Foula 2008

The bi-annual Foula expedition has had another successful year, bursting at the seams with a full crew of 12 members and some very welcome taggers-on (Sue Steel and Tony Land). The expedition presented an opportunity for people to experience and understand the challenges that remote island life can offer, to work alongside and assist the local community, for members to improve their natural history and fieldwork skills and to explore their own interests. The expedition also gave individuals a chance to take part in the Discovery Level of the John Muir Award and, in some cases, to satisfy the residential part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.    

Though the rough seas on the Northlink ferry from Aberdeen challenged the stomachs of expedition members, everybody arrived in the port of Lerwick, mainland Shetland, with smiles of relief. Having bundled kit onto the bus, and dropped off the seven lucky crew members who were catching the Islander aircraft at Tingwall airport, the five brave souls to take on the ominous 2½ rolling hours on the ‘Foula mailboat’ continued onto Walls via a kind detour by bus driver, Mick Dymond, (an ex-Brathay member – Foula 1961!) to see picture-book views of Foula from the mainland. Whilst the seven shot through the skies to Foula, the five were greeted with the joyous news that a temporary speedboat was on the mailboat shift. We were promised that, with jet propulsion, it would get us there in under an hour.

Sunshine greeted us on Foula as mass cleaning started on Bryan’s ‘chalets’, our home for the next 10 days. Celebrations began that evening for David’s birthday; tea was brewing as Jim and Sheila Gear, residents of a neighbouring croft, arrived with fiddle and guitar in tow; later followed by Bryan, for a few hours of music and singing.

The weather remained bright and breezy for evening strolls and social calls to islanders which set the itinerary for the second day; we headed for the hills. Taking the road south and then following the sharp rise of the hill ridge to the peak of Hamnafield, via a detour to inspect a 429m landslide / mudslip, later to be surveyed, we continued to the highest point on the island, Da Sneug (418m).

On Foula you learn quickly to respond to yells of ‘duck’. Throughout the climb you’d see folk fling themselves to the ground – Foula has a vast breeding population of bonxies (Great Skuas) and Aalins (Arctic Skuas) which are fiercely territorial. From watching fulmar and bustling puffin colonies we carefully galumphed along the top of the highest sea cliff in inhabited Britain, Da Kame (366m) and down to the cliffs of Da Nort Banks to be halted by the attentions of roaming Shetland ponies before heading on to Soberlie hill. The day rounded off with some members heroically swimming in the harbour and others attending the Renewable Energy presentation and discussion on proposed wind turbine sites, at the Island School / Community Hall. This led onto a cracking evening of grand food, music by islanders and incomers alike (including a member of the Shetland band Fiddlers Bid), and merriment at Ham croft.

As the hill tops were lost to the clouds, the following days saw further coastal walks, exploring the rocky geos, bird watching and scouting for suitable swimming sites. A group highlight was climbing down da Sneck ida Smallie (a steep rock ravine), skilfully negotiating congealing sheep, and out onto the sunlit flat rocks below; watching shag and common guillemot chicks and juveniles; the sky full of birds.

Undeterred by the changing weather, fieldwork began with an enthusiastic few scaling straight up the slope of Hamnafield to survey the landslide that occurred in early August 2007. Others took to watching with smiles from below whilst setting pit-fall traps at Ham, continuing work upon the invertebrates of Foula and the hunt for the Foula fly.

Work also advanced on a survey of the wells of Foula, progressing a project started by the Foula Heritage Group. With kind help from islanders Jim Gear and Eric Isbister a number of unmarked wells were found and cleared: Eric directed us to a beautiful stone-lined well inclusive of steps - having been eyeing-up damp sphagnum moss bogs masquerading as wells it was pretty good!  Well-surveying at Hametoun, down the south end of Foula was regularly interrupted by visiting Eric’s bread-eating goat and Wullie and Amy’s Australian pigs and piglets; £25 for a piglet, anyone?!

A brief survey was also started on the horizontal mills of Foula, and Tony Land continued his investigations into the geology from which new theories of the glaciation of the island were formed.

Spread over the days was also the task of bagging and bringing in the peat of one of the elder islanders, Edith Gray; inspired teamwork helped us heft the near 400 bags that we’d filled the ½ mile to the road to later be collected and stacked in her byre. A day was also spent gathering in peat for Dal Prytherch, with just reward, before another madness encouraged a run up to the landslide to continue measurements. 

As the weather worsened, games of cards, Uno and cooking featured heavily on the evening agenda and people were tempted out of bed in the mornings by calls of fresh scones as the wind gusted to Gale Force 8. More lively evenings of music at Jim and Sheila’s and with Eric, playing guitar, at Donna (the island nurse) and Geoff’s followed, in between walks against bracing horizontal rain. Plans of camping faded as the warmth and stable roof of the ‘chalet’ seemed all the more appealing. Contented, we left Foula in a weather window, between Atlantic gales.   

Everybody was agreed that though Foula might be a bit out the way, it was spectacular. Somewhere that you couldn’t help but remember. Talking with the group on the ferry back from Aberdeen it was lovely to listen to an overwhelming respect for the islanders and their ways of life.   

Fran Dyson-Sutton