Isles of Unst & Yell lay on pre-Tall Ships spree

The more leisurely “Cruise in Company” leg from Norway to Shetland ahead of the 26-29 July celebrations will see many ships calling at guest harbours including Cullivoe in Yell and Baltasound in Unst, Britain’s most northerly inhabited island.

Every summer the local community lays on a week-long summer celebration called UnstFest, and this year it has been organised to coincide with the Cruise in Company and runs from 17-23 July.

A remarkable 61 activities and entertainments are planned over the seven days, with street parties and picnics, arts and crafts, guided walks, Baltisail, Quidditch, some top Shetland bands and more besides.

Regular events including the UnstFest swap shop, a puffin hunt, a quiz night, a sand sculpture competition and “enough music, dancing and laughter to keep everyone entertained”, the organisers say.

Among the weekend highlights will be a variety concert for CLAN Shetland in the Haroldswick Hall on the night of Friday 21 July, followed by a double bill featuring two of Shetland’s premier party bands, The Bashies and The Revellers, in the Baltasound Hall on Saturday 22 July.

One of the organisers, Heather Gray from Baltasound, said UnstFest was a “community-run social event that brings folk together from all over the island and beyond every summer”.

“We are thrilled to have ships coming in to Baltasound to visit this year,” she said. “It’s good to be part of the build-up to the Tall Ships in Lerwick. It’ll be a great atmosphere and an exciting finale for this year’s UnstFest.”

From lunchtime on Sunday 23 July attention turns to the Sail Yell event, kicking off at 1pm, with a similarly extensive programme of activities and entertainment on offer in the northerly fishing village of Cullivoe.

A daytime programme of live music, food and drink, amusements and entertainment for all the family will be topped off with nighttime Sail Yell sprees including a ticketed headline slot from multiple award-winning Scottish trad-rock supergroup Manran, fresh from selling out Glasgow’s Hydro, on Monday 24 July.

Late night ferries and extra buses have been laid on from Lerwick and organiser Alice Jamieson is encouraging folk to book time off and plan an outing to Yell.

“Yell has always been the place to come for a party on the pier, with a warm welcome to folk from all over Shetland – and to sailors from all over the world,” she says.

“We’re really proud that Cullivoe has once again been chosen to play its part in the Tall Ships coming to Shetland, and we know that this will be the perfect warm up for the festivities to follow.”

Gary Innes, accordionist and singer in Manran as well as presenter of the much loved BBC Radio Scotland show Take the Floor, said the band were “absolutely delighted” to be heading north to perform.

“Something we learned years ago is that when Shetland comes calling, you never say no!” he says. “The islands are bursting with incredible musicians and music lovers alike, and you’re always treated to an atmosphere and reception like no other.”

Cullivoe – which previously hosted a Sail Yell festival when the Tall Ships Races last visited Shetland in 2011 – is a community steeped in maritime history.

With local sail training vessel The Swan (LK 243) already signed up, organisers are hoping that more vessels will be attracted by the village’s perfect mix of idyllic Shetland scenery and a bustling industrial pier – with excellent shelter, berthing and anchorage, as well as stores, fuel, water and other amenities.

Alice says the community is relishing the prospect of “a real gala feel down on the pier – we are really excited to welcome these ships and we can’t wait to host them”, adding organisers were hugely grateful to their sponsors along with a significant grant from the Coastal Communities Fund.

With the exception of two ticketed concerts, all the attractions on offer will be free to enjoy including a bairns’ tent, visits from the lifeboat and Viking Jarl’s Squad, knitting and creel-making demonstrations, drawing classes, yoga and fitness – while a marketplace will be selling local produce and crafts alongside food and drink stalls.

• Full details of both events are available on the Sail Yell and UnstFest Facebook pages.