Happy Monday! We made the most of the fine weather over the weekend, visiting two different beaches with Sammy. Watch to the end to see one of his lurcher behaviours shining through! Do you have a favourite beach in Shetland?#adventureshetland
The Up Helly Aa procession - in 1 minute! Up Helly Aa season continues tonight with the Nestin and Girlsta festival, and I thought I would better wrap up my coverage of the Lerwick event quick sharp! Here’s a reel of my footage of the torchlit procession, filmed entirely from my vantage point in the bandstand. I’m not able to take anything at the light up as I’m occupied with a flare and lighting up a squad, so obviously that requires all my focus and attention! My pal Nick got a great shot of the light up, so I’ll share that on the story for you to see there! Otherwise, all the major elements are covered here - music from the pipe and brass bands, the galley conveying the Guizer Jarl around the streets, the guizers carrying their torches, the turning movement on King Harald Street, entering the burning site in the George V park, and throwing the torches into the galley! I’ve got further footage of all the day’s events - including more of the procession and burning - in a longer video on our YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/CRjUrXdc07M?si=VHDe9yCEQhGhl56j It’s quite the spectacle, don’t you think?#adventureshetland
It’s hard to believe this was almost a week ago! What stunning weather we had for the morning procession, I’d say the nicest it’s been since 2006 - and this was reflected by the number of people who came out to watch! Crowds of thousands thronged to see the Guizer Jarl Richard Moar and his squad march “in ower” to have their photo taken with the galley. This year, she was named Ethena in honour of the Jarl’s daughters and I couldn’t be more proud of our team of painters for producing such a stunning Galley! I remain one very delighted painters’ foreman 🥰 As for the soundtrack - you may not associate bagpipes with Vikings or Shetland - however the Pipe and Brass bands are a big part of Up Helly Aa, and traditionally play Highland Cathedral while the Jarl’s Squad have their photo taken at the galley, so it made sense to use it here! More Up Helly Aa content to follow this week!#adventureshetland
Join me for an all-too-quick look around Jarlshof, one of Shetland’s premier archaeological sites!
Although most well-known for it’s Viking-age houses, Jarlshof has the remains of buildings spanning over 4000 years from the Neolithic to the present day. There can’t be too many sites around the world with this range of occupation that are so visible and accessible!
Here there is a Stone Age house, a Bronze Age smithy and village, a broch and surrounding buildings from the Iron Age, Pictish wheelhouses, then we get to the Viking longhouses and Norse farm, before finally the Scottish Laird’s Haa, dating to around 1600. And of course the whole lot is right next to Sumburgh airport!
It’s impossible to show the real extent of all this in a few short clips, but here are some to give a bit of an impression at least!
Apparently this didn’t share across the other day, so here’s a repost of the Lang Ayre - complete with brand new soundtrack!
This months blog is out now, and we’re focusing on 5 more archaeological sites that are worth a visit.
Our list kicks off with the Papil Stone - just one of a collection of carved stones from the church in Burra, which has clearly been an important religious centre.
For more information about the stone and it’s carvings, head to the link below. There will be a video on YouTube about all this shortly too - playing rugby away in Aberdeen at the weekend has delayed this, but keep an eye on the stories for updates there!
https://adventureshetland.com/f/5-more-must-see-shetland-archaeological-sites
Our first ever podcast episode is now live and available on Patreon!
In it, I tell a story set here - at Burrafirth in Unst, the story of Goturm the Dane.
Without spoiling too much, Goturm is a wealthy Viking sea king and raider, who has a chance interaction with the Burrafirth Vikings before becoming shipwrecked.
In the podcast I tell what happened to Goturm next, his unlikely interaction with Auslag, daughter of the local chief, and his fate.
Following this I set the characters and locations into their historical and physical contexts, and concluded with how they have inspired and been portrayed in popular culture - which is more than you might expect!
This is available on our Patreon, at the Explorer and Adventurer levels, which can be found at the link here -
https://www.patreon.com/adventure_shetland
I’ve been seeing these guys fairly frequently over the last week or so while out walking the dog. In fact, we saw 3 different hegris (herons) yesterday at different spots around Lerwick.
I love these birds, because they are a bit of everything and full of contradictions. They can be peaceful and patient, graceful and elegant, but also clumsy and comedic, and their singing voice is something to behold 👉😬👈. I think they’re a bit like us all really, brilliant and flawed and perfect as they are.
Didn’t expect a profound Friday morning thought like that, did you? Have a great day and a great weekend!
#adventureshetland
One of the great characters on the crew - and musical maestro - “Captain” Iain Harrison Sr. Always the man to lift spirits if things aren’t going well, or people are stressing, and every team needs someone like that!
#adventureshetland
When the place you’re visiting is just too epic to capture in a photo!
#adventureshetland
The Norwegian sail training ship @statsraad_lehmkuhl arrived into Lerwick last night accompanied by a flotilla of local boats - including the Dim Riv and the Lerwick Yoal rowing team.
None of the Norwegian crew will be allowed off the ship due to covid protocols, and this will be their last visit here until 2023 as the ship is due to undertake a circumnavigation of the globe which will last about 18 months. Still, we wanted to give them a proper welcome - and what a way to do it!
#adventureshetland
We spent midnight at midsummer overlooking the most northern point of the British Isles - Muckle Flugga and the Out Stack.
At this time of year the Simmer Dim means it never quite gets dark, even in the middle of the night - and it wasn’t long after this that the sun began to rise again after the shortest ‘night’ of the year!
#adventureshetland
After a beach barbecue in Yell, we continued northwards to Unst. After getting settled in our accommodation we headed out again, this time for a stomp up to Hermaness to see these little guys in their hundreds!
#adventureshetland
Adventure Shetland on Holiday
We don’t have deer in Shetland, so it was a real novelty for me when these guys and girls appeared at our back door in Brue. I couldn’t believe how well camouflaged they were, their colouring matches the moor perfectly!
#adventureshetland
Name a better place to spend the weekend - I’m not sure it’s possible!
#adventureshetland
Happy World Otter Day!
We’ve got a few Draatsi (that’s otter in Shetland dialect) videos on our YouTube channel if you want to check them out - bit.ly/AdShetYT
#adventureshetland
I don’t do tiktok, but my pal Elie does and she made this cool little video on our adventure last week.
I reckon it’s pretty fun, and a good way to start the new week!
#adventureshetland
Have you been to see the puffins down at @sumburghhead yet?
These fantastic little birds have spent the whole winter out at sea and have not long returned to land to breed.
#adventureshetland
The Burgi Stack in the South Mainland.
It’s name suggests it may once have been topped by a broch or some other fortification at one point in the past, although it’s hard to tell from the land! It may be that the stack simply resembled a broch too, and this is where the name comes from.
#adventureshetland
Uyea is also home to a seal colony, as well as a while host of seabirds.
Do you think they saw me coming?
You can see more of these guys - and their incredible surroundings - in Retracing a Legend, available from the link in bio for just £3
#adventureshetland
