A ‘buzz’ in the Hillswick air as cruise ship visits
GOING by the number of people packed into the St Magnus Bay Hotel to watch traditional music on Monday, it’s fair to say it was a slightly busier weekday in Hillswick than usual.
The village hosted a rare visit from a cruise ship, the National Geographic Explorer, which dropped anchor and saw its passengers head ashore on Zodiac boats.
A number of local businesses and crafters opened their doors for the passengers, from the hotel to jeweller Esme Wilcock – while the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary hosted visitors too.
Andrea Manson of the St Magnus Bay Hotel, who is also a local councillor said it was “lovely to hear a buzz about the place”.
“It was just such a lovely day – weather gods let the sun shine for us, and everybody had a lovely day,” she said.
Manson said cruise passengers were taken for a tour on buses, before returning for the musical session at the hotel.
She said, however, that the passengers tend to be well catered for by the ship itself.
“So while we certainly saw more people than we normally would on a Monday, we didn’t by any manner of means feed everybody on the ship or see everybody on the ship,” Manson said.
Meanwhile local resident Tom Morton also hosted a pop-up shop in his living room, offering second-hand items like books and records.
He described the visit of the cruise ship as a “kind of flashback to the days of flitboats full of tourists and the Earl of Zetland” – a boat which used to roam around Shetland’s isles and other locations in years gone by.
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A ferry also used to operate from the Scottish mainland up to Hillswick in the 1900s, with passengers staying at the St Magnus Bay Hotel.
“It suddenly struck me what a great tourist destination Hillswick is when approached by sea – lovely in itself, two beaches, easy access to Eshaness, Fethaland,” Morton said.
“And we have the hotel, wildlife sanctuary, smithy, jewellery and wood workshops, Weaving Shed, hall and shop.”
He said his ‘Last Bookshop’ venture used to operate from the old croft at Gateside, near the hall, and described opening up his front door at the Manse to visitors as a pop-up experiment.
“It was very busy, the American visitors were delightful and I sold quite a lot of books, records and art,” Morton said.
“Though interestingly, the bulk of sales were to Shetlanders. Getting stuff back to the ship via Zodiac may have been a challenge.
“Nevertheless, there is a real opportunity for craft businesses, particularly traditional things like knitwear. Some fascinating conversations and I think the NatGeo folk really enjoyed Northmavine. Next, the seaplane service!”
While Lerwick is undeniably the cruise capital of Shetland, smaller ‘expedition’ ships like the National Geographic Explorer – which can carry up to 148 passengers – occasionally visit areas such as Fair Isle and Baltasound.
Monday also saw a smaller cruise ship, the Ocean Nova, visit Papa Stour.
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