I lost my shoe!

The West Mainland was today’s destination- specifically the area around Skeld and Walls. A hearty breakfast from Amanda, a packed lunch in the back of the car, a flask full of hot water for a decaf latte or two in the afternoon and we were off!

The drives in Shetland are beautiful and I have to keep reminding myself to speed up and not keep looking around at the spectacular scenery. I would be so annoyed by a driver like me back home. I think it says something about the people here that I have yet to be honked at!

I should mention too that Nina has proven to be a top-notch navigator! I’m still waiting for her to say “Recalculating!” when I take a wrong turn. 😀

Once again, the storm clouds were threatening but we had not a drop of rain whilst walking. There had obviously been some rain in the last little while though because as we came to one area I called back to Nina to be mindful as the ground was very spongy and wet in areas. Shortly after, I attempted to leap over a softer patch only to yell out, “I lost my shoe!”. Sure enough, as I went to jump, my back foot had got stuck and I leapt right out of my shoe. It was buried quite deep and stuck firmly in the mud. Nina was kind enough to try to get it unstuck. It took some effort and a couple of tries. I was planted firmly as my one foot was soaked and the other wasn’t on firm ground yet… I had visions of walking the whole way back with one socked foot!

The unstuck shoe was covered in stinky mud… I was reluctant to stick my foot in it. How fortunate was it that we had a couple of sanitary napkins on hand-so absorbent! I managed to get much of the excess mud off my shoe and sock and slip my shoe back on. Way to go, ON runners- I worried my shoe would be all squishy and wet and it was neither! I slipped it back on and carried on!

That’s my shoe deep in the ground!

This was also the day we saw some of the wooliest sheep ever. I swear they each had about 100 sweaters worth of wool on them!

We had packed some bits for lunch, along with a flask of hot water for drinks. We did look for a tearoom in the afternoon but as has been our luck, it was no longer where Google told us it would be! A gallery and a jewelry store and then it was time to head back towards home base.

We are staying at North Ness House on Trondra. It’s such an ideal location. There is water all around and the views are spectacular. Last night we walked out to the bridge to take photos at sunset. Tonight after dinner, our hosts Amanda and Peter took us for a drive around the island to see the sunset. What a difference it makes to experience things with locals! They shared stories and history we would never have had a chance to learn. Peter told us of the island where they built houses near the cliffs and then tied their children to ropes so they wouldn’t go over the edge whilst playing.

We stopped at the Crofthouse and checked for open doors.

We went to Marian’s Cake Fridge and got to meet Marian herself! Not surprisingly, there wasn’t a lot left as it was late Sunday night but Amanda scored a lime drizzle cake and we picked up some Millionaire shortbread. We have roadside stands at home but I’ve never seen a cake fridge!

And then we stopped to watch the sun set. It was such a clear night. Every which way you looked you could see more islands and houses in the distance. It was the perfect way to end the day!

Are you Melissa’s PA?

I love my blog. I love revisiting all the places I’ve been and reading the words I wrote which often have little clues that bring me right back to special moments. I first started blogging back in 2012 because I was going to be gone for two months and it was a way to stay connected and share my experiences with friends and family, most importantly my parents.

The other day I experienced some challenges with the site. I could no longer upload pictures and it wouldn’t save my drafts as I worked on my posts. I had reached the limit of my storage. So I had to decide whether to upgrade or start again. I was tempted to start fresh but in the end decided to continue. I figured I’d leave the final decision to when I’m back home so that I could continue to document and share this trip.

Anyway, after all the blogging drama the other morning, we sat down and enjoyed a proper Scottish breakfast before venturing out. Amanda prepared a delicious spread and we were nice and full before heading out for the day. She suggested we message her with our breakfast requests for the next day and so Nina suggested giving her phone number instead of mine. Her phone is always on while mine isn’t until I can connect to wifi. Amanda said she had figured yesterday that Nina was my PA (personal assistant). We thought that was hilarious! 🙂

We were going to explore more of the South Mainland and started at St Ninian’s Island. Walking around and enjoying and marvelling at all that we saw today, I’ve decided that photos will never do the beauty of the landscape justice but maybe that’s the point. Photos are just a teaser, meant to introduce and excite and pique interest. To get the real experience, enjoy the true splendour, the sheer awesomeness and witness the full spectacle of the coastline and the natural beauty, you need to physically be here. Here’s a sample for today!

It’s amazing how close the path was to the edge of the cliffs. If you dared look down, it was unsettling to realize how sheer a drop it was to the water. Again, photos can not do justice. I took a quick picture of my feet when I passed along between the two sheer drops. It looks like no big deal in the photo!

While cruise ship buses could be seen in parking lots, it was rare to bump into anyone on the walks. It was just us and the sheep, along with one man and his dog, on the island.

