Martha's Summer Vacation travels to Fair Isle, Shetland Pt.1

Martha Owen sent me several wonderful photos to share from her trip to Shetland last summer to visit Elizabeth Johnston.  If you've not had the opportunity to visit Shetland, it involves a bit of time to actually get just to Mainland where Elizabeth lives.  First you need to fly to an airport hub in Europe (we chose Edinburgh on our trip).  Next you need to transfer to Aberdeen in the NW of Scotland.  For the final leg of the trip, you can either take a verrrry long ferry ride across the North Sea (not a good chose if you get sea sick easily), or a rather short plane flight to Sumburgh, the airport on the south end of Mainland, Shetland.  If you started in the US, by the time you get to Shetland you are pretty bleary eyed and in need of some fresh air.

This pony lives up the hill from Elizabeth in Scousburgh.  Martha took the photo on a walk shortly after getting to Shetland just as the sun was setting.

 

Fair Isle is another island in the group of islands that makes up Shetland.  It lays half-way between Orkney and Mainland, Shetland, about 25 miles south west of Sumburgh head (where the airport and Scatness are).

When Martha and Elizabeth got on the plane to Fair Isle for a 6 hour day trip, they were weighed and then arranged accordingly on the tiny plane that flew them over to the island.

The island is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is just 3 miles long and 2 miles wide.  The 70 or so islanders that live there live mostly in traditional crofts on the south end of the island.  The northern part of the island is primarily rough grazing land and rocky moorland that rises up to 700 feet above the sea.

The view from the plane as they approach Fair Isle.

To be continued...