Friday 1 October
Odyssey, day one
Despite a very early start Ian has got up before us and made pancakes, so we tuck into a hot breakfast before heading up to the airstrip for 0715. The dawn is deeply colourful, Fair Isle being alluring once more.
It is a reluctant farewell - the plane arrives full of birders chasing a rare bird currently on Fair Isle - a White’s Thrush. They headed out into the isle, binoculars at the ready, and we climb into the plane - our hosts wave to us until we are out of sight.
We arrive at Tingwall at 0800, I immediately order a taxi which arrives a little while later. I ask the driver to drop us at the Peerie Cafe where we can eat (and then shop at the Peerie Shop next door!). The team aren’t sure they’re ready for a second breakfast, but by time we settle ourselves down its around 3 hours since our first breakfast - and the Peerie Cafe does great food.
A quick spot of shopping and we walk down to Mareel in the hope of setting up basecamp there until its time to go to the ferry. Mareel kindly allow us to leave our cases and instruments in the venue, and we disperse for walking Lerwick, with a grand plan to meet up at midday to watch the Bond film in Mareel’s cinema. We walk to the Lodberries and take photos channelling moody detectives (we love you Dougie).
The film is very enjoyable. Once it is done we take a bite to eat in the Mareel cafe before heading down to the ferry. I had only been able to book one cabin (the last available online) and was very much hoping to score a second cabin on board. Once we are underway the purser is able to offer us a 2nd cabin, 4 berth, so we take that one for the ladies and the 2-berther is for the gents.
We had been warned (by folk in Lerwick) that there was rough weather on the way - which we were aware of from the previous day’s obsessive checking of forecasts - but this is in fact the roughest crossing I have ever experienced. I had given everyone travel pills before boarding which seemed to help all except Katherine, who is very ill indeed.
Saturday 2 October
Odyssey, day two
Aberdeen. We are so wobbly after 14 hours of pitching and rolling that we get a taxi round the corner from the port to the train station. We clamber on board the 0750 to London and slightly zone out. The train leaves on time (relief!) but halts somewhere on way to Carlisle (the train is diverted as rail works on east coast) as they’d forgotten to put something on the train to make it compatible with the tracks. Hoping we’ll make up time as really need to get Caroline to York for at least half her rehearsal before her concert.
The food situation is comedy-dire. Supplies don’t arrive. We’re supposed to order from our seats using an app, but the app doesn’t work. We go to the hatch where the poor staff are harassed and stressed, but eventually score some food for lunch. Just as well - they run out of food again just after. It’s an 8-hour train journey for us, and we are already very tired - so we are keen to make sure we get to eat!
Claire and Stu at work on the train Aberdeen-London (photo by Caroline)
We get to York just 15 minutes late and hug Caroline tight, wishing her luck for her tricky contemporary programme she has to perform tonight. (When I ask her the next day how it went she said her chair felt like it was rocking the whole time!)
On we go to London. We arrive at Kings Cross, and fall out into the damp London dark, all electric lights and what feels like too many people. Amazing how you adjust to a community of 50 on a dark sky isle within just 7 days!
We are sad to leave each other but know we’ll be seeing each other soon.
We are missing the Fair Isle folk already.
A huge thank you to our supporting trusts and foundations:
Classic Fair Isle
The Chapman Trust
The Hugh Fraser Foundation
The Hope Scott Trust
The William Syson Foundation