---(2024-06-07 13:02:26)---(Find 9928)---
A little over a year since my poor attempt and I'm back to try again, this time accompanied by my good friend who now lives on Shetland though he decided not to make the detour to the cache.

In a change from last year, we took the full walk west then north, detoured to the cache, then came back over the summit. Today was a lovely day on Unst: little wind, sunny spells, with the occasional shower. We had a great walk. Well, I did; my friend, unaccustomed to hiking, less so but I appreciated his company.

It's been a long time since I've had an FTF and this cache was certainly a good one.

Thanks for the cache, Andy.

Pictures for this log entry:

Me

GPS2

---(2023-05-17 12:04:30)---(Note)---
While visiting an old friend in Shetland I spent a day on Unst, and Hermaness was on my list of places to visit. I knew that since the cache was placed the new boardwalk north from point A had been opened and it was my plan to use that to go directly to the top of Hermaness Hill for the view of Muckle Flugga and Out Stack and return the same way. I was of course aware of the cache and thought that I'd see how I was for time and inclination (my left foot has been a little sore recently).

I set off from the car park/new visitor centre (which is simply an unmanned glorified shelter with information on the area) and the walking was easy on the new boardwalk. I reached the top of the hill and site of the former signalling station in forty-five minutes and decided to continue north for a while. The path down the north side doesn't have a boardwalk but is marked by posts. I followed the steep downhill route but it turns away from the cache and reaches a signpost where the westerly path and northerly path meet, over 600m from the cache coordinates. There's no path towards the cache from here, either signed or on the ground. I'm aware of Scotland's right-to-roam but given the nature of the terrain and the fact that I was on my own and it was unlikely that anyone else would leave the marked route I decided not to continue and returned the way I'd come.

I debated with myself and with Amberel how to log the cache. Despite Andy's invitation to do so, I've decided not to log a find because I was so far from the intended location at the northernmost point. This note describes my experience this time and I'll be back on Shetland and Unst sometime, perhaps as soon as next year so maybe I'll try again at Hermaness.

Thanks to Amberel for placing the cache and for his advice.

Pictures for this log entry:

Me, Muckle Flugga, with Out Stack on my right shoulder

GPS

Track