summer days in Shetland are very long. It is nearly 60 degrees north of the equator (Raleigh is 32 North or so) so the difference in the day length is much greater than home. It is early May and there is still six weeks to the summer solstice and even now it is light at 4.30 and only gets dark, after a long dusk, around 10.

People on Yell and Unst which are further north say that it is really a prolonged dusk that turns into a prolonged dawn and that it really does not get dark. Conversely the winter days are very short and that is generally tougher on people.

The Fair Isle Bird Observatory is a not for profit organization and has had an observatory for many years, but built a new building that was completed in 2010. It can accommodate about 40 guests and about 10 staff who are also Rangers and PhD students. There are some volunteers who pay a nominal sum to stay and help with cleaning and cooking. The rooms are simple but well furnished with attached bathroom and the atmosphere is more of a grown up college dorm/ B&B/Hostel. There are no room keys and the meals are all taken in a community dining room. Three meals a day are included in the price and it is about $80 per person per day, which is remarkably inexpensive for the standards achieved. Chris was the chef and produced consistently tasty meals with accommodations for different dietary requirements. We had an excellent Sunday lunch of roast beef (there was even some rare beef) with roasted potatoes and cooked, but not overcooked vegetables. There was no choice but in reality none was needed!

 

On Sunday we basically decided to do our own things. Mags wanted to go to church, one of two on the island and it was the Church of Scotland who had the service this week and the Methodists get their turn next week. I get the feeling that of the people who go they will go to either service.

I elected to take a solo walk and Steve and Alison took a short walk down by the harbor.

I had a rudimentary map, and the island is small so I was confident that I would not get lost. There is a system of writing your name on a board and an approx destination or route so that if you do get lost the searchers will have an ide where to look for you.

I headed up across the moorland to the airstrip and on a rough road that lead uphill to a large communication tower with microwave dishes and antennae and then along the same path, known I discovered as the “Peat Road”. 

View of North Light from Peat Road

Bonxtie country

This goes to the one area on the island where there is peat suitable for cutting for fuel for the fireplace

I could see the North Light and indeed at one point could actually see both lights one at each end of the island. It was windy, but you get used to this on Shetland

One thing we were warned about are Bonxties which are large birds ( I estimate in the order of five pounds) that live in pairs in the heather on the ground. They are very protective of their territory and if you invade they send up one of the two, or sometimes both to drive you off. They do this by dive-bombing you and if not deterred they will collide with the highest part of you, which for most of us is our head! The defense is to hold your arm above you and that is what they dive for. On one occasion I think they ganged up on me as there were a squadron of about 8 that were circling for their chance to take a shot. No direct hits I am pleased to report.

From the peat road I took off across the heather and crossed a couple of streams back to the road that leads to the North Light, and then back to the Observatory. I really had a nice quiet walk and some time for each of us to spend alone. We are all getting on very well and I think that occasional breaks like this help ensure that it will continue to be so!
Later in the afternoon Mags and I walked down to the nicely sheltered harbor to look at the ferry and climb up on to the small peninsular Burness which is a home to a large puffin colony.

A spring lamb stretches those all important muscles that make for a great and tasty leg of lamb!

Diversity in the lamb population

Sunday evening Puffin walk with Ranger Carrie originally from Thurso North Scotland

Carrie, Mags, Alison and Steve

We looked at the ferry that operates three times a week in summer and once a week in winter. Little did we know that we would become more connected to the ferry as time went on.

View of the harbor. You can just see the ferry at right of center

The ferry safe in it's little cove

Mags and me below the ferry

The ferry is quite different than the ones we experienced in other parts of Shetland. All of the others are RoRo (Roll on roll off) and generally much bigger that “The Good Shepherd” RoRo is basically where you drive on, but the Good Shepherd has a crane to lift vehicles on and off and it only holds about 2 cars at a time.

Loading the ferry. Note the list on the boat!

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Almost safely aboard

When not in use the ferry is hauled out of the water and it’s home is in a very sheltered cove that was dug out of the rock. It looks very cosy and was necessitated by the sinking of another ferry in the 1970s (I think) in the harbor with all the consequent troubles!

Mags and I took a short evening walk up to the remains of a WW2 Heinkel (German) aircraft that was shot down in 1941. It was a weather reporting plane with a crew of five. Two died in the crash and it took a week or more to get the others to a prison camp. In the interim they had become friendly with the islanders. The pilot (twenty one at the time) returned to Fair Isle at least twice since the war to visit. The engines and parts of the fuselage remain where they impacted (or close) almost 70 years ago.

Tail section and a piece of wing.

Remains of the engines

Monday morning found us with less wind but low cloud and the prediction that our scheduled 9.30 flight would likely not operate. The prediction was accurate and indeed nothing operated that day and we eventually took the ferry on Tuesday morning to Grutness on the south end of mainland Shetland.

