4-Xtremes – Part 60: Right up to the North Pole with the Axor

Leaving Kirkwall, Orkney at the witching hour and heading north, the ferry took us a full seven hours. Our destination after a smooth journey and sunrise on deck? The port of Lerwick on the main island of the Shetlands – which, like the Orkneys, are part of Scotland and, at the same time, the northernmost region of Great Britain.

Since we are already awake, we decide to take a walk through Lerwick, the main town of the Shetlands with around 7,500 inhabitants. Sandstone buildings line the waterfront, most dating back to the 18th century. We stroll down the practically deserted, narrow main road that follows the coastline. The harbour is modern, and there is a lot to see, from fishing boats to private sailing yachts to big vessels such as the ferry on which we arrived.

Lighthouses on every corner.

The lighthouses, which are literally on every corner, are real eye-catchers, dramatically situated on cliffs. We explore a number of these cliffs on foot – and we have to be careful not to be blown away by the wind. On one hike, a gust of wind rips the camera’s sun visor out of my hand. On some days, the wind reaches up to 100 kilometres per hour. It then becomes important to position the Axor with the rear as far into the wind as possible so you can have a reasonably quiet night without any rocking.

When you explore the coast, you come across countless bays with ruins from fishing settlements, some of which were used since ancient times – up until the 20th century. One of these abandoned settlements is Fethaland on the northernmost tip of the main island. From here you can go even further north: with two small ferries, which travel just fifteen or seven minutes.

Smallest ferry – and a lot of "northernmost".

On the first ferry – to the island of Yell – we are invited to the bridge by the crew, and Mike is even allowed to try out the captain’s chair. After a 20-minute drive along Yell, we come to the second ferry. And it’s probably the smallest we’ve ever rolled the Axor onto. The maximum vehicle height is 4.20 metres, and the crew can't believe our truck can fit. But the boys aren't bureaucratic about it and simply say: "Give it a try, and if you hear it scratching, just stop".  But of course we get on the ferry with our height of 3.70 metres without scratching – and then over to the island of Unst.

Unst is Britain’s northernmost inhabited island. And since we’re always on the hunt for "Xtremes", here are a few more: the northernmost house, the northernmost church and the northernmost lighthouse on the offshore islet with the beautiful name of Muckle Flugga – all specially marked on the map. Of course, the lighthouse works automatically, but by chance we meet one of the former lighthouse keepers: a real sea dog with plenty of wild stories about stormy seas.

But more about that in the next episode.

Photos: 4-Xtremes