Photos and the City

Author: Ursula Schmitz

Unst

On a misty morning, I drove the 5 seconds to the ferry and went to explore Unst, the most northerly island in the UK. Rich with Viking heritage, Unst is closer to Norway than mainland Scotland and has stunning nature. From white beaches to beautiful voes – Unst offers a lot.

After arriving in Unst I turned left to Uyeasound, a small town on the south coast of Unst and was greeted by the Unst weather rock and this lovely little honesty café and also an honesty rock shop on the other side of the harbour.

Greenwells Booth

Greenwells Booth is a stone house from the 17th century and used to be a Hanseatic trading booth.

Leaving Uyeasound in direction of Muness Castle I soon saw a greeting from former times – The Clivocast Stone, also known as the Uyea Breck Standing Stone – standing tall above Uyeasound. It is said to mark the spot where the son of the Viking Harald Harfager was killed in 900 AD.

Muness Castle

Muness Castle was built-in 1598 for the ruthless Lawrence Bruce and it is one of only two castles in Shetland, the other being in Scalloway. It is Britains most northerly castle. Lawrence Bruse was the half brother to Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney, and uncle to the tyrannical Earl Patrick Stewart (who built Scalloway Castle). The Bruce family sold the castle in 1718 and it had fallen into ruin by the end of that century.

08/02/2022
More about Yell

I continued my exploring of Yell along the East coast back up to my hut with a few little detours making new friends.

I was actually looking for a broch but found this lovely space with a little surprise behind the house – a white beach.

I think the broch might be somewhere over there?

03/02/2022
Exploring Yell

View from my hut in Yell towards Fetlar. I got the feeling most people drove straight through Yell to go to Unst, which is a shame as Yell has a lot to offer. Sometimes it is very hidden (and took several attempts to find it) but the journey is always stunning.

View towards Unst and the busy ferry port.

The house on the hill is actually on sale, I´ve been seeing the offer a few times now and it looks stunning. And must have great views from there.

I started my round trip around Yell on the West Coast, looking at beautiful lost houses and trying to not run over any sheep. The tourist office of Shetland makes beautiful little guides of the different areas, telling a bit of history and pointing out places of interest. But to be honest Yell doesn´t make it very easy to find these points, but as already said, the search for them is stunning. Even in the everchanging weather.

View towards Shetland Mainland, I was already almost in the South of Yell.

The Old Haa Museum – the house was built in 1672 by a local merchant and became the home of various merchants and Hanseatic Traders.

The Old Haa Trust, formed in 1984, acquired the building from the Shetland Amenity Trust, with the proviso that they would “look after the building on behalf of the people of Yell.” (oldhaa.com)

Extensive repairs and renovations took place and the Old Haa was transformed into a museum showcasing local artefacts and history. And there is a lovely garden and tea room.

01/02/2022