
The Shetland Isle of Mousa
Posted 2017-01-26 13:10:12'There were a few porpoises here just days ago but a pod of seven or eight killer whales chased them away,” said Tom Jamieson, the ferryman. “However, you never know what might appear.”
Hearing this, a number of passengers aboard
the Solan 1V readied their cameras and binoculars as the boat eased away from
the pier and headed into the Sound of Mousa.
The ferry crossing to the
From Mousa pier, a roughly circular trail around
an area in the middle of the island has been marked out with short posts. Using
these as a guide and a brochure map we began an easy walk on springy turf.
It’s no distance across the narrow neck of
land to the opposite rocky shore of an inlet that reaches far in from Mousa’s east
coast. Here our first sighting of the abundant bird life was a chorus-line of shiny
black shags (scarfs in Shetland dialect). Seemingly unperturbed, they stood on
sun warmed rocks, wings spread akimbo, catching a drying breeze.
The path follows the shoreline of the inlet
then turns southwards to wind through long grass covering the hillside. The
downward slope ends in a craggy coastline battered
constantly by the
Further along, the path reaches a flatter
area of shore that is protected by a dry stane dyke. Peer over this wall to the
inlet known as the East Pool and there’s a very good chance of spotting Grey
seals and Harbour seals. Grey seals are more horse-like in profile with a
flatter head and longer snout. Harbour seals have a shorter muzzle.
The nearby West pool is a much larger lagoon with
a more open aspect. On the day our party were exploring Mousa, the West Pool
had an impressive number of seals (selkies) visible in the water while more
were hauled up on the surrounding sand. When a few of the beached seals did shuffle
awkwardly back into the sea, they only retreated to the comparative safety of
the pool yet were still within good viewing distance.
With so much wildlife present, this is obviously
a sensitive area and the ground-nesting artic terns (tirricks) and great skuas
(bonxies) soon let you know that you are getting too near their territory. In
at least one instance, blood was drawn as a member of our party strayed too
close and was pecked on the head for his trouble.
It’s strange to see people walking with their
arms in the air, shaking their hands and fingers all the while, but this is the
advised method of protection against these aerial attacks. It’s best, of
course, if you can leave the wildlife in peace, undisturbed.
From the beach, the trail now leads back up
the hill. Big, brown, great skuas still make their presence felt here, swooping
low, squeaking then soaring skywards.
Dainty, white flags of bog cotton grow in the
wettest areas while broken walls and the stones of an old water mill are smothered
in tufts of silver grey algae known in Shetland as Old Man’s Beard. This growth
is said to signal the absence of pollution and the purity of the air.
When the way ahead flattens out, Mousa Broch dominates
the view. This is the best preserved broch in the world (there are none outside
Brochs are thought to have been symbols of
power as well as fortified farmhouses for the leading families of the area. Safe
inside, the inhabitants could hold out against attacks by enemies who might be using
the best weapon technology of the day.
There may have been three wooden floors inside
giving living spaces that could be reached from a stone stairway winding clock wise
between the inner and outer walls. It’s thought that symbolically and perhaps
spiritually, there was some significance in this clockwise design of stair construction.
When you follow in the footsteps of the Iron
Age broch dwellers and climb up the stairs, the views from the top are vast.
From up here, the siting of Mousa Broch and another broch that once stood on a
headland across Mousa Sound at Burraland would suggest these structures were
also used as watchtowers.
The Broch
has given refuge to at least two famous runaway couples. In 900 AD, a couple
from
In the 12th century, Harald, Earl
of Orkney laid siege to the broch where his mother and her lover were taking
refuge, but eventually matters were settled amicably and they left the island.
In 1774, eleven families lived on the isle,
but by 1861 all were gone.
From the Broch, the marked trail leads back
to the ferry pier. It’s worth walking on a little way to see a part of the
coastal geology where the rock appears to have been formed like a sandwich cake,
from layers of a near-similar thickness. Slices of this sandstone were used to
make flagstones for the streets of Lerwick, the capital of Shetland.
Having taken our seats aboard the Solan 1V
for the return journey and now moving at a good rate of knots across the Sound
of Mousa, we were surprised when the ferryman cut the engine. In the ensuing
silence, 3 or 4 porpoises could be seen, dorsal fins arcing out of the water
only a few metres from the boat - an added bonus to a splendid day.
Back on the pier at Sandsayre it’s worth
taking time to explore the old boathouse which has been converted into a small
waiting room/ heritage centre with wall panels giving information on the
history and natural history of the area.
Further Information: The smallest British
seabird, the storm petrel (aalamootie) breeds on Mousa and there are special
evening trips to the island to watch these tiny birds returning to their
breeding sites. Bat-like, they flutter in from the sea, disappearing into
crevices in the walls of the Broch with cropfuls of food for their single
chicks.
Tel: 01950 431367
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