Off to the South (of Shetland)

Sunday, 8.6.2025
Breakfast is a bit unusual; there is no buffet as we are accustomed to. We have to order exactly what we want.
It is sufficient and good; however, I only discover the muesli when leaving, as it was hidden under the sideboard. We go shopping, there is a Coop, a brand I haven't seen in Germany for a long time. The weather is pleasant, it isn't raining. Our first stop is at a broch built during the Iron Age, a tall round tower made of stones, where life took place and where one was protected from enemies. At the first incline, it begins to rain, and there are bus shelters again to put on the rain gear. We continue cycling. It's ups and downs again, and I realize how tired I actually am. I get slower on the inclines, and twice Christa comes towards me to help with pushing. The ride takes us twice as long as originally thought. Time and again, we gaze into the distance—simply wonderful. Around four, we arrive at our booked pod, which are barrel-shaped houses, very nice and well-equipped.
Once I’m settled in and try to book the ferry to Kirkwall, I unfortunately find out that the ferry only leaves a day later than I thought. Such a planning mistake shouldn’t happen; I have no idea how it could occur. Sometimes I think the ferry simply changed its timetable. It turns out Lerwick is fully booked. I call every option listed on Google Maps, but everywhere it’s 'sorry, we are totally booked out.' I can already imagine us having to spend the night in a bus shelter; one night we could probably survive, we have a sort of emergency kit with us, a bivvy bag and a travel blanket. I have a bit of luck with a Bed and Breakfast outside of Lerwick, but in our direction; the lady has to check. Someone has booked, but not confirmed yet. At some point in the afternoon, I receive confirmation that the accommodation is free. We are both so happy that we have found something after all.
At the entrance to the property, I see a sign for fresh eggs about 200 m away. We go, ring the bell, and indeed: 6 eggs for 2 GBP. We prepare dinner, we had bought some things, pasta is always good. We thought we had bought chicken with vegetable sauce, but it turned out to be Quorn, a vegan product based on mushrooms. It’s edible and surprisingly tasty.

Monday, 9.6.2025
The next day, we set off with light luggage towards the southern tip of Shetland Mainland. We have sunshine and some wind; it’s beautiful for cycling. At the intersection with the main road, there is a small shop; we peek in but don’t need anything at the moment. We follow the main road south, cross the airstrip of the airport, and arrive at Jarlshof. There, excavations from the Stone Age, similar to Skara Brae in Orkney, can be seen. We skip the entrance fee and cycle up to the lighthouse, which is the southern end of the cycle path on Shetland. At the lighthouse, you can see the technology of that time and, of course, you have a wide view over the sea. We sit in the grass, eat a little, and look and look and look. In the small café, a window seat is free; we sit down and have tea time. The café is run by volunteers, and it operates on a self-service basis of trust. You can supposedly see puffins here; many people have cameras with large lenses or binoculars. We are indeed lucky that 2 puffins sit right in front of my camera, maybe a meter and a half away. Proudly, I show my puffin pictures in the café.
We cycle back leisurely. At the airport, the road is closed because a plane is taking off. I actually wanted to take a picture of how the path goes over the runway, but unfortunately, it wasn’t possible. They pay very close attention to ensure no one stops; another plane could come.
Somewhat tired but also happy, we arrive at our pod and have a pleasant night after eating noodles, Quorn, and eggs.

Tuesday, 10.6.2025
The ride towards our accommodation is supposed to be short, says Komoot. I'm fit again; cycling is fun, it's dry, not too cold, and there's little wind. Not far away is St. Ninians Isle; we take a little walk on the island, which is connected to the mainland by a sandy beach called a 'tombolo'. There’s also a sauna on the beach, but with no usage instructions. We then go to Hoswick, where there is a café and a lot of knitted items that are made there. We eat a slice of pie; a warm meal is always nice. We pass the cemetery again, where we briefly stopped on the drive. Behind the cemetery wall, people are busy with excavations. They are looking for remains of the Picts. The Picts are a sort of collective term for all Scottish people beyond the Roman Empire. This tribe had conflicts with the Romans, the Vikings, and also some Irish people in the area, but they wrote a considerable portion of Scotland’s history.
One last climb and we reach Fiona's Bed and Breakfast, with whom we had a wonderful WhatsApp exchange. We practically received a holiday apartment; everything is nicely arranged, the garden is wonderful, and we can relax.

Wednesday, 11.06.2025
We make our breakfast ourselves. As a first exception, there aren’t any eggs and bacon or similar, but we start the day well and cycle back to Lerwick, where we do some shopping. The AIDA cruise ship is in the harbor; Lerwick is full of German cruise passengers, and German is spoken in the shops. It’s amusing to watch it all unfold. The passengers arrive in town with landing boats from the AIDA, buses are ready for excursions, and we see a group of cyclists coming. I chat a bit with the girls from the welcoming committee. They say that one or two cruise ships do indeed arrive in Lerwick daily. Well, there are more people on the ship than there are residents in Lerwick.

We both find something, I a headband (good for the wind), Christa a little jacket. We also visited the whiskey distillery, a tasting glass costs 8.80 GBP. You definitely have to get used to the prices; for accommodation with breakfast, we have to count up to 150 GBP (exchange rate approximately 1.20 EUR).

After a coffee shop visit, we cycle to the harbor and board the ferry for the trip to Kirkwall, Orkney. With a bit of nostalgia, we leave Shetland; it was beautiful. The vastness is so impressive, it was so fun, and we were so lucky with the weather.