I continued my way up north in Unst in direction of the Shetland Reel Distillery for my gin tasting. On the way, I saw some of Unsts sights, it was easier here to find them than in Yell.
Bobby´s Bus shelter
Probably the most famous bus shelter worldwide – Bobby´s Bus Shelter and this lovely honesty box is situated near Baltasound. Each year the shelter gets decorated with a new theme, but nobody knows who are the masterminds behind the decoration.
And you definitely want to have a look into that honesty box, such amazing produce!
Saxa Vord
It was time for my gin tasting at the most northerly distillery in the UK – Shetland Reel Gin. It turned out that I was the only guest and got to try all the different gins. It was founded to distil whisky and as we all know whisky takes a long time, so to earn some money gin seemed to be an option. Using only local botanicals Shetland Reel gin soon earned awards and lots of fans. They still don´t produce whisky but a range of different gins with special editions for the Up Helly AA festival, a rocket countdown or special book editions. I also got the tip to look out for the special editions in the local shops as they often stock them. (A few days later I was lucky enough to score a Filska edition, which was very tasty.)
Even so, I kept myself back with tasting the different gin a bit of a walk was necessary and I wanted to explore Saxa Vord anyway,
Unst played an important role in the defence of the UK during World War 2. By 1945 there were two radar stations in Unst, one at Saxa Vord and another one in Skaw. The houses and buildings we see today used to house the employees until its closing in 2005.
Today there is a new radar station based in Saxa Vord, but nobody is based there all the time. The houses and buildings became holiday resorts. My lovely guide at the distillery told me, that usually lots of guests from Norway come with cruises and stay in Unst. This year I was the first non-UK-resident tourist coming to Shetland Reel.
Skaw Beach
Skaw is the most northerly settlement in the UK, including the most northern house. I went to the most northerly beach, which was stunning. And it is also the most northerly point of the British Cycle Route.
It is a narrow and sometimes steep road to get there but it is worth it!
