Walking the land, smelling the sea, watching the wildlife where my hardy Unst ancestors crofted and fished; absolutely incredible. Home and Unst are almost polar opposites, and not just geographically. The hills are low, there’s no trees to interrupt the views, but there are quite large farmable areas. Sheep mainly. Across the Hebrides I’ve been struck by how muscled the cattle are.
Shaggy shetland ponies filling their already fat bellies, oblivious of the gale threatening to blow me over.
The ‘bus’ driver, in a van with floor too high for anyone to get in, or out, with decorum, dropped me off at the heritage museum, after going out of his way to deliver a lass to where her ‘friend’ was staying. The way those two greeted each other, they’re very close friends indeed!
The Unst heritage museum is so much more. Laughter erupted regularly from a craft knitting group meeting at the end of the building, and two ladies very kindly took time to locate my ancestors on a family tree, adding a couple of generations to my knowledge.
Here’s the home of exquisite fine wool lacework. Later in the day, whilst waiting for the bus (a real bus this time), a lovely grandmother invited me inside the inner sanctum of the knitters group. Members work included a long draping layette, a wooden-framed deck chair designed to honour the tides, and beautiful examples of lacework. The lady was wearing a cardigan in sky blue she’d made from a legacy pattern; fine, delicate and stunning. We chatted about the island, it’s crafts, and efforts to ensure life moves forward without losing what’s special. Her gentle determination, and warmth, made me feel I’d been in the company of treasure.
Visitors can purchase patterns and materials in kits, to make their very own Unst lace work. The temptation was strong.
There’s nowhere to get a cuppa on monday’s; everyone said so. But the soup was lovely, the scone delicious, and the pot of tea a great recovery from that wind. She may have been closed, but Victoria was full the Monday I called by.
Boat Haven, behind the Cafe, demonstrates how unlikely it was for any ancestor to have survived the fishing, yet they not only survived, they went 40 miles out in open boats to use a variety of methods to get their catch. Multi-day trips were the norm. Crazy stuff. No life jackets, GPS, helicopter rescues. Just them, the sea, and the fish. I am in awe of their skills.
Across the bay, a viking long-house, and boat being restored. Note how the smoke could escape without the weather coming in. A side room held an incongruous stack of 1960’s hall chairs…
Four Agricultural shows are held on Shetland each year; Unst takes it’s turn the first weekend of September. Produce, crafts, baking and animals are all shown off and judged, the same as shows across the globe. The signage at Unst’s grounds could have been at any of them.
The bus turned up exactly on time. Was it okay with the two of us passengers if we circled around the island to swap vehicles, which would save him having to come back later? The extra sightseeing was no problem, and the driver got an early knock-off. It was a car we swapped to, of course.
Stories for you - Enjoy! 