Final Bits on Shetland...

There was a raffle drawing over lunch and I won some Puffin Poo, made from Rice Krispies and white chocolate and tastier than it sounds.

Saw some more Shetland ponies as we walked back to the ferry.

Here we are on the short ferry ride back to Lerwick.

We were then picked up by a bus to gather our luggage from the hostel and to meet our overnight ferry. I was completely exhausted after this whirlwind weekend.

 

Hangover Hash in Bressay...

Ironic that I’m finally posting this as just one week ago we were back in Bressay for this year’s hangover hash. Hopefully it won’t take a year to write about that weekend, but in the meantime back to last year....

It was nice there were no wet feet at the second hash in Shetland. We started running from our hostel and quickly made our way to a ferry for a quick crossing over to Bressay. 

I opted to take the shorter running trail. I mostly ran alone across the barren Scottish landscape.

Opee opted for the long trail, which circled around the island and came up and over the hill to the drink stop, whereas I climbed half way up the steep hill where I could rest my weary bones while waiting for the long runners to arrive.

I finally saw some Shetland ponies up close before arriving at the lunch stop.
 

Partying in Shetland...

Rather than heading straight into the hostel after the bus dropped us off, we watched a local parade with adult Vikings...

…child Vikings...

…a monster truck...

…and mini trucks.

Lerwick, with a population around 7,000, is the northernmost major settlement in the UK. 

After getting back to the hostel, we showered and took a nap before donning our kilts for the evening’s festivities. 

After a three-course dinner, the ceilidh began. We failed to get a proper photo of us, but you can see my back in my red and black tartan dress.

Opee long outlasted me on the dance floor. 

When we caught the bus at 12:30am, it was still not fully dark outside.

 

Hashing in Shetland...

A bus picked us up from the ferry when we arrived at 8am. We dropped off our luggage at the Islesburgh Youth Hostel...

…and then were taken across the island to the start of our trail. 

The scenery on the 9.6K trail with a elevation gain of 275 meters was both beautiful...

…and barren. There was no way to keep my feet dry through the bogs, but the views were worth it.

The trail ended at a beach for a dip, which I skipped, but Opee couldn’t resist jumping in.

The bus then took us (except for Opee, Cockatool and Inspector Gorse who insisted on running after mooning the bus) to a community center for a delicious lunch. Many of the swimmers wore the robes that we all got in our goodie bags. 

 

Heading to Shetland...

After a great visit, Gillian dropped me off at the train station so that I could meet Opee in Edinburgh and we could travel onwards to Aberdeen where we would be catching a ferry for the Simmer Dim Hash Weekend to celebrate the summer solstice in Shetland.

We met up with a bunch of Edinburgh hashers at Krakatoa, a dive bar near the ferry terminal.

We passed this mural as we walked to the overnight ferry. I like its message: I am the keeper of magic...but happy to share.

Our cabinmates were Touched by Boobies from Berlin H3 and OBH from Paris H3; clearly we didn’t scare them away as they will be sharing a cabin again with us in June 2025. Not only did we drink with them in our cabin... 

…but we hung out together on deck (with Inspector Gorse and Fleshmob from Edinburgh H3 squeezing in for the photo)…

…and dined together (with Cockatool, who originally started this event and has organized again for 2025). 

 

Natural Entertainment...

While Gillian often sees deer and an occasional fox in her yard, I only spotted this hare. 

During my visit Mother Nature did a great job of painting the sky over Gillian’s neighborhood...

…and over the sea.