Fair Isle

I am sitting in a hotel room. The walls are a sickly, bright yellow, and the quilt cover is a peculiar tartanesque pattern, identical to the curtains. Outside my window is a large car-park; beyond that, a housing estate.

I am in Glenrothes, three nights in to a four night musical tour of Scotland. We began in Aberdeen on Thursday, and will end, on Sunday evening, in Edinburgh. This is ... read more

For newcomers to this island there are some things that take just a bit of getting used to; power, for example.

When I arrived in Fair Isle I had, like most people, always enjoyed a reliable and consistent source of electricity. When I woke in the morning I could turn on a light, listen to a CD, heat my porridge in the microwave (though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that ... read more

This week our next-door neighbours left Fair Isle. After more than ten years on the island they have decided to make a new start elsewhere.

Departures like this affect everybody to some degree. People lose friends, colleagues and, in this case, the school has lost two of its pupils.

The past couple of years have seen some fairly major comings and going on the island, with several individuals and ... read more

I am currently in Unst, Britain’s most northerly island, proud home to Britain’s most northerly shop, house, church, chocolate factory, brewery and person (which, at some point this weekend, was quite possibly me). The island has also been home, since January, to my brother, Rory.

Reaching Unst is something of a trek. From Lerwick it is nearly an hour’s drive, then a 15-minute ferry journey to the island of Yell, ... read more

It is surprising how quickly you stop taking certain things for granted. Travelling, for instance.

At this moment I really shouldn’t be here. I am supposed to be 100 miles north of Fair Isle, in Unst, staying with my brother. But I’m not. I’m still at home.

After the gilded promises of last weekend, when the sun threatened to become a familiar visitor, we were brought firmly back ... read more

I write this on Saturday 17th February, looking out of the window at an unseasonably blue sky. This morning we drank our coffee in the garden for the first time since the autumn, and all over the isle people were outside, working, walking, and enjoying the sunshine.

For a couple of weeks now the first crocuses have been bravely opening up, one by one, around the garden: bright yellow ... read more

Fair Isle was first inhabited around 5000 years ago. Situated halfway between Orkney and Shetland, the island provided a vital stepping stone for the early Britons as they moved northwards, migrating towards the furthest corners of their world.

Evidence of prehistoric settlement is scattered all around this island. The remains of stone walls, houses, and burnt mounds, together with more recent Norse and early Christian sites, point towards a ... read more

Working life used to be so simple. Before I moved to Fair Isle I was a reporter at Shetland Times newspaper for six months or so. Before that I taught English in Prague. And before that I was a student, so avoided work as much as I possibly could.

I came to Fair Isle without any job organised, only promises from various people that there was “plenty to ... read more

“So where exactly is Fair Isle then?”

It’s a sensible enough question really, and one that I’ve been asked more than a few times since I moved here, just over a year ago. Folk can be forgiven for not knowing. It’s a small place after all.

I try my best to explain. “It’s an island about halfway between Shetland and Orkney” I say. “A little dot on the map, ... read more