SHETLAND

BlueBird · Aug 7, 2011

Im up in the shetland for the next few months on the new gas plant construction, Its a cracking island although a little barren.

The roads are real proper good and I'm missing my bike like you wouldnt believe.

Im staying in Lerwick and the commute to the north everyday is pure biker heaven.

I wont be able to get my 1200 up here for another 6 weeks, :tears

So has anyone on the isalnd got a bike I can rent or possibly buy :augie

?

seen at least 1 1200 up here :thumb2

Klanky · Aug 9, 2011

Your best bet is on the community forum 'Shetlink'.

There is no specific bike section - it's just lumped under 'Motoring/Vehicle' - but it does have a high turnover of ads on it, so it's not long before stuff drops off the top of the listings, so a bit of trawling may reap rewards :thumb2

http://www.shetlink.com/classifieds/index.php?category=Motoring/Vehicle

There's some interesting ones on there at the moment. You want a road bike or summat with a bit of trail capability? There's a couple of decent tracks on Yell and Unst.

BlueBird · Sep 11, 2011

Im off to yell and unst today on my 1200,going as far north as I can get,looking on google there are some roads/tracks going to the far north/east of unst and also to the north/west to what is I heard an old RAF early warning station,nice bit of exploring to do :thumb2

Have to make sure I dont bin it as there will probably be no one around to rescue me :blast

As far north in the UK as I can get is the objective,Ill have my sat nav on to hopefully record my position

rce · Sep 11, 2011

Don't forget to stop at the bus stop and sign the visitors book.

To get to the radar station you go to Norwick and turn left and follow the road that doubles back on itself, lots of maps show it just ending but it does go round to the radar station. The obvious road shown on maps from the bay is closed due to the road collapsing, you can walk it but even a GS won't make it up.

Look down the two natural coves near the headland to see the old kit that was dumped when the station was abandoned.

Also look out for the Northern Lights, we have been fortunate to see them in Shetland early October.

rce · Sep 11, 2011

I can also recommend a walk to the Ness of Burgi the short ish walk to it is brilliant, you cross a narrow rocky section that has a chain hand rail.

Also visit Esha Ness stunning area (told wife want ashes dumping there).

rce · Sep 11, 2011

The route to Ness of Burgi

BlueBird · Sep 11, 2011

Thanks for the heads up :thumb2

I will concentrate on yell and unst today as its a beautiful day ou there,the clam before the storm maybe :nenau

One thing Ive learnt in my short time up here is the weather can change in the blink of an eye though.

Its gonna be a good day today on the GS :bounce1

rce · Sep 11, 2011

BlueBird said:
Thanks for the heads up

I will concentrate on yell and unst today as its a beautiful day ou there,the clam before the storm maybe

One thing Ive learnt in my short time up here is the weather can change in the blink of an eye though.

Its gonna be a good day today on the GS

Enjoy, we love Shetland

You will pass the bus stop it's on the A968 as it turns North towards Haroldswick

ChrisK · Sep 11, 2011

When you're not working take ferry across to Bressay and have a bite to eat and a pint or 4 at the Merryfield Hotel. Foods great and the locals are great fun, just avoid drinking whiskey with them.

Ian M · Sep 11, 2011

You lucky so and so, Shetland is a fantastic group of islands. I'm jealous!

BlueBird · Sep 12, 2011

Most Northernly GS in UK

North of RAF base on UNST near the Cliff with Muckle Fugga and Stack in the backround.

Farmer Palmer · Sep 12, 2011

Shetlands a great place, more Scandanavian than Scottish with the old Norse place names.....Always blowing a hoolie though when I go at the end of October, truly character building.

I usually stay at the Sail Loft camping Bod in Voe. It's just opposite the bakery and a few yards from the Pier Head Restaurant. My Belgian friend Guido(rides a K75RT) lives in the 'floating boatshed' in the voe and is building a 22ft 'Shetland type' traditional boat with oars and a sail.

I like Hermaness and Eshaness and museum in Lerwick is a great place to spend a few hours with nice peerie restauant cafe upstairs(There's a nice Icelandic waitress sometimes aswell)

There's a guy on here i've met in Shetland...... 'Eco Warrior' I think he works a Sullem Voe(red GSA??)

FP.

leasky · Sep 12, 2011

As us Shetlanders say:

"Its the last place that God made before he started making mistakes"

I suppose that those of us who were lucky enough to be born and bred there failed to appreciate the scenery and roads but they are a great combination and (weather permitting) afford some truly enjoyable experiences.

Unfortunately it isnt cheap to get there and you could probably get 2 weeks all inclusive in the Red Sea for the same price but I would thoroughly recommend it for a trip.

There is a cracking bike rally in mid June every year.....

Colin.

