Rob-n-Hild Take the High Road!

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Burra Isles 8.56 km. Total time 4 h 17 m. Walking time - 1 h 55 m. 282 m ascending, 49 m max height.

Today we wanted to explore Burra Isles. This is where Hild's grandfather was from. We parked Percy at a small carpark near Minn Beach. it is a beautiful beach with a lovely view of our upcoming hike around the coast of West Burra Isle to Kettla Ness.

We tested the water and dipped toe/boot in the chilly Atlantic. No swim for us!

The trail along the coast of the island was not always easy to see, but it was made by sheep so we trusted it 100%. We spotted the tidal current coming in to Minn Beach, and this lovely cove where we hoped to see seals and otters. Sadly nothing was there.

There was alot of evidence of birds enjoying a seafood buffet of crabs. All over the grass we saw bits of crab lying here and there. At one point we even got to watch a seagull diving to catch a crab, and then eating it just along the coast from us. Exciting.

It is the time of year for lamming so we tried to stay out of the way of the sheep and lambs. Today was nicer than at Hermaness because these sheep weren't as scared of people. We could often sneak past them without much fuss.

Some fences had stiles to help us climb over.

After some huffing and puffing we reached the highest point - and it was only 49 metres high! It felt like a lot more mainly because we kept climbing hills and down dales.

The lake called Virda Vatn looks a lot like something you would find in Norway - although not this close to the sea.

There were so many cute lambs. We couldn't resist taking photos of them.

The cliffs did not have as many nesting sea birds as we saw up north in Hermaness. But we enjoyed looking for them - while staying away from the edges.

We scrambled across a lot of rocks to reach the eastern most point of Kettla Ness - Heugg Peninsula. The view back onto West Burra Island was well-worth the scramble.

The grass around the final cairn was covered in pink flowers. Beautiful!

It was time to lay down our picnic tarpolin and make a cup of tea. Nice spot for an early lunch while looking for birds, sheep, and bunny rabbits.

No surprise: More cute and relaxed sheep!

The grassy areas are not very stable underfoot. We blame the many rabbits darting back and to on the island. There are plenty of burrows and tussocks just waiting to trip us up.

On the way back along the eastern short we saw many beautiful coves. They were sheltered from the wind and would have been good swimming spots - had we not been such wimps.

It can't be seen on the photo, but Rob spotted a seal poking its head out of the water. Lovely!

By the time we got back to Minn Beach, the tide was in and the waterlevel was much higher. Still - no swim for us.

Completing our Minn Beach hike, we had completed one out of the 5 tasks set by ourselves today. Next we wanted to visit a cemetery and Bridge End Kirk. Then take photos of where Hild's granddad and great-grandad were from, and finally where her great-grandma was from.

Hild's granddad (Thomas Christie Pottinger, 1887-1949) and great granddad (Oliver Pottinger, 1844-1900) were born in Southerhouse. We're not sure exactly where and suspect that the original Southerhouse allotment has been split into more than one. Part of the area was empty with some ruins on it, so we took a photo of that.

Hild's great grandmother (Lilias Christie, 1848-1928) was born in Norbister. There is a house on that property now, but we were not brave enough to go an ask if we had found the right spot. A photos will do.

We wanted to visit St Laurence’s Kirk in Papil because this is where they buried the people who drowned in a boating accident on 16 September 1907 when Hild's granddad, Thomas Christie Pottinger, survived at age 19. This was when he decided to not be a fisherman and changed to being a shoemaker.

This is one of only three churches with round tower built in 1100-1200 (Tingwall, Bigton and Papil). Gift from 3 Norwegian Sisters. Demolished 1800. New church 1890s. Roof fell 1990s.

We found 3 of the 4 graves from people who died when grandpa survived: William Goodlad (1887-1907), William A. Inkster (1868-1907), and Scott Gray (1859-1907). We could not find the gravestone for Thomas Goodlad (1868-1907).

William Goodlad was married to Helen Pottinger who was granddad's sister. Granddad helped look after their daughter, Williamina, who was born shortly after the boating accident. Helen later moved to Greater Yarmouth in England with her daughter Williamina Goodlad (1907-1973).

We stopped by Bridge End Kirk thinking that this may be the area Hild's mum remembers visiting when she was young. She used to stay with Helen and Mary Pottinger in a house next to a church. So we thought it might be this one.

We also took some photos inside the church and chatted with the locals about our Pottinger family. They did not immediately remember this branch of Pottingers, but - as always - they did remember the shoe store.

It had been a long day in the beautiful sun so we were ready to return home for dinner and another cup of tea. Hild also had a video meeting. All went well and it was time for bed. Tomorrow we will get up early-ish so we can take ferries to Bressay and Isle of Noss to see more birds.

Coming up: Bressay and Isle of Noss

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