Today has been a long day with many hours spent on the Compass Rose run by Muckle Flugga Charters, but I was able to visit a lighthouse that I would otherwise never have reached. I waited on board while the others in the group did their islands. There were no easy landings today like we had yesterday on Linga and Vaila so I thought I would stay on the boat until we got to the island of Balta.

We passed the lighthouse on Balta before we landed so I could see that the terrain was very easy going and it would be a nice stroll across. Landing on the island was fine with just a very small clamber onto the rocks initially. Bob had very kindly offered to walk to the lighthouse with me before heading off for the high point. As expected the walk was straightforward with no obstacles at all. It was all rather pleasant really.

The lighthouse, as is common in Shetland, is a flat-pack, but it has not always been. The original tower that stood here was built in 1895 and designed by David Stevenson, the last generation of the lighthouse Stevensons. It was believed to have been one of the first concrete structures in Shetland. Having seen an old picture of it on Geograph, it looks a little different from others installed at that sort of time. While many of the other towers of that time were cast iron, it perhaps says a lot about the location and its exposure that it was constructed from concrete. I imagine it can get fairly wild there at times. This tower was demolished in 2003 and replaced with the flat-pack that stands there now. It’s a lovely calm place and I was delighted to have reached it as when you see them from the mainland or main islands they seem almost unreachable. It turns out they are not.

It was a great trip and while I didn’t achieve much in the way of lighthouses it was good to chat with the others, see a bit more of the endless coastline of Shetland and also to get some bonus views of both Whitehill lighthouse near Vatsetter as well as the Uyeasound light, which we visited by land last year. The adventure has certainly continued. 🙂