The True Shetland Experience

I'm writing to you today from Bigton, Shetland. But don't let the name fool you, there is definitely nothing big about this town, which is what makes it a charming place to come to.

I'd been communicating with Elma, a Shetland Storyteller of Island Trails tours, for quite some time trying to make arrangements to meet. (As Elma put it when introducing me to others, "Iyah been communicatin with Ser-rah for no-uhn more 'n a week, but it feels-a like I know-uh her all me life.")

A window of time worked out for me to be able to attend Elma's famed "In Aboot da Night" evening. "In Aboot da Night" is a gathering of a small group of people, visitors, fiddlers, local Shetland storytellers, and dancers who gather in Elma's home overlooking St. Ninian's Isle. It's a wonderful way to experience Shetland, but I'll get to more on that a little later in this post.

Elma arranged for me to stay at the Hayhoull Bed and Breakfast (http://www.bedandbreakfastshetland.com/) in Bigton which was "no distance" from Elma's house. As a matter of fact, I can see her house from my window here.

The Hayhoull B&B is an excellent location to stay at (for a 360 view of the common area that I took, go here: http://360.io/CPAS5q) At only 35 pounds a night, it can't be beat. My room had a fantastic view from the window:





Mary and Les run the Hayhoull B&B and could not be any friendlier. Mary is originally from Shetland and knows a lot about the area and about all the events that happen throughout the year. She hosts a Burns Dinner here occasionally, so I might have to venture back here in January sometime to attend!

Yesterday afternoon I occupied my time walking over and around on St. Ninian's Isle which is connected to mainland Shetland by a sand tombolo. There is only one person that lives on the isle and runs a sheep farm, but he welcomes anyone to come and walk around all over. While the weather wasn't fantastic yesterday, the views were still stunning.










































Climbing up the main hill of St. Ninian's was hard. Not because of the incline, but because of the massive wind gusts that pushed me backwards. But the view from the top could not be beat. There were only two other people on the entire island when I was out there and it was so remote and peaceful. All you could hear was ocean and lambs.

On my way over to the Island, I bumped into a traveler from another British Isle who was on holiday and visiting. He gave me great tips on where to go once I got over there and where the bird watching was. After talking with him a bit we split apart and he said "Cheerio" to me...it totally made my day. I love British sayings like that. I'll likely do a whole post on British sayings at some point.

By the time I got back to Hayhoull, I had just enough time to relax from my long, windy walk, and then get ready to head over to Elma's "In Aboot da Night."

Elma greeting me enthusiastically at the door and immediately started telling me stories about the area. She's very warm and inviting and you can tell instantly that she knows how to spin a yarn, which, as it turns out is a perfect metaphor for the night. But I will come back to that in a minute.

There were several other guests there that night as well, and the rest of Elma's Shetland crew joined in, and it included two fantastic fiddle players, a guitar player/story teller, a crofter/storyteller, and a traditional Shetland dancer. Everyone is invited to sit in Elma's living room and gather around for the night overlooking St. Ninian's Isle out the window.

The evening starts out with Elma setting the stage and having guests step back in time with her as the fiddle music started. Stories were told for several hours and a dinner of soup, bannocks and heather and sea-weed-fed lamb was served followed by a rhubarb crumble with ice cream. While the meal wasn't quite as formal as I was expecting for the price, it should also be noted that I am not aware of anyone who travels to Scotland for the cuisine. The food was good though. And really, the night was more about the atmosphere and the experience.

I heard stories of trolls and witches, of weddings (good and bad), and stories of fishermen lost at sea. Each antectdote was transitioned to the next by fiddle and guitar music along with traditional Shetland songs.

The evening ended on a high note by learning how to do a traditional Shetland dance. Now, as many of you already know I am the worst dancer ever/petrified of dancing. So I was pretty nervous and reluctant to be pulled into it, but I decided to give in an do it. The women were paired up with men and we learned the stomps and the runs. I was paired up with the crofter/story teller, James, who, I am not going to lie, was totally adorable. Which made the fact that I have no rhythm and general sense of movement all the more horrifying. But I wasn't alone in this. Everyone seemed to be fumbling about. It was a lot of fun, in the end, though.

James closed out the evening by reciting a poem by a Shetland poet in the Shetland dialect. Basically, it was about how when god created the earth he saved the last remaining bits of land and tossed them into the sea to create Shetland. It's a beautiful poem. I will try to get my hands on it and share it with you.

As I left Elma's to walk back to Hayhoull, I realized that there are no streetlights in these small towns. I kind of rambled around in complete darkness (it's a new moon, or as Elma says "Itsa goot time-a make a decision") and eventually found my way back to the B&B. It had been a long, but wonderful day.

Going to Elma's is truly a great Shetland experience. Each one of the story tellers and musicians spun a yarn filled with tradition and culture. Perhaps Elma could be considered the crochet hook, because by the end it felt like all the yarn spun had been woven together like a finely made lace shawl that the islands are known for.

This morning I was greeted by some rare sunshine and managed to capture it before it went away again.





























(FYI...click on the photos to get a clear non-blurry enlarged photo of all of the above as well as past and future posts)

I'm headed up to Eshaness today to stay in a cabin by the cliffs! I hope there's sunshine!

Until then...

Location:Bigton, Shetland, United Kingdom