The Well Travelled Tilley

Those who enjoy the great outdoors will probably recognise a Tilley hat when seen perched securely on the wearer's head.  I own several Tilleys - my favourite is the Tilley hemp. Made from one of the oldest and strongest natural fibres in the world, this medium brimmed hemp Hat is hardwearing and breathable. Its natural fibre means natural fade, so the hat will change colour in time and become truly unique. One becomes really attached to a Tilley...

My hemp Tilley has travelled many miles affording excellent protection from inclement weather. The chin strap ensures that the hat remains in place when facing fierce Force eights on Shetland!

Imagine then my dismay when we reached Aberdeen airport on 14th May having disembarked from MV Hrossey an hour or so earlier and I suddenly realised that I had left my Tilley in the cabin. By the time I was able to contact NorthLink ferries the Hrossey had departed, en-route to Kirkwall, Orkney! So had my hat! A day later I received an email from NorthLink saying they had found my hat and it was at their Kirkwall office. They said they would send it to me free of charge - and so they did. My Tilley arrived today - I had my old friend back after it had travelled rather more miles than originally planned.

Thank you NorthLink....

60 Degrees North

The sixtieth parallel marks a borderland between the northern and southern worlds. Wrapping itself around the lower reaches of Finland, Sweden and Norway, it crosses the tip of Greenland and the southern coast of Alaska, and slices the great expanses of Russia and Canada in half. The parallel also passes through Shetland. A visit to these Northern Isles has been on top of my bucket list for many years. Finally I have persuaded my wife Ros that a holiday here would be an adventure. Her resistance to such a trip has been weakened by watching the wonderful series 'Shetland' on ITV based on the books of Ann Cleeves (I have read the complete series). She doesn't want to show too much enthusiasm about the trip but I can see that she is looking forward to it as much as me. We start our journey north in May, on my birthday.

Our journey starts by limo from Brighton to London Heathrow from where we take a British Airways flight to Aberdeen. We then transfer to the Aberdeen ferry terminal for the Northlink ferry crossing to Lerwick on Mainland Shetland. A crossing of some 200 miles over the top of the North Sea, below the North Atlantic. These crossings are notoriously rough at times...

Lerwick is the capital of Shetland and dates back to times of Viking occupation from 500 - 1000AD.

We will spend several days on Shetland, one of the best places for birdwatching in the UK (yes, Ros is aware of this!)

Our journey back on the ferry will include a stop at Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney.

That is the plan. I hope it can be fulfilled....