South to Craobh via Shetland and Orkney Islands

We have had a fabulous time since we left Lerwick. There has been very little wind so we have done a lot of motoring and while it may be Spring the temperatures haven't really warmed up yet. Days are long as we are now only a month away from the summer solstice. We decided to go as far south as Craobh Haven on the west coast of Scotland. It is very rare for us to return to a place and it has been so good to drop anchor and know people ashore instead of always being strangers....a rare treat.

The west coast of Shetland is stunning with huge, high stacks of rock everywhere and good anchorages. Each day was a "wow" day as we moved south.

Papa Stour is an island with 22 miles of coastline and was first populated 3000BC. It has a rich history, easy walking and birds galore. Only a handful of people are living there now while some live on the mainland but still farm on the island.  As you can see, Shetland lacks trees of any sort!

Spring brings some colour to the villages where people make quite an effort in their gardens while nature does a pretty good job on her own with bluebells.

How about this for a home? We anchored in a very tight little spot in front of this magnificent place on the island of Vaila where we met the owner Richard, a retired London lawyer, who, along with his wife, breeds organic sheep. It was so full of amazing things that I didn't know where to look first! There were old paintings, stuffed birds, armour...too much to take in. We visited the watchtower which they have made into a quirky little hideaway with great views. So glad we decided to drop anchor there instead of just passing by.

 Scalloway Castle was built in 1600 and dominates the ancient capital. There is a very good museum that tells of the "Shetland Bus" where the local fishermen helped the Norwegian resistance movement during WWII, taking over spies and supplies, bringing back refugees.

A good breeze gave us a fast sail for the 65 miles to Pierwall on Westray Island in the Orkney Islands where we sat for 3 days waiting for things to settle down. We bundled up in warm clothes and explored the village and surrounding countryside. Of course there was a castle. The islands here are not as dramatic as Shetland but rich in ancient history.

The island of Rousay had burial chambers almost 5,000 years old.

Another 64 mile sail in brisk winds got us to the north coast of Scotland where we sheltered at Talmine. The next day we gave up trying to get around Cape Wrath, the NW corner of Scotland, in the shitty seas and dropped anchor in this stunning spot in Loch Aeriboll, with an old lime kiln and great walking.

  

 This cave was used as a church on the island of Rona. The outlook over to Skye was magnificent. It was quite a walk in so they must have been keen. We lit a candle there for our friend Paul. A lot more interesting than the churches that are built nowadays.

Crowlin's Island was once a pirate hide-out. It used to be covered in trees which would have helped.

We caught up with people we met last year when we returned to Canna, enjoyed the music and dancing before making our to Craobh Haven where we are continuing to have a social time. Doing a few jobs on the boat and stocking up on food while we are near a big supermarket. Friends join us tomorrow for a few days on the water and then we will move  quickly to Stornaway to await fair winds to head up to the Faroes. Several other boats are heading that way about the same time so we might get to cruise in company for a change.

Those two months flew by

These last two months have flown by. I thought I would do a new post at least once a month but internet fixes have been few and far between, and once the emails have been answered the blog gets left.

We have had a great time and met some wonderful people both on and off the water. The landscape has been dramatic and the walking good. This summer has been an especially warm and sunny one so far which always makes a difference....no grey, damp Scotland for us lucky Kiwis!

                                          Tobermory on the Isle of Mull

     We had a night anchored at Lunga Island where we got to hang out with the comical puffins.        Everywhere we have been there has been amazing birdlife, especially up in the Orkneys where birdwatcers come from all over at this time of the year. Other than birds we have seen very little wildlife except for a few dolphins and plenty of rabbits! No whales.

    The Ioana Abbey was closed but it was a lovely island and village to wander about. The anchorage wasn't too good so we were close by in Tinker's Hole with it's stunning rock, great walking.

     This was the big house on Rum Island (of course we had to go there), not the most tasteful architecture. It was interesting looking in the windows to see all the interior slowly decaying.

 Canna Island was a favorite spot for us and we enjoyed a week of walking, getting to know some locals, meeting other yachties (usually we are on our own). While we were there a Gaelic band called Diabh did a gig and about 60 people turned up.

      We had a month in the Outer Hebrides. Anchorages were close so we did a few miles most days, dropped the anchor and had a good walk. Most of the time we had the anchorages to ourselves so it was always nice when another boat turned up.

        The west coast of the Outer Hebrides was beautiful.

 We were lucky enough to be at the Callinish stone circle a day or two before the summer solstice and got to hang out with some people who gather there every year to celebrate with drums, pipes and even a didgeridoo. Windora was anchored just below the site and we watched the sun go down about midnight before we wandered home.

We have rushed through the Orkneys and Shetlands as we will be back this way next year on our way west, but what we have seen has us keen to return. The ancient sites, dating back 5,000 years are everywhere and some in really good condition. Today Phil was at a broch, a double-walled round house like the photo above which was built in the Iron Age. They may have been safe but would have been pretty dismal to live in.

In a day or two we will sail over to Norway and make our way north to the Lofoten Islands. It has been the first time we have been so undecided where to go....Norway or Iceland and west.... We feel like heading towards NZ but at the same time we know we won't be over in this side of the world on Windora again so it makes sense to have another summer here. It is such a beautiful part of the world and the history is our history too. NZ being such a young country, it is not many generations since our ancestors left this side of the world and sailed half way around the world to start a new life.