Values and Prices

There were, in 1881, 118 residents on Tanera Mor, the largest of the Summer Isles. By 1931 they had all gone and the value of the property must have been very low. Frank Fraser Darling cherished it sufficiently and lived there for a relatively short time. Then in 1996 the Wilder family moved from Wiltshire and have developed it as a place to visit, stay and participate in a range of activities. Now it has been put on the market, through the estate agents C K D Galbraith, at £2.5 million. Details of the links to their prospectus will be posted here when available.

Scottish Islands Explorer - not fetcching that amount

Clock Back

Turn the clock back some 20 years and there in, or off, Lerwick or Ullapool would have been a fleet of Russian ships, the so-called Klondykers, taking advantage of (or depleting) fishing stocks. With the demise of the Soviet Union they disappeared. Last week one ship sailed in, not for fishing, but to take advantage of storage facilities in Lerwick. Read about it in Shetland News and note where its cargo of blue whiting is heading ... Nigeria.

Scotttish Islands Explorer - has storage facilities in Kershader, Lewis

Time and Tide Bell

These images are from Bosta on Great Bernera, Lewis. Above is of the Time and Tide Bell devised by Marcus Vergette in 2010 and below is by Nicola Pennill, who specialises in the sounds of music as well as photography. Look and listen into their work.

Scottish Islands Explorer - certainly likes the sound of many places

Refreshment Point

Funding has been awarded to the Galson Estate Trust, in the north of Lewis, to create facilities for wildlife watching. Its fresh water loch provides a stopping and refreshment point for migrating birds on their flight-paths en route from Europe to Iceland and Greenland. A full report is in the Stornoway Gazette.

Scottish Islands Explorer - fresh ideas for readers considering migration

Fastness

The word 'fastness' has several meanings, but two that apply here are 'a remote, secluded and secure place' and 'speed'. West Burrafirth, on Shetland Mainland, is a small settlement approached by a long, well-surfaced road and the terminal of the ferry for Papa Stour. Yesterday saw the official opening of some of the highest-speed broadband connections avilable to the public in the UK. How this somewhat freak of a service, available to the seven houses in the community, happened is outlined in Shetland News.

Scottish Islands Explorer - keen, but not up to 25 megabits per second

Above and Beyond

It's one month to go before Nick Hancock begins his 60-day endurance record-attempt of living on Rockall. Above him will be the sky and birds; beyond the sea and the shores of the Scottish outliers in one direction and North America in the other. The details are available in this item from the Stornoway Gazette, the weekly newspaper that has the remote and lonely rock in its circulation area.

Scottish Islands Explorer - has covered the story, but from a distance

Up Early, Up North

The Lonely Planet Travel Guide has nominated Shetland as having some of the best sunrises in the world. The BBC Website item has the details of the top seven globally and the higher of the Northern Isles in latitude is rated as the finest location in Europe. The sunset above appears on the website of Boddam Cabs, which offers a courier service throughout Shetland. The image below comes from a blog - Travails by Geoff Christou - with the explanation: 'Arrived in Lerwick at sunrise. The low lying clouds glow. Embers in the centre of a fire.'

Scottish Islands Explorer - at least it appears on time

Here They Come

When the Norwegian cruise-ship, Fram, arrived at Lerwick on Friday, it marked the start of the tourist season. Some 40 ships will be bringing visitors to Shetland during the forthcoming months. It's a compelling sight to see people come and go and experience comparatively little of the life of this island group.

Scottish Islands Explorer - enables vicarious visiting

Far from Orphir

This rural scene, with a boy on a bicycle about to start (or end) a journey, is of Orphir, Orkney. It was the birthplace of the formidable and resolute explorer, Dr John Rae (1813 - 93), whose work in Northern Canada and the North-West Passage brought him much acclaim. He will be recalled at, and, perhaps, commemorated after a meeting on Tuesday next when there will be talk of setting up a John Rae Society, some120 years after his death.

Scottish Islands Explorer - looks forward to hearing of the outcome

Community Buyout?

Raasay residents are being invited by the Scottish Government to reflect on the future of their island. There is the prospect of a community buyout to be read about on a BBC website item and for the consultation to continue until 7 June. The population is just under the 200 mark and the derivation of the island's name comes from the Old Norse for either 'roe deer' or possibly 'horse'.

Scottish Islands Explorer - the consultation will be over before the next issue