Lazy Days in Lerwick

Spent a few days solo in Shetland prior to joining my Wilderness Scotland trip and with the exception of a quick excursion to Scalloway I didn’t venture far. Lerwick is too cool to leave, I could easily spend a week here.

While Lerwick doesn’t seem overrun with tourists, the cruise ship season is upon us, which I say as if I live here. A local shop owner told me the town was expecting 147 ships this summer, some of them packed with as many as 4,000 people. I mean that makes my toes curl, but also they spend money in a community that is reliant on tourism, so classic double-edged sword. There’s one in this morning but at least it’s a semi-reasonable size as cruise ships go and it seems to have caused only a slight increase in people.

Shops and restaurants are given a schedule so they can adjust their hours and bring on staff. My shop owner told of a time she opened early on a Sunday to accommodate an arriving ship and found thirty people lined up when she arrived. R.A.M. Knitwear is a tiny shop that sells gorgeous scarves, buffs and accessories designed by her daughter (a couple of pieces of which I was forced to acquire) and could comfortably hold maybe five people.

And here I’ll just admit that knitwear is apparently my splurge category for this trip. I also bought a real deal Shetland sweater made by a family owned company, Jamieson’s, that has been around since 1853. They are even featured in the Scalloway Museum.

Speaking of the fabulous shopping here, part of the charm of Lerwick’s high street is its pedestrian-only access, delightful alleyways tumbling down from the hill above, and most of the shops are locally owned. Huzzah!

And god forbid that we stop with the Shetland filming locations.

Glad I visited Jimmy’s house again because not only did it afford the opportunity to take selfies in a different outfit but a sea otter was rubbing himself like a cat against a rope near the front door.

Lerwick also features many gorgeous areas to walk – which is helpful after a dinner where one has completely stuffed one’s face. I waddled around one of the coastal paths, the Knab, in the most beautiful magic hour light.

Also took a turn around Fort Charlotte in downtown Lerwick one evening. You remember Queen Charlotte. She was married to the unfortunately mad King George III who was not only engaged in a fruitless search for his faculties but also holds the dubious honor of losing the American Revolutionary War. Or, if you are a Bridgerton fan, you will also know her as the fabulous Golda Rosheuvel.

I like to think she was the one running the country. I’m sure she wasn’t allowed to run the war otherwise we would have lost and would now be enjoying universal health care. And I would have a British passport.

The history of the Fort Charlotte is brief and relatively uneventful as military forts go. It mostly involves three Anglo-Dutch wars that honestly I’m choosing to not learn more about, as I had no idea they existed in the first place. If you are curious, ask your AI.

The first incarnation of the fort was built in 1652 during the First Anglo-Dutch War. Nobody knows what happened, but that version of the fort is gone. The second was built under orders of Charles II at the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. It held off a Dutch fleet but was ultimately burned to the ground by the Dutch during the (wait for it) Third Anglo-Dutch War. Also you should know that there was a fourth war but it doesn’t figure into our story.

In 1781 the fort was rebuilt in its current incarnation and named after Queen Charlotte, but hasn’t seen service during hostilities since. It did house a garrison during the Napoleonic Wars and was later a base for the Royal Naval Reserve. It’s also been used as the town jail and courthouse (before they built Jimmy’s building) and a coastguard station. Today it’s managed by Historic Environment Scotland and is the base for Shetland’s Army Reserves.

And then I had a moment with a seagull, which is documented in pictures below.

My excursion to Scalloway was on the recommendation of a pal particularly because of its connection to the Shetland Bus – this history I am interested in.

The Shetland bus is one of the many remarkable success stories of World War II filled with tales of courage and valor in extreme circumstances. It all started when Germany invaded Norway in 1940. Norway did not ally itself with either the Allied or Axis powers in the war, but neutrality is not an awesome shield when you hold a strategic position in the North Sea. Norway fell quickly and resoundingly, sending King Halkon VII and his family to London where the government operated in exile.

