Preparation for Up Helly Aa

Wednesday 25th January 2012

Happy Burns day to all our readers!

Yesterday I had the good fortune to meet up with two of our top Scottish Guides, Pauline Corrigan and Malcolm Milne (Malcolm photographed here in action at the standing stones of Callanish). Pauline and Malcolm have been working with us for several years now mostly on our Scottish holidays and occasionally over to the Dutch Bulbfields - in fact Malcolm had the pleasure of being with a group in Holland when the dreaded volcanic ash grounded all planes - remember that? (I try not to remind myself).

Both were in the office to be briefed by Jenni for our forthcoming tours to Shetland this weekend for the Viking Festival 'Up Helly Aa' http://www.uphellyaa.org/ We have around 80 intrepid travelers heading for the Northern Isles on Sunday to witness the great spectacle of the torch-lit parade culminating in the burning of the Longboat.

Please pray for calm seas and clear skies, for if the skies are clear they may even have a good chance to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights that I hear have been putting on a grand show of late. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJBrMXSn-hU

If we have a choice - calm seas preferable - Aurora a bonus!

Good luck for the tour Pauline/Malcolm.