One of the most fun things about going to Shetland is getting there. You can either fly from Edinburgh or take the overnight ferry from Aberdeen. I figured, why not do both! So, we decided to take the ferry there and then fly back to Edinburgh after our adventure was over. As an added bonus, we needed to get from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, so we took the train to get there.
I LOVE train travel! It’s so relaxing — you can sit in a nice, cozy train car, knit and visit with your travel companion(s), and watch the world go by. And the views of Scotland between Edinburgh and Aberdeen are beautiful (it’s Scotland, after all!) — you get land AND sea!
We arrived in Aberdeen in the early afternoon, but our ferry wasn’t scheduled to leave until around 5:00 p.m., so we decided to explore a little. The train station is a short walk from the ferry terminal, so we took our luggage to the ferry terminal (where they will kindly hold it for you until departure time) and then decided to walk over to the beautiful little village of Footdee (pronounced Fittie). It took about 20 minutes to get there — well, a little longer for us, as we got a teeny, tiny bit lost. But, that was ok, because we stumbled across the beautiful little East St. Clement’s churchyard. We wandered around for a bit, and then some very helpful men walked by and told us how to get to Footdee.
Footdee is an old fishing village (dates to medieval times) at the very end of the harbor. The easiest way to describe the layout of Footdee, is to say that the streets are laid out like a ladder — there are two longer parallel foot paths, with short little foot paths connecting them. We started at one corner of the village, and wandered down the first long path. So many beautiful doors and cottages to see!
At the end of the first path, we turned left (heading east) and walked over to the other long path. At this corner, we found ourselves near a little playground between the village and the sea. We walked through the playground and over to a pretty beach with beautiful views to the north part of Aberdeen (can you spot the ferris wheel?)
We enjoyed the fresh sea air for a bit and then went back to the paths of Footdee. It was so interesting to see how each little cottage was individually decorated.
Before long, it was time to get back to the ferry terminal, so we could board our ferry.
Follow the Viking to Shetland!
The process was so easy, and before we knew it, we were on board the boat. There are several sleeping options available on the ferry and we opted to book a room, rather than sleep in seats all night. We took a few minutes to trash the place unload our belongings, and then we explored the ferry.
We ended up on the top deck for departure. It was fun to look around the harbor — so many things to see!
Parking Goals!
As we left the harbor, we passed Footdee to the north — it was fun to see it from a different perspective!
The view to the south side of the harbor.
There were a lot of ships sitting in the sea just off the coast of Aberdeen. A nice passenger on the ferry told us that the port fees in Aberdeen are really high, so the ships sit out on the sea until it’s time for them go into the port to unload. That way they aren’t wasting time sitting at the dock, paying unnecessary fees.
After we left Aberdeen, we had dinner on the ship. There are lots of options when you take the ferry — you can treat it strictly as a “ride”(with no food) between Aberdeen and Shetland, or you can go full-service, first class and get tickets to the lounge area. If you choose somewhere in between, there’s a very nice cafeteria with lots of food options. There are also several common areas with tables and chairs around them where you can visit with friends and eat or play games. In our case, we upgraded to the Magnus lounge where there were comfortable chairs for knitting and chatting, and complimentary beverages. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, but we had a great time. We met a few other knitters that were going on The Grand Shetland Adventure, so it was fun to get to know them before we arrived in Shetland. Time passed quickly, and, after a comfortable night of sleep, before we knew it, we were arriving in Shetland!