A bus shelter with character!

Monday - part 3!!

It was about 8.30pm by now, and I was hungry after my walk, so I decided to find somewhere for a meal, rather than going back and cooking for myself.

On the way to the village (Baltasound) I stopped off to visit the best bus shelter in the world!!

Here's a 'normal' Shetland bus shelter - although even it's pretty good as it's got a chair in it to sit on while you're waiting.

And here is "THE" Unst Bus Shelter!!

People can add things to the display. If I'm remembering correctly, Mark and Heather (more of them in a minute) added the botttle of lucozade you can just see here.

The bus shelter changes it's colours and theme every year. It even has its own website!

After this amazing experience, I went to the Baltasound Hotel for excellent fish and chips, and a Shetland ale (brewed on Unst) - Auld Scatness. Very nice.

Went back to the campsite, by which time it was almost dark. Met Mark and Heather, who I knew of through their excellent website and blog but had never met before. They're camping here too. They're having such a great time in Shetland they've extended their kayaking holiday here by 2 weeks. They paddled to Muckle Flugga - wow!!!!!!!!! They're taking me a short paddle tomorrow morning before the boat trip, excellent :-) (Boat trip 11am tomorrow, had to phone to confirm this evening, did so from the top of the reserve looking down at Muckle Flugga as that was the only place I got phone reception!)

What a day it's been!!

A Victory for Common Sense

For the last couple of months there's been a threat to the Orkney Brewery's Skull Splitter Ale. The industry 'watchdog' the Portman Group felt that it should be withdrawn from sale because it's name "implied violence" and could tempt people to turn violent!! They also complained that the label depicted an "aggressive" looking Viking!!

The ale is, in fact, named after Thorfinn Einarsson, the seventh Viking Earl of Orkney, who was nicknamed Thorfinn Skull-splitter. It has been on sale for over 20 years - without, as far as I am aware, the Viking on the label managing to incite violence.

Luckily common sense has prevailed, and today the Portman Group announced that Skull Splitter can stay on sale. Do they really have nothing better to do with their time than complain about pictures of Vikings on beer bottles - which have been sold for over 20 years!!??