Thousands of Norwegians escaped, mostly in fishing boats, and sailed west. Geography being what it is, Shetland was their landing zone. A resistance movement developed in Norway but it was disorganized, lacking leadership and expertise and perhaps more to the nitty gritty, guns and ammo. Churchill established a secret organization, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), to work with the Norwegian resistance behind enemy lines, and the Shetland Bus was an integral part of that effort.

The operation used the escaped and innocent-looking Norwegian fishing boats crewed by young Norwegian volunteers disguised as fishermen to make hazardous trips across the North Sea often in dreadful conditions with no lights and constant risk of discovery and capture. This ended in 1943 after 44 men lost their lives during 66 missions. Americans then got into the action by providing mini-destroyers known as “submarine chasers” and the Shetland Bus operation ran 144 additional missions with no further loss of life.

The boats shuttled agents, equipment and weaponry to Norway and often evacuated Norwegians under risk of capture.

The operation continued until the end of the war, delivering over 400 tons of weaponry and other supplies. Many of these brave guys lived in Scalloway during that time and as you can imagine, strong relationships formed between these men and people in the community.

The museum in Scalloway is largely devoted to the history of this operation.

The Memorial was built in celebration of the legacy of this British-Norwegian resistance movement and incorporates stones from the towns of the 44 men who lost their lives, with their names also inscribed.

And just to break up the intensity, the museum also has a couple of Shetland ponies.

As we head back to Lerwick after our excursion, I’ll note that the town has a pretty impressive restaurant scene. I already told you about Fjara, but there’s more yumminess. Every morning I’ve had a flat white and softie egg sandwich at the Peerie Shop Cafe while sitting outside and looking at the boats in the harbor.

The most awesome restaurant in town has to be No. 88 Kitchen and Bar. I had the best Shetland mussels I’ve ever had and (whispers) locally sourced lamb – also the best.

And The Dowry is pretty fine too, although the staff all seem to be under 18 and they talk to each other a lot. Why yes, I am old.

On my last full day, after relenting and finally buying sunscreen in Scotland for crying out loud, Drew, a local tour guide born and raised in Shetland, collected me at the airport after I dropped off my wee blue McRaggie. He drove me around parts of Mainland Shetland I hadn’t seen, including Brae and particularly Eshaness, which features unbelievable cliffs that have figured prominently in a certain show vis a vis someone plummeting to his death after being shot. We are also visiting this spot during the Wilderness Scotland trip, but who knows in what weather and also we’re doing a longer hike along the coast.

On the way to the cliffs we stopped in the middle of the road so I could pet Shetland ponies because I’m an American tourist.

And here are the amazing cliffs.

This is me standing in front of the amazing cliffs wearing one of the scarves I was forced to buy on the high street.

And this is Drew standing in front of the amazing cliffs being all Scottish with his headwear and beard.

Drew knew a lot about American politics so we had a great discussion about that particular shitshow and also British politics. He is excited for Labour to vanquish the Tories in the next election. He was himself a politician, serving on the Shetland Islands Council, and he pointed out a number of features in the area that he helped make happen. He also is very, very proud of Shetland the show. He pointed out a ruin on the side of the road that was used for Brian Cox’s home in one of the series, remarking that he appreciated how Brian, a born and bred Scot, “tried” to master the Shetland accent.

And now dear reader, not all was unicorns and rainbows on this tour. While Drew was a super interesting guy who clearly knows everyone on Shetland, he was also, shall we say, a confident driver. He spun his Rav-4 around corners and punched the accelerator like someone who was born here and happy to be driving a car with spectacular pick-up. Even sitting in the front seat, and as someone who isn’t necessarily prone to motion sickness, I got to the point where I couldn’t move my head and my voice was getting raspy. Did I say anything? Oh hell no because I’m FINE.

We stopped at the iconic Cake Fridge on the way back to Lerwick and I acquired a yummy something that would be eaten much, much later.

And that, my friends, is a wrap for the solo part of my journey for a while. Except for a little note – I just received an alert on my phone announcing there’s a good chance for Northern Lights in my location right now. Sadly, the sun doesn’t really go down here so it’s just salt on the wound.

Onward to Wilderness Scotland. Thanks for coming with me.