BlueBird · Sep 13, 2011

Thers a 56 plate white adventure parked on a driveway as u go through Voe just after the petrol station going north,
Yr mate building the boat is one hardcore bloke :pullface

, I think I seen him the other day outside the co-op in lerwick on a dark blue 3 cylinder bmw.looked well gnarly,is that his place floating out on the water? looks like a single steel garage floating on its own.:cool

Farmer Palmer · Sep 13, 2011

BlueBird said:
Thers a 56 plate white adventure parked on a driveway as u go through Voe just after the petrol station going north,
Yr mate building the boat is one hardcore bloke, I think I seen him the other day outside the co-op in lerwick on a dark blue 3 cylinder bmw.looked well gnarly,is that his place floating out on the water? looks like a single steel garage floating on its own.:cool

Yes, that's Guidos 'house'......When the voe's a bit rough the waves come in one end and out the other and steam on his wee log burning stove on the way through......! He sleeps in a a bunkbed tied up in the rafters over his boat but now the boats built up to the gunnals he be sleeping in it.....Go and see him and say hi from Chris.

The boat he's building is a real beauty and no power tools either, I rowed his 'old' boat up and down the voe a bit last october....It was so cold the bow was breaking a thin layer of ice near the shore!

Just booked the ferry.......28th October untill 4th November but i'm bringing my Landrover and mountain bike this time and leaving the GSA at home....Look out for a black 90 Defender with a white roof outside the Pierhead

FP.

von K · Sep 13, 2011

Farmer Palmer said:
Shetlands a great place, more Scandanavian than Scottish with the old Norse place names.....Always blowing a hoolie though when I go at the end of October, truly character building.

I usually stay at the Sail Loft camping Bod in Voe. It's just opposite the bakery and a few yards from the Pier Head Restaurant. My Belgian friend Guido(rides a K75RT) lives in the 'floating boatshed' in the voe and is building a 22ft 'Shetland type' traditional boat with oars and a sail.

I like Hermaness and Eshaness and museum in Lerwick is a great place to spend a few hours with nice peerie restauant cafe upstairs(There's a nice Icelandic waitress sometimes aswell)

There's a guy on here i've met in Shetland...... 'Eco Warrior' I think he works a Sullem Voe(red GSA??)

FP.

If he is a Welsh guy, then I have met him too. It was a couple of years ago - so I may be wrong. There's hell of a lot of people working at SV now.

BlueBird · Sep 13, 2011

Seen a yellow adventure around 17.30 near Lerwick golf club had a pack on the back.

Lots of people at sullom voe coz theres a new sour gas plant being built next door,theres a another 600ish coming as well

Will go down and see Guido and have the crack :thumb2

Hes proper mad living in that tin shed Ill see if I can get a pic of it 2moz.

von K · Sep 14, 2011

Bluebird, the picture of Muckle Flugga - did you take that from next to the main radome (the one on your other picture)?

BlueBird · Sep 14, 2011

von K said:
Bluebird, the picture of Muckle Flugga - did you take that from next to the main radome (the one on your other picture)?

I rode up to the radome the gate was open as there were some blokes working on one of the ariels up there.
Just as you come up to the main gate there is a gravel track to the left that goes round the back to the north,it leads down to a brick building that looks like some kind of switch or transformer room.it has a fenced off field behind it with radiation signs on it,I rode my bike round the back of there to get as far north as i could to get the picture,its a bit boggy so i walked the route first, be careful a there are pools etc,once you are moving dont stop as it a bitch to get going again on that stuff.

Can I claim most northerly GSER then :nenau

Farmer Palmer · Sep 14, 2011

How far north can you go?

BlueBird said:
I rode up to the radome the gate was open as there were some blokes working on one of the ariels up there.
Just as you come up to the main gate there is a gravel track to the left that goes round the back to the north,it leads down to a brick building that looks like some kind of switch or transformer room.it has a fenced off field behind it with radiation signs on it,I rode my bike round the back of there to get as far north as i could to get the picture,its a bit boggy so i walked the route first, be careful a there are pools etc,once you are moving dont stop as it a bitch to get going again on that stuff.

Can I claim most northerly GSER then

Er no!

Sorry mate but that would have be me......! See where you parked your bike, I went a few yards further than that

If you walk round Hermaness to the closest point to Muckle Flugga with your GPS then continue 'around' the penninsula you should get 60 degrees, 50' 45.4''N

If you go a wee bit further north to Norway's Nordkapp but go to the penninsula just to the west of there you can get..........71 degrees 10' 33.6''N Which is about as far north as you can get with a bike. It's a bloody long ride but well worth it and when you turn around to come home just kick the bike into neutral and you can freewheel all the way back down south again.....!

Iceland was a wee bit disappointing though as Its below the 'Arctic Circle' the furthest north i've been there was around 66 degrees which is close but no cigar....you need to take a ferry up to Grimsey island to actually get across the Arctic Circle but you'll see Huey on the boat for sure. :barf

FP

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