Exploring castles, Vikings, heritage and nature in Unst

Our first stop was Muness, and a visit to Britain’s most northerly castle. The tower’s stones shone in the sunlight; details of the corbelled turrets accentuated by shadow. Barely readable, above the door, an inscription tells visitors that the building was home to Laurence Bruce and dated 1598.

Inside was dark and cool, and our footsteps echoed as we explored cellars and staircases, examining the fireplaces and gun holes. Looking out the windows revealed ancient and modern landscapes existing alongside each other.

Walls and croft houses fashioned from stones that were once part of the castle’s outhouses; unusually shaped mounds that may have formed part of the island’s Neolithic past; A tractor cutting grass, winter feed for sheep and ponies; brightly coloured laundry on a washing line.

No trip to Unst is complete without stopping at Bobby’s Bus Shelter. The structure is the same orange shelter as is commonly seen along Shetland’s roadsides but inside this one is elaborately decorated, the theme changing every year. Check out the blog post here to find out more.

For 2023, it was all about the visiting tall ships, which came to Shetland as part of the international Tall Ships Races in July. Framed pictures of boats and a vintage clock decorated the shelter’s interior walls and there was a box containing a captain’s hat, compass and telescope.

The story of the bus shelter begins when a young boy called Bobby wrote a letter to the local paper requesting a new bus shelter to make his wait for the school bus more comfortable. The new shelter was built and soon, strange items began to appear inside it, a TV, armchair, a carpet and telephone. Before long it began to attract visitors and over the years it has become an international phenomenon, and was one of the stops whentelevision presenter Kate Humble visited Shetland.

As afternoon drew towards evening, the wind started to pick up and cloud began to punctuate the sky. We decided to make a final stop at Saxavord radar station, located on Unst’s highest hill. From this viewpoint, we saw the outline of the island below, trying to identify the places we had been in the patchwork of hills and bays.

Cotton grass, highlighted by the sun, moved with the breeze, transforming the land to silver and green. Turning to face the other way, the sea stretched forever, a distant shimmer at the horizon.

Muckle Flugga lighthouse shone white against grey rock, at the very northernmost point of Shetland and the UK. We were so close to Hermaness nature reserve, home to important seabird colonies, that the sky was filled with gannets. Wings outstretched, they moved with purpose bringing food to their chicks.

Although this was to be the final stop, the island’s ponies had other ideas. On our way to the ferry, we passed a field of mares and foals. We stood by the fence watching as the foals chased each other up and down the hill, while the mares grazed. Soon the foals grew curious about our presence, approaching the fence and allowing us to pet them.

It was a magical end to the day, quietly sitting with Shetland ponies in the sunshine, as colours of sunset crept into the sky.