My first evening on Shetland and view of the lighthouse on Sumburgh Head.  My destination for the next day's walk.

Evening light on the farm to the east side of the hotel.

Leaving the hotel, I chose to walk through the farmyard up to the road.  

I spotted the sea path from the road and made my way across the meadow grass.  Lots of Squill in flower among the short grass and the first Skylark I’ve seen for a long time.  (They used to be everywhere when I was a child walking the fields around home.). An Oyster Catcher and Black Guillemot spotted along my route.

The sea path up to the Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse is now home to two exhibitions and is run by a local trust.

 Look for the catering van parked in the yard. The coffee and cake are highly recommended.  

View from the lighthouse back towards the hotel and airport on the Friday morning.  The morning started off blue and sunny but by lunchtime the mist was rolling in.

Sunday morning: after linking up with the group from Yorkshire Coast Nature, we headed for Sumburgh.  A very different experience, for me, from the one I encountered on Friday morning.

Back to Friday’s sun and the nesting Guillemots.

Fulmars were everywhere, nesting in the quarries alongside the road and on every available rocky ledge. I’ve never seen this many before.

Patience was rewarded with a puffin roll call before they flew out to sea to feed.  There were several places along the cliffs where they emerged, you just had to wait!

The mist was coming down as I walked back along the coastal path to the hotel on the Friday.  The end of the blue sky for a couple of days.