They actually operated 3 flights on the Tuesday although none were scheduled just to catch up and we rode past Tingwall as the first one landed.

The ferry was certainly an experience and not for the faint of heart. It is a short vessel that is quite high and designed for the task, but rolls and bobs around even in moderate swells. We asked a crewman how he rated the journey on a scale of 1-10 and he rated it a 2 to a 3. There is a small cabin below for passengers when it gets rough and it is equipped with 12 seats with seat covers and seatbelts. I can fully understand how all might be needed in rough waters. The water came to within 3 ft of the portholes in the weather we experienced and we were told that it easily covered the portholes in rougher weather. The crossing is about 2 ½ hours and I believe this would be an eternity in bad weather. It introduces a level of respect for those who brave the seas on vessels like this and smaller fishing boats.

The small group of intrepid travelers about to board the Good Shepherd

There is no doubt that the whole way of life is substantially different for Shetlanders, and the islanders in particular. There will be the relative lack of stress compared to the lives most of us lead, but in a community of 60 or 80 people in a remote location there is also little privacy and an underlying need to get along, be a part of the community, and not be too intrusive in to the lives of others.

The travelers on our last day together on Fair Isle

Mags showed me a job posting for a District Nurse on the island of Foula. 29 residents, a house and office provided and about $50K a year. There would be days when that might sound attractive, but the responsibilities are huge as there is no doctor, and you have to deal with the crisis and determine when to call the Coastguard helicopter to evacuate a sick or injured person. The summer days are nearly endless, but the winter nights are equally long. I think I could manage periods of solitude, and we could all deal with reduced stress, but I think I would not be well suited to living there on a long-term basis.

Great to visit and I will be back but maybe too remote for the long term.

Fair Isle. All sweaters and birds.

Fair Isle is the most remote inhabited community in the UK and lies about half way between the north of Scotland and mainland Shetland. It is about 3.5 miles long and about 1.5.miles wide. There are two lighthouses at the north and south ends and most of the inhabitants live on the south end where the soil is better and you have flatter terrain.

The eastern coast of Fair Isle

Walking up to North Light

The Fair Isle Bird Observatory

Fair Isle is a destination for bird watchers as it is on a migratory route and is remote enough to be safe for most birds. We stayed at the Fair Isle Bird Observatory that was built (to replace the previous building) in 2010. It is a fantastic place to stay. Modern amenities and a hostel atmosphere (no room keys and most stuff on the “honor” system.)

There are a couple of other places to stay but they have limited availability. The Observatory is by far and away the biggest place (by any measure) on the island.

Looking down towards the South light over the crofts that cover the south of the island

We caught the plane from Tingwall for the 25 minute flight with three others, one of whom was an 18 (just) year old islander who did not have much to say as he was recovering from celebrating his coming of age with his friends in Lerwick and was coming home for a celebration with his family.

A tombolo. A narrow strip of land that connects an island with the mainland. There are several examples in

Our pilot Marshall grew up on Shetland and always wanted to return and fly the Islanders to the islands. Mags and I had decided that we would take an additional round trip to Sumburgh, the main Shetland airport. The Islander service only goes there once a week from anywhere and it happens to be from Fair Isle.

Short finals at Fair Isle. A short but wide runway.

ILS approach in to Sumburgh

I was asked in Tingwall if I would like to sit in the front right seat. Silly question!

We took off and flew directly south with a small detour to look at a tombolo, which is basically a very narrow strip of land that connects an island to the mainland.

I also asked Marshall about the length of the Fair Isle runway and was informed “long enough. It is like landing at Heathrow compared to the other airstrips we use”

The strip is long enough and also very wide, I estimate it is 100m wide with the marked area being about 50m wide. We landed and taxied in to see Lachlan’s family waving enthusiastically (he is the 18 year old) as they had not seen him in a month or so.

The Islander loads to return to Tingwall

Fair Isle Terminal One!

We off loaded everyone except Mags and me, and loaded two others who were leaving Fair Isle and took off.

All commercial pilots have to maintain recent experience in instrument flying and Marshall announced that he would take a few extra minutes to fly an instrument approach in to Sumburgh. I suspect he chose to do so for my benefit and it certainly added to my enjoyment of the trip. This is typical of the courtesy shown by most people on Shetland and our whole experience has been very positive. They are not an outwardly emotional people but they have good hearts, good values and a willingness to help those that show they will help themselves.

We stopped in Sumburgh and then returned to Fair Isle in the early afternoon.

After getting settled in we decided on a walk up to the “North Light”. The island is only 3.5 miles long so it was about a mile or so each way. There is an excellent road and we all took the walk and then another after dinner down to the South Light which was a good bit further. We think we walked more than 7 miles that day.

The island cemetery looking south

More on the Observatory and other adventures in the next post.