I took my friends sightseeing today down the South end of the island.

My idea of sightseeing is to drive along happily chatting and then suddenly swerve off the road so my friends can get out and take a photo (or recover on solid ground, visibly shaken!)

This is the view of Bressay, another island opposite Lerwick, looking across Fladdabister.

Having terrified everyone, we then drove down to Sumburgh to look at the scenery.  We went up to the Lighthouse and then had a wander around.

There weren’t very many nesting seabirds left but there were lots of twitchers and we played a good game of camera-envy.

(I may be drinking gin while I am typing this!)

Fair Isle was on view, which was lovely to see.

A good lunch and then on to the Jarslhof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement – “one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles”, so they say.

We trundled round it in the rain.  Pity they didn’t have roofs.

Onwards, everyone to one of my favourite museums – The Quendale Watermill – a beautifully restored 19th century overshot watermill.  It is stunning, interesting and in a beautiful setting.

On the way back, we had a Hitchcock moment.  All starlings.  All facing the same way.  All very creepy.

This is Spiggie beach.  A lovely sandy beach that I once galloped Haakon across.  It was brilliant and I will never forget that ride.  I wish I could repeat it.