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Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

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Unst Storm Force 9

V is for… Valhalla

Published on October 11, 2014 by Elizabeth Atia

a place of honour, glory, or happiness : heaven

Unst Storm Force 9

I spent nearly three hours in Valhalla earlier this week. True story.

This week I have been travelling the length and breadth of my island home seeking out foodie stories and photographs for a local magazine piece I am writing. I found myself drinking coffee and chatting with the owner of Britain’s most northerly brewery located on the island of Unst: the Valhalla Brewery. I knew high winds were expected later that day but I wasn’t prepared for what I faced when I left the brewery in the late afternoon.

Strong gale force 9 winds caused violent waves to crash against the shore, churning up sea foam that flew through the air. It was like a giant swirling sea throwing a massive temper tantrum. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Leviathan itself had made an appearance. My camera lens was soon covered in salt sea spray so I only managed to get a few snaps of the sea before the lens became blurry, but you can watch a short video clip on my Instagram feed, should you wish.

I begged in my mind, please, please don’t let the ferries be running this evening – I was due to have dinner at a local hotel and catch the late evening ferries back to the mainland, but I really, really didn’t want to go out on that churning water.

The high winds ended up knocking me over and I confess, for a fleeting moment, I worried that I would soon meet my maker if a large wave decided toΒ claim me.

Thankfully the ferries were cancelled. A combination of wind and tide meant that docking would prove to be difficult, so I ended up staying the night at the hotel with a bunch of mad bird watchers. I could think of worse places to be stranded and I ended up having a very enjoyable evening.

Valhalla Ale

I didn’t leave the Valhalla Brewery empty handed – I was gifted a box of one of each of their almighty fine ales which I thought deserved a more creative photograph than one of them sitting on my kitchen counter. This morning, while the seas were calm and skies were bright, I headed down to the shore for a photo, disturbing a grey heron which had quietly been perched at the end of this broken fence. You can see seaweed hanging off the fence, the only sign that four days ago these waters were violently chaotic.

Last summer we holidayed in Unst as a family and went on a tour of the brewery, seeing everything in action. It’s a remarkable place producingΒ an outstanding product. This week I spent an afternoon listening to the man behind the business, Sonny, tell me his fantastic stories. One of these days I hope to be able to tell his story to the world. It’s amazing what one man can accomplish with an idea and the dedication to see it through.

This week, for the Alphabet Photography Project hosted by PODcast, V is for Valhalla.

A is for… Adventure
B is for… Brave
C is for… Coast
D is for… Derelict
E is for… Education
F is for… Fishing Industry
G is for… Green
H is for… Helicopter
I is for… Iron Age
J is for… Jelly Sweets
K is for… Kohlrabi
L is for… Lynn
M is for… Marmoset
N is for… Noise
O is for… Orangedale
P is for Puffin
Q is for Quarry
R is for… Ruins
S is for Sculpture
T is for… Time
U is for… Up Helly Aa

If you want to be kept up to date on my recipes, occasional craft tutorials, adventure stories and giveaways then please subscribe to my weekly newsletter; it gets sent out every Monday morning if there is new content. Your email address won’t be passed on to anyone, you will never be spammed and you are free to unsubscribe at any time, no questions asked. Make sure you confirm your subscription or you won’t receive the newsletter – if it hasn’t arrived check your junk mail folder.

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Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary was gifted a box of Valhalla Ales and was not required to write anything in return. All opinions expressed are our own. This is not a paid post.

Category: Photography, ShetlandTag: AlphabetPhoto, Unst, Valhalla, Valhalla Brewery

About Elizabeth Atia

Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home.

Previous Post: « Up Helly Aa U is for… Up Helly Aa
Next Post: New on my Cookery Bookshelf new cookbooks »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth Charlesworth

    March 8, 2015 at 7:49 am

    Lovely photo but writing on the labels is too small to read. What sort of ales do they make?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      March 8, 2015 at 8:57 am

      They have a range of high quality ales – you can read all about them on their website http://www.valhallabrewery.co.uk/ πŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Isabelle

    November 18, 2014 at 8:45 am

    This kind of post is why I love your blog, on top of the very nice recipes you share with us ! As a french lover of british islands (even if I have never travelled to Shetland Islands !) I can imagine the sea, the wind, the storm and a cosy meal with a nice cup of tea in a comfortable house shaked by huge winds ! … OK, maybe it’s not so nice everyday, but I like this kind of romantic feeling …
    Thank you for letting me dreaming of Shetland Islands.

    Reply
  3. Holly Hollyson

    October 30, 2014 at 9:26 pm

    When I went to the Shetlands I brought 24 bottles of beer back to England from the brewery in my back pack – carrying them through the train stations was a nightmare!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      October 31, 2014 at 9:05 am

      That would have been one very clinking back back! I struggled to get six to fit in mine! πŸ˜€

      Reply
  4. sustainablemum

    October 11, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    Wow that is quite a sea! I love the picture of your beer, enjoy drinking them πŸ™‚

    Reply
  5. Stephanie

    October 11, 2014 at 12:57 pm

    Nothing says a seasonal change quite like those waves and winds x

    Reply
  6. Michelle Murray

    October 11, 2014 at 12:27 pm

    Oooh great photo and a very nice collection you have there!

    Reply
  7. Stephanie

    October 11, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    That’s a great creative photo of them – enjoy !

    Reply

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About Elizabeth

Adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Loves bikes. Calls Shetland home. Read More…

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