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Lerwick in General
by dangaroo
I visited Lerwick in the summer of 2007, it was summer but still wet, cold and windy. We arrived very early in the morning from Kirkwall and unfortunately due to the connection with the Faroes, only had one day to explore the Shetlands, worse yet it was Sunday and Lerwick is officially the most religious spot in the UK, with practically ... everything shut. Despite these factors, we had a good time. We arrived at around 6am and meandered along the coast for a bit until something opened, it was distinctly grey but we spotted a seal which was some consolation for lugging around backpacks!
We walked the streets with not a soul to be seen before discovering an open cafe and ice cream shop, the proprietor was extremely friendly and welcoming and one hour later , we were not only knowledgeable about the island but knew what was open, what to do and had picked up a bit of a gossip too. If you opt for the Sunday visit, I reccomend taking your own transport to explore the islands a bit. After seeing enough of the town and being rained off, we headed to the superb Shetland Musem which is free on a Sunday. It informs the visitor not only about every era of the islands but also the way in which people worked. I found it fascinating and its one of the best, well laid out museums I've been to in recent years. We also had lunch there which was reasonably priced and nice.
On the way to the departing ferry, we stocked up on food at Spar knowing that it'd be cheaper than in Faroe Islands and Iceland, this proved to be an error of some proportions, as we had it all confiscated at the rather impressive ferr terminal by the strict UK customs. The reason for this is that both Faroes and Iceland have their own rare species that have supposedly had little contact with their average European counterparts, dairy and meat products are out of the question and when we went they scoured the ingredients of ever item in Scotland. Annoyingly, this is not enforced from the Danish or German connection to the Froes and you can also buy such products freely on the boat, so it all seems a bit pointless
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Isle of Arran in general
by tigger1992
The Isle of Arran!
If you have read some of my previous reviews you will know that I have been to the wonderfully beautiful Isle of Arran. I went there on a geology field study residential trip in november, which is a very cold time to go there but Scotland is nearly always cold.. wet....windy! I went for a week and I stayed ... at the Loch Ranza field study centre.
*Travel - going there*
We went on a coach from Manchester to Adrossen harbour, the total travel time was just under five hours! Which does not include the time in the motor way services in Kilmarnock. Then we arrived at Adrossen harbour at about two o'clock after setting off at just before nine. At the harbour the Caledonian McBride ferry was already pulled up, and we boarded the ferry - but we boarded the ferry through the ramp to the car section on the ferry as the boarding ramp was not working!
*The ferry*
We recieved the ferry boarding tickets which were only about £10 for a one way ticket to the island. The ferry was very cute (such a girly thing to say) but it was! It had a little shop selling Scotish aromatics, shortbread, cheeses, magazines and little souveniers which are great for small children. They also have a cafe with reasonable prices, they have a observation lounge and for the adults they have a bar on the ferry! I have not had a very good experience with ferries - a sickly incident on a ferry to Ireland! But I was very happy, it was not very 'rocky' and the journey from Adrossen to the harbour at Broddick was only about an hour each way! You can walk out of the ferry, sit outside and look at the beautiful views of mainland Scotland, Arran and the small island close to Arran, called Holy island. Then we got a coach to the field study centre from the main town (Broddick) which took about 45 minutes. On the coach trip to the centre we drove along the coast and I can't stress how beautiful the scenary is, we passed the grey seals which are really 'odd' looking as they stay in a concave shape for a long time, we also passed lots of red deer!
*Loch Ranza field study centre*
When we got to the centre we left our bags at the gate and went to our rooms, Me and my friend had to share a 'attic' room with three other girls, but we had a ensuite shower room which was really good! We then had dinner in the canteen which has really nice wholesome hearty food! And to my surprise they had a lot of options for vegetarians! There is a entertainment rooms with a pool table, tv, movie nights, table tennis, darts and a little shop! It is just so amazing! I want to go back!
*Other places in Arran I saw*
On the last day of the trip I had a really sore knee (I think I pulled a muscle) and with the really uneven terrian and the 6 hour walks I couldn't go on the last walk, which was quite upsetting but me and my tutor went to the castle at Loch Ranza and the whiskey distillery, which was so nice! The castle was so beautiful with Loch Ranza bay next to it and the Mull of Kintyre in the distance!
And then the distillery which is about a 20 minute walk away from the field study centre and at first we didn't know if it was open or not as there are not any signs out side, but only the shop was open and I absolutly LOVE it! The distillery smells so nice, even though I don't like whiskey. And the shop so really nice and has so many different products to buy, which include, Wooden spoons, original Arran aromatics, whiskey (loads of different types), glasses, chocolates, soft toys, postcards and tea!
I bought my mum a set of different teas, including, whiskey and heather flavoured teas! I had to buy my dad a set of for miniture whiskeys which he said were of a high quality and that they were very smooth - I don't know anything about about whiskey! They both loved their gifts!
*Weather*
During the week we were there they weather was really strong! The rivers almost flooded there banks and some of the activities had to be changed as the rivers were very fast and too dangerous to work in. But on the last day the rain stopped (almost) and the sun came out which was a pleasant change! It was also really quite windy. So I would recommend paying that bit extra to get the best outdoor clothing clothing you can as you will so need it. You will need a waterproof coat or you could use a ski jacket and thermal under wear. Also if you go in the colder months you may need some waterproof pants and a waterproof backpack. If you are doing any sketches or notes ou may also need a waterproof note book which is very useful!
*The local people*
We had to get the local bus one day which was quite odd as they only have one road around the outside of the island and one though the middle! The local people that we interacted with were very nice, although the bus driver went about 50 mph over the hills, which was quite scary as I don't even like rollercoasters! We also got on the school bus, which was actually a coach with about ten school children on! They are all very nice and friendly!
*Summary*
The Isle of Arran is so amazingly beautiful! I would really recommend goign to the Island it has loads of history, mystery and culture! The locals are so nice too and if you like walking, hiking, kyaking, extreme sports, bird watching and it is also a mecca for geologists and geographers! Amazing!
Thank you for reading my review, I hope it is helpful! :D
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Isle of Mull (Scotland)
by ScattyStudent
The Isle of Mull is a truly beautiful little island. At around 300 square miles and with a population of less than 3000 its very peaceful as well. From Fionnphort to Tobermory there is so much to see and do. The people are friendly, the scenery stunning and wildlife is everywhere. You can see Golden Eagles, if you are lucky, Highland ... Cows, Stags, sheep (are they wildlife? ). If you are lucky, or prepared, you may even see dolphins and whales.
There are days trips galore, when we are there we take the ferry over to Iona, which is just beautiful and only takes about 10 minutes to get to, you get the ferry from Fionnphort. The shop and ferry port are about the only things in Fionnphort but the shop is very reasonable and the people are friendly and helpful.
Tobermory is a lovely little village, made famous of course by the children's program "Balamory", when we went however it was in January, and it was freezing! It's apparently lovely in summer, and you get the best fish and chips from a little van on the beach.
You can also arrange a boat ride over to Staffa to see the amazing rock formations, worth a trip.
Getting there - There is a ferry from Oban that takes only 40 minutes and is run by Caledonian MacBrayne, prices start at £26.50 single fare for a car and £3.60 per passenger. This ferry takes you to Craignure, which has a great little pub (the Craignure Inn), right across the road from the ferry port. I advise eating there, the food is lovely, reasonably priced and the staff are very good.
Accommodation - We stayed in a cottage, there are plenty of these all over the island ranging from reasonable to very expensive. There are also loads of B&B's and hotels. The Isle of Mull Hotel, in Craignure is very nice and do some good deals.
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