Shetland Kayak / Gallery

Shetland Kayak. Section 01. The Western Seaboard

: 01. Approaching Fitful Head and the start of the West coast Swell

: 02. The Nev is the headland marking the Northen tip of Fitful head. It, and the adjacent steep grassy slopes, were covered in Fulmar nests

: 03. Approaching the sheltered beach in Scousbrough Bay after rounding Fitful Head and the exposed coast up to Fora Ness

: 04. The delightful Island of Oxna was covered in the small purple Spring Squill flowers and bees were flying to the island to feed on their nectar.

: 05. My campsite in Sand Voe on the Island of Oxna on Day 2. Oxna lay just off the coast from the village of Hamnavoe on West Burra.

: 06. the Island of Oxna was a paradise in good weather with plently of wildlife and pasture. Here are 4 small Eider Ducklings in the shallows of the sheltered Sandvoe bay

: 07. The Stacks at Silwick are perhaps part of the most spectacular section of coastline in the British Isles and continued like this for 3-4 km

: 08. It was possible to paddle between many of the stacks which were riddled with slots and caves and even some tunnels

: 09. West of Silwick towers the swell penetrated through the defence of skerries, islets and stacks in places but it the inner coastline was partially protected from the full force of the Atlantic

: 10. Continueing west from Silwick and past Westerwick the protective outer stacks appeared again making a spectacular channel to paddle up towards the massive stack of Giltaramp ahead.

: 11. North of Burrastow the coast line all the way to Papa Stour was wild and rugged. These are the stacks at Wienna Ness just north of the relativerly sheltered Voe of Dale bay.

: 12. The “Railroad Tunnel” cave on the block of a stack called Lyre Skerry off the west coast of Papa Stour. This solid stacks was in fact riddled with tunnels and the tide flows strongly through them.

: 13. Just after the NW point of Papa Stour is a large bay ringed by red cliffs. The base of the cliffs is riddle with caves one of which goes right through the headland to the otherside and at nearly 350 metres isd the longest sea cave in the UK.

: 14. The stacks of Lamba Ness on the north side of Papa Stour are are part of the magnificent coastscape, with jagged headlands and deep bays.

: 15. On the NE corner of Papa Stour is gloup. A gloup is a sea cave where the inner roof has collapsed so one has to go under an arch to get to the inner portion open to the sky.

: 16. Murbie Stack on the west coast of Muckle Roe just north of tyhe light during a gale. This was a hiking day

: 17 The Hams of Roe on the NW corner of Muckle Roe. The Hams are two bays with relatively sheltered beaches. Many Shetlanders consider the Hams of Roe their favourite place on Shetland. This was a hiking day.

: 18. Looking back down to the Hams of Roe from the hill to the east. The North Ham is visible but the South Ham is hidden in the background behind the prominent headland which is riddled with caves, arches and tunnels. This was a hiking day

: 19. The Drongs of Hillswick from the Ness of Hillswick. The Drongs are pillars of rock which have withstood the fury of thre Atlantic. This was a hiking day.

: 20. A close up of the Drongs of Hillswick from the Ness of Hillswick. This was a hiking day

: 21. A small raft of Eider Duck and young in the sheltered Tangwick Bay on the Eshaness peninsula. This was a hiking day

: 22. The massive stack of Dora Holm, is said to resemble a horse. It has a huge arch and is riddled with caves. This was a hiking day.

: 23. The west side of the Eshaness peninsula is exposed to the full force of the Atlantic swell. On this day it was 5 metres with a force 5 wind also so it was a hiking day.

: 24. Another view of the west coast of Eshaness from near the lighthouse. This coast is riddled with caves, tunnels, stacks and arches and is immensely spectacular. This was a hiking day.

: 25. The Drongs of Hillswick on a relatively calm day. These pillars of very hard rock are perhaps 30 metres high.

: 26. Dora Holm from the south side . The arch is nearly 30 metres high and was just a bit too lively to paddle under today. The stack is riddled with caves and tunnels

: 27. the west side of Eshaness peninsula with the lighthouse on top of the cliffs. The swell here was now about 3 metres with lots of clapotis. The photo was taken about 2200 in the long June evening

: 28. The enchanting sandy isthmus between the mainland and the island of Uyea on a calm day. It was possible to drag the kayak up the channel over the isthmus at this relatively low tide

: 29. There are about 7 stacks on the west tip of Hermaness peninsula at the north of Unst. Most are covered in gannet nests and are stained whiye with guano.

: 30 Approaching Muckle Flugga with a flooding tide. It is a collection of 4-5 stacks covered in gannet nests and a Stevenson built lighthouse. It is the northernmost outpost of the British Isles

: 31. Looking bacl to Hermaness on the left, Muckle Flugga in the middle and Out Stack, the most northerly on the right where there was a strong and bumpy tiderace.

: 32. Safely round Muckle Flugga and celebrating in Skaw Wick bay with a piece of date flap jack the Yell school teacher had given me that morning. Now it is just the less exposed Eastern Seaboard of the North Sea.

Shetland Kayak. Section 02. The Eastern Seaboard

: 33. A Golden Plover on the Hermaness peninsula. This was a hiking day.

: 34. Even at a few days old the Great Skua chick has attitude and confidence. Its parents were dive bombing me intensely while I took the photo. It was a hiking day.

: 35. A red diver at a small lochan on the Hermaness peninsula. The diver was just preening here and not breeding here. This was a hiking day.

