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We set off to visit Noss on a nice day, Saturday the 18 July. The weather was good, skies were blue. In order to get to Noss, you have to catch the ferry from Lerwick to Bressay, which has more or less hourly schedule. Nevertheless we managed to miss it as there are different schedules on weekdays, saturdays, sundays... so check before you go. If you want to do the hike we did, you should catch the 12:30 ferry at the latest (again, on some days, its a 12:00 ferry, on some a 12:30 ferry etc...).
From Bressay ferry terminal you cross the island in about 10 minutes to a car park overlooking Noss, which is another small island on the back of Bressay. In order to get there, you have to walk down to the pier and wave at the warden who is based on the other side of Noss sound and will get you over in a small inflatable boat, the Noss ferry. The Noss ferry runs every day unless Mondays and Thursdays.
As we were a Saturday and the weather was nice, I assumed the Noss boat would be running. However, Noss sound can get vicious tides and so, when we arrived at the pier, this is what we saw:
View on the way down from the car park, over to Noss:
Close up: RED FLAG:
The red flag means that the boat can not take you over because the swell is too big. For us, this meant no crossing today. To avoid similar disappointment, just call 0800 107 78 18 prior to heading out to Bressay. It's an automatic information hotline which will tell you whether the boat is running or not. Call it, even if the weather looks fine.
We went back there the next day, a Sunday. Took the ferry at 12:30 and were down at the pier at one-ish. This time we had phoned and even if the weather was a bit cloudy, the boat run this time. The warden had seen us and came to pick us up at the pier. The swell was impressive but soon we were in the boat for the short crossing.
Warden tying the boat to the pier:
Approaching Noss - no red flag:
Once on the island, the warden gave us an introduction to the island, its beasts and history. As I had done my homework before and we were a bit late anyway - it was past one pm and the last ferry back is at 5 pm, the circular walk takes 3 - 4 hours, we did not linger. But if you are early and not well prepared, you will get all necessary info from the warden.
Well, off we went, past the disused pony pund straight up the first small hill. Once up there, the island opens up to you. The instructions were to keep to the cliffs from there and I'd advise you to follow these instructions, unless you are keen to get wet feet and/or run afoul of the Bonxies...
Been there, done that
Anyway, first you come along a small bay, where seals can be spotted - even a white one:
The path goes along the shore, which becomes more and more cliffs until you reach the outer cliffs of Noss on the right hand side. Basically, you walk from down there all up. The walls you see in the distance are not a settlement but the cliff walls built by the former warden of Noss, who wanted to keep people from getting too close to the cliffs:
Once you have reached the southermost part of the cliffs, you can follow them northwards and will soon see the Holm of Noss, also known as Cradle Holm. It is a huge stack separated from the Island by deep cliffs. There was once a cradle taking sheep and men to the Holm but it was dismantled by the same anxious warden who built the wall...
The Holm:
The Holm to the left, with a nice double natural arch in the cliff side to the right:
From down here, you will also catch a first glimpse of the Noup, the highest point of the island - with dudes on top (the first people we saw since the warden):
Ok, so we were starting to climb in that direction and the cliffs were getting more and more dramatic. Take this wee fellow for example. Not sure how long this will stay in place before crumbling to the sea:
Even if this is quite impressive, nothing prepares you to the sight of the cliff arena of the Noup. You just get there coming round a corner and you are in the middle of one of the greatest gannetrys in the world. Breathtaking (in the proper sense of the word as the smell will hit you at the same time as the views):
These pictures don't do the scenery justice. These are 180 meter cliffs you are looking at, with thousands of gannets, fulmars and guillemots on every ledge and also flying all around. It is amazing and on par with the St Kilda stacks.
Close ups:
Guillemots:
Gannets with chicks:
Fulmar:
On the way up to the Noup, looking back to where we came from, you can see dudes on the cliffs:
Soon, we were on the Noup. Looking back, you see Noss and Bressay:
To the right, the cliffs and the Holm:
To the left, more cliffs, the way we were about to head down:
Stick to the cliffs, or:
On the way down, there were more cliffs, really fine ones too, but after what we had seen, they seemed somewhat measly to us
Anyway, there were fine Guillemots on them. It seems, their young'n's had their first day to fly too!
Livin' on the (l)edge:
It seems that there are puffins too, but we did not spot any. Well, we had a good dose of puffins on Sumburgh Head and Fair Isle some days ago so we did not really go look after them. Instead, we headed straight down the hill and soon were looking back up the Noup from the other side of Noss, the north side:
From there, all along the north bank, which is getting smaller and smaller, we headed back west, towards where we came from. After a final climb the view opens up over the pony pund. On the other side of the sound, you can see the track up to the car park on Bressay:
Close up of the house and the pony pund, where excellent ponies were bred. I am not giving you the details but if you are interested in Shetland ponies, you should read up on the Noss ponies!
Back at the house at around 4:30 pm, we had the time to check out the whalebones lying around:
There were about a dozen guys who had already finished their walk watching otters with the warden. We joined them until it was time to say good bye and we were brought back over to Bressay.
Noss is a spectacular island. You would not tell seeing it from above Bressay, nor while you are walking up to the cliffs. Only once you turn around the corner and you face that great amphitheatre of the Noup gannetry, you realise that you are in one of Shetlands absolute must see places.
