Place Notes

Monthly Report, October 2020

Another month navigated.

  • Reporting Days: 31
  • Location: Mostly Shetland :-)
  • Miles Walked: 120
  • Miles Driven: 800
  • Gardens Tended: 1 (Shetland)
  • Puffins Seen: None (although the occasional guillemot was spotted, and lots of autumn migrants too)
  • Photographs Taken: Thousands (mostly waves and beaches)
  • Online Meetings attended: None

It was good, in this very strange year, to finally get a month where I finally got to spend most of the month within (on good days at least) sight of the sea.

It's actually relatively straightforward to live a social distanced lifestyle at the south end of Shetland - even when it's busy on the beach (i.e. there is someone within sight), the traditional greeting is a shouted "Aye, Aye" before heading off in your separate directions. 

The time on Shetland had a certain symmetry to it - 4 or 5 days of rubbish weather, followed by a couple of weeks of decent autumn weather then another 4 or 5 days of rubbish weather.

The good weather encouraged me to spend lots of time outside - and to make up of the lack of sea air in August and September.  

It would have been lovely to report lots of evenings watching the Mirrie Dancers (aka the northern lights) or afternoons watching orca at Sumburgh Head but neither put in an appearance until after I'd got the boat back south.  Which does rather reinforce the view that I should stayed a wee bit longer, but there again I probably say that every time I need to spend time off Shetland.

Looking across West Voe from Scat Ness to Sumburgh Head

Shetland is very good at sunsets!

Looking down from Compass Head, with clouds still on top of Fitful Head

Calm waters at St Ninian's Isle

Waves at Quendale Bay

Showers sometimes mean rainbows, Over Quendale

Spiggie Beach

Waves at Greatness Voe

Calm water at Scat Ness

One thing that is scarce on Shetland (apart from crowds!) is trees - so it was good to see some autumn colour in Headington when I made it back from the beach! 

Autumn Colours, Headington






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