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What? Ward Hill, Fair Isle
When? August 13th 2014
Weather? Lowish cloud, but not low enough to prevent flying
Distance? 2 miles
Ascent 430 feet
Map? 4
Thanks are due to foggie, since I had taken a very relaxed attitude to getting to Foula and Fair Isle and had assumed that catching a plane was much like catching a bus. I pm-ed him just to check, and only just managed to book the last two seats in the seven seater plane, once for the first Wednesday, and the other for the following Wednesday. Planes were only flying two days a week since the operation had been inspected and had been told that their fire cover was inadequate. Planes hadn’t been going at all earlier in the summer. The advantage of leaving it so late was that we qualified for an OAP discount for this flight (though not for Foula) as we had booked less than a week in advance|.
We arrived at Tingwall airport thinking that we could fill our water bottles in whatever passed for a terminal on Fair Isle, to discover that a woman going for a day trip was bringing a huge flask of coffee. It is unlikely if one could blow up a plane with Cup-a-Soup, but I have no idea what is in it, so wasn’t taking that risk. Another Marilyn bagger was waiting to go to Foula that day. Nice meeting you Andrew, should you ever read this. Also in our party for Fair Isle was a man who was collecting inhabited British islands. They had to have a population of ten or more, and he was two thirds through his list of 99. As usual, I forgot to ask him all the really interesting questions, such as whether he included private islands. We assume he didn’t have to sleep on them, as he came back with us.
Our pilot Craig introduced himself. He seemed to have picked the youngest and fittest looking man to sit next to him, we assumed in case as pilot, he had a heart attack and the chap had to land the plane through instructions via his head-phones. Foggie had filled that role on his trip(though luckily was not called upon). However, our theory was blown out of the sky on the return, where there was a spare seat….next to the pilot.
FairIsle comes into view
The plane made a swift turnaround
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We crossed the runway and made for Ward Hill. Unfortunately the summit was shrouded with cloud. There is a track nearly to the top, which was rather eroded in places after the downpour of the previous week.
The bonxies made a few half-hearted passes over our heads, just to keep an eye in for the next breeding season. We also saw Arctic Skuas in both colorations (apparently this colouration is not male or female but either can adopt the dark mode or the grey and white mode.)
We past the transmitter and climbed the hill. There is nothing to be said for the WW2 junk on the summit. Maybe in thousands of years archeologists will designate it as a religious site.
The summit is not the trig(below) but a cairn mad out of concrete bits.
We had our lunch and descended. The plane had been late taking off, so we only had four hours to spend on the island
Stone walls and the water mill near a burn
We walked round to the bird observatory, which was more a hostel than an observatory.
Gannets on the cliffs
Cliffs and archways
Sheep and the sheep rock which dominates the landscape EDIT 2022. I have since seen photos of a gang of relative hill baggers climbing the sharks fin sheep’s rock hill in the distance. It is fiercer than it looks from here.
All too soon it was time to fly back to Mainland
This would have been the highlight of the trip, had it not been for Foula and Noss Head.
What? Foula: Da Sneug and Da Noup
When? August 20th 2014
Who? Sgurr and R.
Weather? Showers, overcast with some sun
Distance?4.7 miles
Ascent 1720feet
Map? 4
Or son had warned us to get to Tingwall airport early, as when he had booked a flight a few years previously, due at 9 a.m. it had flown off at 8.30 a.m. since the forecast was for lowering cloud. They had explained that it was better that they go and collect the passengers who were stranded there than to wait and take him, possibly to be stranded as well, but more likely not to fly at all.. The weather hadn’t improved for four days, so he had sat in his hotel room watching the World Cup. When he eventually DID fly, he decided that he should allow more time than the schedule was prepared to allow, and took a bivvy bag and slept out.
It was the last day we were staying overnight on Mainland, and we were lucky enough to have booked a flight to Foula. Always weather dependent, we were glad that the wind of the previous two days had dropped, and the flight would be going. A District Nurse wanted to go as well, but eventually they told her that there would be no guarantee of a return flight that day. As mere tourists, we felt rather guilty, but assumed that had it been anything really serious, we would have had to forfeit our places. They greeted us by name as we entered the terminal at Tingwall, as they knew all the other frequent flyers. The head teacher of a two person school was going back after the holidays, together with the supplementary teacher who takes over when she has to do the administration. Someone was flying over to take water samples, and that was about it. The rest of the passengers would join us on the return flight. Below, glad to see that Craig (of our Fair Isle trip) doesn’t have to do all the flying. Our pilot was Marshall this time
We soon landed and went our separate ways. The school teacher said that the bridge had crumbled while she had been away, leaving her car on the same side as the school, but the opposite side from her house. A month’s rain had fallen in a day two days before we had arrived in Shetland. Sums of some millions were bandied about as being needed for its repair, and this in a community of less than 40 people. A couple who had been renting self-catering accommodation for a week returned with the plane. Below, the plane flying off
We passed the kirk, and set off up the easy slope.
The sheep on Foula seem to be a separate strain, or strains, either different colours, or with long hair.
Looking down towards Da Toon O’ Ham. The crumbling bridge is where the road bends
There are two minor summits en-route to Da Sneug: Hamnafield and Tounafield. As we turned the corner the wind became noticeably stronger, and then eased again as we became sheltered by Da Sneug.
Looking down to sea stacks and the impressive arch in one, Da Sheepie.
We reached the top in reasonable time, and pressed on, since we had arrived in Foula at 9.30 a.m. and needed to be back to the air-strip by 3.30p.m and didn’t know how long it would take us to get up what looked like the much steeper Da Noup.
We retraced our tracks for a while until we could see a really easy-angled descent, and then made for Da Sneck, between the two hills
The cliffs were amazing, though I gather not as high as further round the corner where foggie had made a special detour
The bird seemed to enjoy playing with the air currents.
There were plenty of bonxies around, but with the breeding season over, they felt no need to come at us seriously. Those who don't take walking poles during the breeding season can always equip themselves with a stick from the terminal, £1 for the day for school funds, with a fetching ribbon tied to the top of each.
Looking up Da Noup
We climbed up Da Noup,
and on the way met some Shetland ponies.
Looking back again to Da Sneck
There was no impressive cairn here, just a few stones thrown together.
Looking down towards Da Sooth Ness and the light house
Once over the top of Da Noup we sat down to have lunch, but as soon as we had finished, the rain came in.
We made tracks downhill towards the burial ground and the end of the road. Below, farmhouse
We walked back up towards the landing strip
In view of the weather we were grateful to find the Kirk open and a welcome room furnished for visitors. The last name in the visitors’ book was that of the bagger who had flown out to Foula the previous week when we had flown to Fair Isle. It was interesting to learn that the school and its two pupils had won a conservation award from Total for their (?) polytunnel, and would be going to collect it at Sumburgh Head in September, all expenses paid.
Below is an example of their work hung up in the church.
When the plane arrived it turned out that two of the passengers who had been due to fly back with us had cancelled, so the District Nurse could have come after all.