: 36. Looking over to the rocky islands of Muckle Flugga from Hermaness. Out Stack, the most northerly point of the British Isles, is just out of the picture to the right. This was a hiking day

: 37. Many puffins nest in burrows along the turf fringes ontop of the cliffs at Hermaness. This was a hiking day

: 38. Red campion, Silene dioica, grows everywhere in Shetland especially in the coastal areas. This was a hiking day.

: 39. Near Haroldswick is a replica of the Gokstad ship. It was built in Sweden in 2000 and destined for North America to emulate Lief Erikson’s discovery of the continent some 500 years before Columbus. The ship made it to Unst and the project was abandoned. This was a hiking day.

: 40. A Great Northern Diver in Sand Wick bay. Divers overwinter in Shetland and a few non breeding birds remain in the summer rather than return to Iceland to breed.

: 41. Off the northern tip og Strandburgh Ness on Fetlar a narrow channel some 200 metres long separates Fetlar Island from a stack called Outer Brough. There was once a monastic Norse settlement here on the stack and the adjacent Strandburgh Ness peninsula

: 42. The east side of Fetlar is rich in coastal features with many stacks, caves and arches. It is possible to weave around the base of the Stacks of Scrambo between channels

: 43. On the east side of Fetlar there are many skerries which are used by seals as pull outs between the tides. Most of thre seals are Grey Seals here.

: 44. Lamb Hoga is a peninsula on the south side of Feltar. The are Phalrope, Skua, Geese, Fulmars and Auks breeding on it. This was a hiking day.

: 45. A cluster of Red Necked Phalarope on a lochan on Lamb Hoga. The Phalarope breed all over Fetlar. This was a hiking day.

: 46. A Red Necked Phalarope on a lochan on Lamba Hoga. The Phalaropes migrate from the Middle East to breed here.

: 47. Out Skerries are a cluster of 3 larger Islands separated by channals and a lagoon. To the east of the Out Skerries is a rocky islet with a lighthouse

: 48. The Out Skerries, the easternmost islands in the Shetland Isles, lie in tidal waters with powerful currents but the central lagoon is very protected from the swells of the North Sea. This was a hiking day

: 49. The east coast of the Island of Noss risises up to the 180 metre high cliffs of the Noup. It is home to a huge gannet colony.

: 50. Thousands of Gulklimots breed on the sandstone ledges of Noss below the gannet colonies. They lay conical eggsa on the shelves so they dont roll off. If Shuas attack they all defend with a mass of spiky beaks presended like lances

: 51. The main gannet colony of Noss contains many thousands of birds whjo nesy on the cliffs above the caves. They travel far each day for food but are attacked by skuas on their return and forced to disgorge they catch.

: 52. On the SE corner of the Isle of Noss is a great stack seperated from the Isle by a narrowe channel up which it was possioble to paddle at all but low tide.

: 53. The great Syack on the SE corner of Noss as seen from the land. The watery channel is in the chasm. The surface of the stack was a breeding ground for gulls.

: 54. The Noup of Noss from the cliffs beside it. The Noup rises some 180 metres out of the North Sea. There are about 25,000 gannets nesting in this bouyant colony. A hiking morning

: 55. A pair of gannets feeding their chick. The gannets fish far at sea and when the return they have to run a gauntlet of waiting Great Skuas who force them to disgorge food intented for the chicks.

: 56. The Noup on Noss from the cliffs to the south near the Great Stack. There is a large cave at the base of these cliffs.

: 57. A fulmar nesting on the turf just at the top of the cliffs. They and their helpless chicks would be vulnerable to Skua predation were it not for the oily vomit they discharge which matts predators feathers or fur.

: 58. A Great Skua. A agile and fearless predatory bird which survives by plundering gannets and eating the eggs and chicks of any bird.

: 59. One of the passages through the stack of Stoura Clett which is just to the south of Green Head on Bressay. The stack was riddled with passages and caves.

: 60. The SE corner of Bressay was a row of high headlands with vertical cliffs punctuated by a few caves. There was nowhere to land until you were round the corner at Bard Head in the distance

: 61. West Ham on Mousa island was relatively sheltered compared to East Ham on the other side of this isthmus. The bothy here was “soft locked” so I slept inside it but cooked and ate in the glourious evening sun outside

: 62. The broch on Mousa is Iron Age and 2000 years old. There were brochs like this all over Scotland but Mousa is the best preserved and nearly full height at 13 metres.

: 63. Mousa Broch has two circular walls joined together with spiral staircase. It would have been 3-4 stories high and was they home once of a Pictish chieftan 2000 years ago.

: 64. Inside the broch there was a well on the floor level. Chambers for storage were built into the walls which were perhaps 3-4 metres thick at the base before the two concentric walls rose from them.

: 65. Wheatears are common all over Shetland where they come to breed and take advantage of the glut of summer insects and lavae. They over winter in central Africa

: 66. Red Throated divers feed in the sea but nest on fresh water lochans with small islets of vegetation. Here are a pair on the East Pool of Mousa , a sea inlet.

: 67. The cliffs from Troswick south to Voe were impressive with arches, small caves and stacks. These continued down the coast to a lesser extent from Voe to Sumburgh

: 68. The marina at East Shore by Sumburgh where I started and finished the tour 410 km later. The “mast” on the kayak is actually an airtight drain pipe for a camera mount.