We arrived on the ferry 'The Good Shepherd', most of our group having been sick on the two and a half hour crossing. Nonetheless, the trip was fairly pleasant and our spirits were high! The crew were cheerful and friendly and answered all the pupils' questions on the boat, the sea and of course the island. Once off the boat, everyone helped load our gear onto Jimmy and Florie's van, which Florie then kindly drove down to the Puffin Böd for us. It was raining pretty hard now, so being resilient of mind, we set off on foot for the 45 minute walk to the Puffin. At the end of the walk, we were all warm and most of the sickness had worn off. Cathy and Charlotte welcomed us into the Puffin where we had a cup of tea and waited for the rain to ease off. Soon we had all the tents pitched and began to cook our first meal (lentil and vegetable stew) on the lee side of the Puffin. (It was a tad on the windy and damp side, so we chose to pitch in the shelter of the Puffin for the first night).
Our first task was to walk up to Stakhoull stores, where we met the owners, Robert and Fiona. We purchased food for lunch and dinner that day. The pupils worked in their cooking groups (of two or three persons) for this and were given a budget of £4 per person for the day. All groups chose well and went on to prepare some pretty tasty grub. After the shop, we dropped in on the community hall. A cruise ship was in and teas, cakes and crafts had been prepared by the local folks. An excellent range of crafts and activities were displayed, including stained glass, knitwear and the work of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory. Turning south now, we first stopped off at the Primary School and organised a game of rounders between Sandwick and Fair Isle pupils. The match was set for Saturday afternoon. For our second stop, we took up a kind invitation from Ewen to visit the violin making workshop attached to his home. After welcoming us in, he explained the processes and time taken to make a violin as well as showing us various pieces of work in progress. We took lots of great photos here, so be sure to have a look!
After lunch, we decided to relocate camp away from the Puffin as the weather had improved greatly. Someone then suggested that we should play a game of football. This seemed like a good idea at the time, however I was soon to regret playing as I tripped and sprained my ankle on the very first tackle. One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the local open air swimming pool. We consulted with mother nature as to the opening hours (the pool is tidal) before going for a glorious dip. Most of our group ventured in for a paddle or a swim, undaunted by a little bracing dampness in the air (rain). We set up a campfire and got it going well, but unfortunately the rain would not relent. Having achieved near-laminar flow off the brim of my hat, the last hardy types who were sticking it out around the fire finally caved in and joined the others around the stove in the Puffin. Rachel, the nurse, arrived and issued a set of crutches to my hapless self (to the general amusement of everyone else)
We said goodbye in the morning to Mrs Tait, who set off for home on the Good Shepherd. The rest of us went up to the shop and bought food, this time for two days. Again we visited the primary school, where we borrowed a bat and ball to practice for the up-coming rounders contest!
We just had time for lunch and a quick practice before the local rounders team began to appear. Hammering down the road on their bikes, they did a few burn-up-skid-turns on the pitch, contributing to our sense of foreboding that we were about to be beaten by the Fair Isle Rounders Team. But then, lo! Mr. Bicket skied into camp just in time to rally the squad. We went in to bat first and scored a good number of runs. The Fair Isle pupils took their turn to bat and notched up a very good number of runs, but not quite enough. So after a close run match, Sandwick were delighted to receive a glorious trophy.
That evening, we had invited all the locals to join us for a bonfire. We put a notice in the shop, but left it a bit on the late side. Nevertheless, a dozen people joined us for a few hours of jokes and chatter (and the weather was kind!)
After an early breakfast, we set off north, toward the Fair Isle Bird Observatory. Deryk and Hollie had arranged for us to go on the trap walk, to see the ringing operation and finally to catch puffins. (For ringing, not tea). The scenery was beautiful as we wandered from trap to trap, looking for birds to ring. Sadly though, all were empty! After returning to the observatory and seeing the different types of rings and tools used there, we then went off and successfully caught several puffins. Many of our group had the chance to hold one for ringing purposes.
Following lunch, some of our group went up to visit Dave and Jane at their home. Emma had organised for us to see Dave's weather station and meteorological equipment. We saw various types of rain gauge, devices for measuring air and ground temperature as well as hours of sunlight. Dave's explanations of how the devices work were great.
In the evening, Cathy and Rachel came round with two spinning wheels. Cathy carefully showed everyone how to spin carded wool into yarn. Everyone had a go at spinning their own yarn. The wheels themselves were beautiful to see and work with.
Everyone had a good stretch of free time in the morning. Mr. Bicket took a small group on a walk up to the north end of the island - to Ward Hill. Others chose to stay at the campsite and to visit the shop for provisions. The weather was deteriorating by mid afternoon, looking a bit ominous in fact. Presently, Jimmy, the skipper of the Good Shepherd arrived and gave us two important pieces of news. First, he advised us to take down the tents and get inside the Puffin. A storm, force 10, was due to hit that evening. Secondly, to cheers of joy, he advised us that there would be no boat to take us home and back to school on Tuesday morning. So down came the tents, and we moved into the Puffin. Sure enough, the wind rose and the sea took on a tremendous swell. We lit the stove and sat cosily in the sitting room, swapping jokes, writing poems, playing cards and scrabble.
By the time we actually got out of bed, we should all have been nearly home. Instead we opened the door to fearsome winds, making it impossible to stand still and difficult to walk. Jimmy appeared around 11 a.m. and cheerfully announced that there would be no boat on Wednesday morning either. More gleeful cheering preceded an expedition to the shop to buy in more provisions. This extended holiday was great, except for the fact that four of our number were due to leave Shetland on Thursday on the St. Clair for a trip to London. Our transport problem was now becoming acute. The next boat on Thursday morning was heavily booked by tourists - only four places left! The next boat would be Saturday! Rather than going out by boat, we might have to fly everyone off the island.
Confirmed: no boat. Although anyone glancing at the sea could have seen for themselves that their would be no boat. So we put the aeroplane plan into action. Using two flights we managed to take everyone home, in time for the London trip. Many thanks indeed are due to Loganair office staff and the pilots!!!
The whole trip was fantastic. Thanks go out to all the islanders who made us welcome and went out of their way to entertain us and show us their craft. We managed to cram in many experiences, but left the island with many more untapped. For example, we never managed to visit the yoal building workshop. Thanks for a great experience (and we hope to see you again!)
By Chris.