Embarkation May 2010

Count Down

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At Last - The day has arrived.

Well, the day has finally arrived, we will be setting off from our home in Lancashire at approximately midnight tonight (7th June 2012). We will be heading for Aberdeen which is a drive of about 324 miles arriving in Aberdeen at around 6am.We shall head straight for the harbour where we will hopefully see the ferry arriving from Shetland. then it's off to the Travelodge at Justice Mill Lane which is our favourite place for a hearty breakfast. It is also an opportunity for Helen to catch up with a few friends as she was seconded to this hotel as a covering manager for a couple of months last year.  After feasting on an all you can eat breakfast it's off to the shops to get our last minute items and to walk off the effects of our breakfast. The remainder of the day will be spent milling around the harbour area while we wait to get on the ferry which sales for Shetland at 7pm.  

About this blog

This blog is about a group of islands which, alongside Alaska, Scandinavia and Northern Russia lie on the 60th parallel above the Equator. These particular islands are the most northerly point of the United Kingdom and are situated between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean 210 miles north of Aberdeen. They are at times calm and tranquil but sometimes wild and rugged but are always beautiful and full of surprises. They are of course the:

SHETLAND ISLES.

Helen and I will be setting off from our home in Lancashire on the 8th June for our 5th visit to these wondrous islands, a place that somehow we think of as home. We will be there for three weeks and will be recording our activities and experiences throughout this exciting journey on this blog. Please feel free to add your own comments to this blog as it builds into what I am sure will be a memorable record for us to look back on in future years.

 

Nesbister Bod can be seen in the distance on the shore line

On previous visits to these islands we have based ourselves at the Nesbister Bod, a serenely secluded spot located below Whiteness on the west coast of Mainland Shetland. Here we could enjoy otters and seals swimming in the voe, arctic terns breeding on the shoreline and the occasional skua hunting for it's next meal. A visit to the Nestings pub on the hill top overlooking the bod was a must, we could always be assured of a warm welcome in this friendly environment. However, this year we will be wild camping in some of our favourite places and other places we have yet to visit.