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Sadly our last day in Shetland, but an evening flight meant we had a full day to get out and explore before driving back to Sumburgh Airport. The forecast was fairly decent - cloudy with early rain soon clearing - so we headed west to the Dale of Walls for a walk along the coast to Deepdale and Sandness Hill.
The start of the walk wasn't too promising - a sudden heavy rain shower as soon as we left the car had us scrambling for the waterproofs as we headed along the track to the litter-debris-strewn at Voe of Dale. But heading up the steep grass at the north end of the beach, the rain stopped and the scenery improved as the cliffs grew. We also passed the shaggiest sheep I've ever seen:
Foula was visible far across the sea, shrouded by its own little weather system.
Some big stacks came into view ahead after we rounded the headland of Mu Ness. The stacks behind are probably off the island of Papa Stour.
Following the cliffs around here is a time-consuming (but rewarding) process - lots of ins and outs, and ups and downs which you don't really appreciate from the map. Some sections of cliff looked ready to slide into the sea:
On the western side of Blouk Field the ground was a little boggy, necessitating a few detours inland to find suitable marsh-crossing points. But hazy sunshine had broken through, with increasingly spectacular stacks and cliffs appearing ahead.
The view down into Sel Ayre 100+ metres below:
The steep, narrow valley of Deepdale soon slowed our progress, requiring a descent nearly to sea level, steep with the odd patch of eroded mud / scree. Looking down on the Bay of Deepdale:
And to the north:
The plan was to have lunch on the beach at Deepdale. This failed on two counts - first, a waterfall where the burn tumbles off down a cliff into the sea makes access to the beach impossible - and second, a strong wind blowing directly downstream, funneled by the steep valley sides. The next part of the walk was no less exposed, so we had to make do with crouching behind a couple of low rocks.
At least we were refreshed for the equally steep reascent though! This gradually levelled off though at about 170m, where we turned inland making a beeline for Sandness Hill. This is clearly seen ahead once you pass the hump of Ramna Vord.
From the summit, a sub-2000-list hill, there were hazy views of Papa Stour, somewhere on the list to visit when we next come to Shetland.
We headed southwest from Sandness Hill, avoiding the start of the Deepdale depression, heading towards slightly lower Dale Hill on the other side. The terrain varied between mostly dry grass and peat bogs, actually making for fairly easy going.
You might think you were in one of the more barren parts of the Cairngorms here, except the wildlife makes you reconsider. Yes, you still get mountain hares here (even at less than 200 metres above sea level!), but no grouse at all, and instead there were Great Skuas / bonxies everywhere. Luckily it wasn't dive-bombing season yet.
The terrain made route-finding interesting:
After what seemed like a long time, we headed over the last crest just east of Blouk Field, and the Dale of Walls came back into view.
One particular sheep chased me down the length of one field, much to the amusement of my other half:
At the valley bottom, a useful bridge unmarked on OS maps (but seen easily from the approach) gets you across the burn and onto the tarmac road for the last few hundred metres to the start. Surprisingly it was only 2.30pm, so we had time to explore a few other West Mainland attractions. First up, the old water mills at Huxter, beautifully set in a small valley just before the burn cascades into the sea:
It was lovely and sunny by now, and the wind had died down. Looking over the West Mainland from the car park for the mills:
Next, the Scord of Brouster, an ancient village. Probably worth a (boggy) visit for its views more than the actual houses:
Finally, Staneydale Temple, accessed by a ten-minute walk along a boggy path from the roadside near Bridge of Walls:
We stopped in Lerwick for dinner before driving back to Sumburgh - a 7.40pm flight means you can leave Lerwick at 6.15, get to Sumburgh before 7 and still have plenty of time to check in. Over dinner, fog had come down again and we were a bit worried this might affect the flight - but miraculously Sumburgh itself was still very sunny!
And so our trip ended in the same way as it began - in Sumburgh under blue skies, no wind, and warm sunshine. The weather in between hadn't always been like that but it was still a fantastic trip. There really is a lot to Shetland, even beyond its amazing coastline. Do visit if you get the chance!
Previous day: Steens of Stofast:
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=42275