It was close to midnight on a beach on south-west mainland Shetland, yet the sea still held the ghostly afterglow of summer sunshine. This was not an entirely unexpected phenomenon because we had chosen to visit this northerly destination during the midsummer period known as the simmer dim.
My son and I had travelled to Shetland on a Northlink Ferry which made its way along the watery highway linking Scotland to Scandinavia.
Instead of continuing to the Faroe Isles or Noway, the ferry makes landfall at Lerwick Harbour at around 7.30 in the morning after her passengers have had a restful night’s sleep and the option of a hearty breakfast.
We were on something of a mission because a good friend had confounded all expectations by upping sticks and moving to Shetland just when we had all thought she would retire and live in the brand-new architect-designed house she had had constructed in our Highland village.
What, I wondered, were the forces at work that conspired to enchant our friend and make her change life course so markedly?
We decided to immerse ourselves in our task by engaging in a busy schedule involving lots of activity.
Soon our detective work led us to cross paths with wildlife enthusiast Ian Towriess who runs a company called Otter Tracks in Shetland which is based on the island of Yell.
Ian is no slouch when it comes to solving mysteries but he keeps his focus firmly on the animal kingdom, leaving the vagaries of human beings for others to ponder.
For over an hour, Ian led Ruairidh and me on a boggy, coastal walk. All the while he was quietly confident that we would get to see otters in the wild.
Just when our thoughts were straying to notions of tea and cake in the local museum, Ian identified a snorting sound.
It was, he said, an otter which had been alerted to our presence. Soon enough, he pointed out a mother and cub splashing around in shallow water and encouraged us to move ahead of the wee family to allow them to come towards us.
His tactics worked and we were delighted to see these enchanting animals on their own terms in their own environment, scrambling over rocks and going in and out of the waves. The very next day found us out at sea in the company of another local who loves the place to which he belongs.
Frank Miller, of Thule Charters, has an easy manner with both passengers and wildlife.
A highlight of our most entertaining trip was watching Frank hand-feed a ferocious Great Skua on ginger nuts.
We also enjoyed the bumbling antics of baby puffins and were astounded by the aerobatics of massive gannets and neat, angular Arctic Terns who can fight each other mid-air and divebomb to great depths.
Some people are deterred from visiting Shetland because of its reputation for wild weather.
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We found ourselves sunbathing on sandy beaches called tombolos. These forge a link between islands and have sea on either side.
We also witnessed moments when the sky seemed to swallow the land and submerge it in the ocean.
From time to time rain-swollen clouds scudded overhead like galleons slipping anchor in full sail.
Time here is marked in stone. There are ancient geological wonders wherever you look. Deep time is made three dimensional by the presence of steep towering cliffs, some of which are bordered by stacks and arches. Humans have cleaved evidence of their presence out of rock too.
We took a boat trip from Sandsayre Pier across to the island of Mousa and climbed the staircase of a circular fortified building known as a broch which dates back over 4,000 years.
Brochs are particular to Northern Scotland and the one on Mousa is the most intact example.
Just in case the pace of our trip became anything less than full-on, we booked up for a kayaking session and spent a wonderful few hours coming face to face with seals and exploring a series of caves where currents and tides nudged our progress and sloshed waves against dank, briny walls.
We found abundant hospitality in the islands. In fact the nature of the people we met deserves special mention.
They radiate an open-heartedness and a lightness of spirit which I have yet to encounter elsewhere to the same degree.
My appetite for the Northern Isles has been well and truly whetted and I can sense the powerful forces that have exerted themselves upon my friend.
However, these forces are not ones that can be quantified and spelled out. They belong in the realm of intangibles, like supernatural happenings, and Shetland is, indeed, a magical place.