Fishing
and crofting have always been the mainstays of Shetland life, though much
has changed since the not so distant past when the sea was the highway and
the engine unknown. The old way of life continued almost unchanged until
World War II announced itself with the first bomb to be dropped on British
soil landing in Sullom. The sole casualty was a rabbit, allegedly
inspiring the famous wartime song "Run Rabbit Run". Many fine examples of
times past can be seen in Northmavine.
Easily
accessible are the shore front at Hillswick where the man made beach was
used for drying fish. Here The Booth, a former Hanseatic trading post, has
stayed in business for more than 300 years. Since the turn of this century
it has been overlooked by the large, wooden pavilion from Norway,
displayed at Glasgow's Great Exhibition, in 1899, and now a hotel.
Further afield on Stenness beach stand the ruins of fishing lodges,
reminding us of the "far haaf" open sea fishing which flourished in the 18th
and 19th centuries. Men would set out to sea for days on end in open rowing
boats called "sixareens" not returning until they were laden with fish.
Fethaland was once Shetland's busiest haaf fishing station. Sixty sixareens
were based here and the ruins of twenty lodges still stand, retaining the
atmosphere of the time. Close by, a circular mound is believed to be the
remains of a 4000 year old homestead.
The
Vikings left their mark on a nearby soapstone cliff where it is possible to
distinguish the shapes of urns and bowls where they were carved from the
cliff face. Fethaland is some distance to walk, as are the green pastures of
Uyea where a crofting community thrived until early this century. The
well-preserved buildings are still used by crofters today.
Crofting
continues throughout the parish. Some crofts invite visitors to come and
look around on open days during the summer (see local press for details).
The
fishing industry lives on at Collafirth pier, built it 1988 on the site of
an old Norwegian whaling station and now home to one of Britain's largest
fishing boats. Smaller inshore boats work from Hamnavoe and Hillswick as
well as Collafirth. The picture of the modern Shetland economy is completed
with salmon farms in several of Northmavine's voes, and the best view of
Europe's largest oil terminal, at Sullom Voe, from Ollaberry.