📸: Nina

📸: Nina

We were told to check out the knitwear and café in Hoswick, but just our luck the visitor centre was closed today. One of the ladies inside saw us and came to apologize that they were closed but told us they are having staffing issues so are adjusting their hours according to the cruise ship schedule. She did open the doors so we could use the facilities which was awesome.

We wandered around Hoswick, grabbed some lunch and sat on a bench to eat and watch the locals. A stop in Scalloway and then we headed home.

We went to the supermarket to grab dinner rather than trying to get in anywhere. I wasn’t sure how mine (Madras beef curry) would be but it actually was quite tasty. I will have the second half tomorrow. I finished it off with a piece of banoffee pie! My favourite!

We stayed up late (until 9:30) so we could catch the sun setting. Shockingly, it was beautiful! I think I need to expand my vocabulary…

North Ness House

Just Puffin’ Around

Today was a day for nature and birds and then some more birds. The weather forecast threatened rain, and a fair bit of it, so we were leery to venture too far in case we got stuck out in a rainstorm. We were to go on a whale watching boat ride with a local guide but that too was weather-dependent. We headed out to a nearby lookout while we waited for him to make the call. In the end it was too choppy and our boat ride was called off. Thank goodness, as I am not good on open water in the calmest of seas. I can’t imagine I would have fared well in rough waters.

We headed to the “Italian Arm” which is a rock formation where we were told there would be puffins close up if we were willing to walk. We walked and were we ever close. One of the things I love most about being here in Newfoundland is that places aren’t busy. You could walk out and be 10 feet from a puffin (or in this case three) and there wasn’t anyone else in sight. It was awesome!

Our host at the bed and breakfast, Keith, had told us about Dungeon’s Provincial Park. From the Bonavista website,“Bonavista is built upon sedimentary deposits of the Precambrian Age (600 million years ago). On the road between Lance Cove and Bonavista you’ll find one of nature’s carvings – the Dungeon. It is a circular opening in the cliff with two seaward-side channels where the sea roars through. It is approximately 300 feet across and 15 metres deep.” Apparently you can pan for fool’s gold there. We didn’t take our chances.

We spent a fair bit of time shooting pictures, listening to the waves crash against the rocks and just enjoying the tranquility of it all. Eventually it was time to venture on. As we were so captivated by the puffins, we decided to head to a puffin colony in nearby Elliston. Again, we were not disappointed. I should point out that we dressed more sensibly today. I traded in the sundress for long trousers and runners replaced my sandals. I did have a sleeveless shirt on though (as well as my toque and a scarf).

We are enamored with the small local cafés and teahouses. By all accounts we have been having too many desserts but they are all homemade and so delicious. We have decided that we are on holiday so it’s well worth it and we will just walk a little extra in the end to burn it off. Today we stopped at Nanny’s Root Cellar Kitchen where I enjoyed a delicious meal of fresh capelin and fries. Nina had the chowder. It was great! These small places never disappoint.

While we were both relatively tired at this point, we decided to head down to the harbor and historical area of Bonavista. We wandered around for a bit, headed to Swyers Fresh Foods, the grocery store that has been in town since 1892, and searched in vain for the bakery that Nina said she never saw but I was sure I hadn’t dreamt. We never did find it. Probably a good thing- I am not so sure we needed any more baked goods, no matter how delicious.

We headed back to the B&B for a much-needed nap. An afternoon rest seems to be just what is needed when you are on vacation. It’s certainly not a luxury I have during the rest of the year. From there we headed to the Bonavista Social Club. Nina had hoped to have their well-reviewed Moose burger but they were sold out. Instead we had salad and pizza while watching for whales. We didn’t see any whales but the food was delicious.

In an effort not to be driving too far too late (we were being very moose alert) we arrived back too early to go back to the bed and breakfast. It was a clear and breezy night so we headed back to the Bonavista lighthouse, to the place where Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) landed when he first discovered North America. Apparently he exclaimed, “O! Buona vista!” and that’s how the town was named. We spent the next hour or so watching the sun slowly set. So pretty! It was the perfect end to our last day in Bonavista.

Tomorrow we head to Twillingate, the iceberg capital of the world. The icebergfinder.com website indicates that there are currently icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland so we are still hopeful that we will see at least one before the end of our trip. I have a feeling it won’t happen until we are in L’Anse aux Meadows, but perhaps a whale watching boat tour might get us near to one.

Nina has been planning tomorrow as I write this blog. She has been reviewing all the places we have been eating since they have all been so yummy. She is currently working towards her next TripAdvisor badge and as a result has been diligently planning our route and our stops around cafés with excellent reviews.

Next to check off the list- icebergs and whales!