Glorious start to day 7, my final morning on Shetland and the weather held to take in a visit to St Ninian’s Isle on the west coast of the Sumburgh peninsula. (Slightly marred by the collection of junk – including caravans and campervans – on the mainland side of the tombolo…) A relatively short (28 km) wind-assisted ride north brought me back to my starting point, Lerwick. A ‘small’ cruise ship (just 1,000 people rather than the 6,000 people that some ships can bring) was in town and Wanda’s belt drive provoked the usual spike of interest from passing ship-bound tourists. I met for coffee with Cycling UK’s newly appointed project coordinator on Shetland. An interesting chat! Then the very bumpy ferry to Kirkwall on Orkney. A late-night 4 km dash in the rain brought me (and several others) to the SYHA hostel. A former military base no less. My main preoccupation today is to find the local laundrette. I need some clean clothes… Tomorrow I will cycle west to Stromness for a final three nights of camping.

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Le Grand Tour on a Bike Called Wanda, was published in May 2024 and recounts Andrew P. Sykes’ journey around France, into the Alps and down the Rhine in the summer of 2022. It is available as a paperback and as and eBook from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com (and other international Amazon sites). The paperback is also available from Waterstones or Foyles and the eBook from Apple iBooks.

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