The ‘wow’ factor: island hopping and otter spotting on a family break in Shetland | Scotland holidays

IT takes 38 hours – two trains, a tube, a sleeponian sleeping day in Aberdeen, a rental car and a northlink – to get to Steland from our home in Oxfordshire, and yet the immortal words “Are we there yet?” They do not utter once. When he commits the phrase in Lerwick, the children, Lydia (11) and Alex (eight), are unusually silent as we take in the view: the city gather on a low hill, the water in the morning sun, and the islands as much as you can see the eye.

We spend a week in the archipelago, and we first traveled all over the mainland, the main island, then the north to the less -walled islands of Yell and UNST, associated with regular phrases. It turns out that the perfect site for a family vacation: short trip times (it takes 80 minutes to drive from the southern end of the mainland to the north) almost always along with the sea, and raising a boat or journey every day.

On the mainland, we rely on ourselves in Hayhoul B & B. Mary, the royal, makes us feel that we are part of her family and mutilated us in delicious dinner meals that even my son is difficult to satisfy and does not raise his nose. We wake up to the scenic views of the island of St. Nenean, before heading to Lerwick Harbor to join a trip with the boat with Steled Siberd tours. Commander Phil tells us that we will sail to Nus Island to see the Gannet colony. Alex resort to me with wide eyes. “They dive like missiles!” He whispered enthusiastically.

First, though, we see the eider ducks, rowing directly outside the port, and Fulmars in comfortable pairs on the slopes. The latter, Phil tells us, “We have a bad defense mechanism against prey birds – they vomit them and destroy their feathers.” Children are happy and look at them at the same time. Then there are guarded trees inside a cave, crowds of black guillemots and solitary misery to wave, which send a ripples of excitement around the boat.

But those that steal the offer. They appear as we are approaching the non -smooth Noss island, which is unambiguous, unambiguous with its pointed white beads and yellow head feathers. Since the birds (about 600-700 according to Phil estimates) and called them above us, Phil immerses a long metal tube in the water; He throws mackerel below, and within seconds, the first Gannets folds its wings back and forming itself in birds of birds, before leading to lead in deep blue water. It is a huge scene. The only word I hear from any child for the next 15 minutes is “Wow!”

In fact, if there is a word that distinguishes our visit to Steland, “Wow” is it. in Jarlshof prehistoric and Scandinavian settlementWhere thousands of years of human housing are revealed in the remains of countless buildings, children wander happily with their sound evidence, which indicates each other with the elaboration; I did not expect a 10 -minute visit to be an hour and a half.

Only on the road Somburg Hide lighthouseAs the first Palm arrived in the season recently. We listen to the recreation of the foghorn lighthouse very lighthouse, the children cover their ears, and they boil the fog to see the Earth to fall into the endless sea.

last Boat journey It takes us to an uninhabited small island MusaNatural RSPB reserve. A huge Brook stands (a circular tower in the unique iron era in Scotland) on its southwestern shore; Although it is closed on our visit, we look at the gate to look at the stones of the layers and imagine the people and animals that would have lived there once. We have three hours on Musa, and we spend them wandering on the road with a length of two miles around it at a leisurely pace, and the loss of time to watch the seals play in the eastern pond and the discovery of Flmarsh. “Get away from them,” Alex tells us. “You don’t want to be ill.”

Again on the floor, we walk at a short distance from B&B to ISLE at Stin Ninian, which has been accessed across the largest active Thomulto in the UK (sandy strip). Children immediately get out of their shoes to overwhelm their feet in the soft white sand; While they play, my husband and I walk to the island. From the top, we have a clear vision for both children and Skerries (small rocky islands and coral reefs) that run out of the southern side of an island.

Only on the road West Lynn Croft (a small farm), where a multi -appointment Cecil Tait appears to us and explains its sponsor’s skills, bess, who is convinced that we need to graze as well. Tait, who also makes furniture and wool, tells us and runs wooden business courses, that all the time we talk is that he translates into his head From his homeland, Sheitland is a tone to the English language. I see children digesting this. “I didn’t know that the English language was not the main language for everyone here,” Alex says.

The next day, we go to UNST, the most north archipelago island. There is an access to the leadership across the main land and the neighboring Yel Island, and the short ferry trips (the main land of screaming, screaming to UNST), with the excitement building as we go. Most people come here for birds and coastal landscapes Hermanis National Nature ReserveOn the northern end of the island, but we decide against walking for three and a half hours and fighting the wind (and children). Instead, we choose to go along the southern coast with Catriona Waddington, Chair Wild Sky ChitlandThe interactive “heaven stop” to help visitors explore the island.

We walk a mile along the blue sand on the Easter beach and then over the rock coastal line to one of the stations, Framgord. You call us to listen to hearing NORSE or a melody, “Catriona always makes people waltz”. Children soon do so exactly. On that night, they sleep – a lot to excite – in the traditional family of Al -Kawa in the elegant Palmont house.

On the way to the mainland, we stop screaming for the afternoon, and we spend more than two hours wandering the northeast coastal line on a round of fox monitoring with Prideon Thomason from Nature Steland. Armed with perspectives, children flow happily for miles, and stop every time Pyedon performs, to join him in wiping the beach and water.

There are no complaints about the cold or distance; There is a lot to learn about water foxes, such as how to walk in the wind so that they are not able to smell, and how to recognize their toilets. Praidon has been overburdened to Qa’a since he was Alex. He tells us: “I was excited to excite how difficult it is to find it,” he tells us. “It is like being an investigator in nature.”

It is clear that children are happy to be investigators as well. But when the descent screams! It comes, it is more than ready, and falls directly on their fronts and we are following the Braidon instructions to crawl to the beach. There, in the water, it is a spot of a fox.

Brydon prepares his camera so that children can take pictures when OTER comes to the beach. When you do it, it is not alone; It is with two cubs and is busy demolishing the octopus that caught it. We see, through the perspectives and camera of Prideon, in silence that is only broken due to the confirmed importance. “This is why I am doing it,” says Predon with a smile. “For reactions like this.”

In Stytland, it looks for me, it is the only reactions you enjoy.

The trip was provided before Visitscotland.com and Steled. Transport was provided to Scotland by Calidonian is sleepingIt was transferred to Steland by northConnect. The best time to see most marine birds is from May to the end of August, although the pulp tends to do so head Back to the sea in August