Always ask: analogue travel in the far north

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( [Travel] Simon Calder’s Travel Week [Simon Calder]( Written by Simon Calder | August 20, 2021 The easier it becomes to extract travel information from millions of interconnected machines, the more important it is to remember the fundamental principle of travelling to new places: always ask. I am writing from Shetland, the only part of the British Isles above 60 degrees north: a higher latitude than the southern tip of Greenland, and more than two-thirds of the way from the Equator to the North Pole. The trip began with a brisk online transaction to buy a flight from London to Inverness (sadly, the train cost three times as much, but see below for an LNER promotion that beats flying). Since I stepped off the plane and into the north, though, I have enjoyed a strictly analogue journey in a digital age – using ferries, trains, buses and hitchhiking plus the occasional tactical taxi. Showing the way: Sumburgh Head lighthouse at the southern tip of Shetland Even this deep into the 21st century, the key to a successful trip is to seek advice from everyone who knows more than you. They may be fellow travellers just returning from the place to which you are heading; locals who have spent their lives in the area; or professional providers of travel guidance, such as Hazel, who works in the tourist office of Shetland's modest capital, Lerwick. She tackled the intricate business of finding a slot on the small ferries that shuttle to the offshore island of Yell and onwards to distant Unst by picking up the telephone and negotiating with the person who allocates space. Then she called around to find a B&B with a room and a view. Thanks to Hazel's efforts I am gazing out across a coastline that crumbles into a steely sea, punctuated by a lighthouse. Double beach: the path from St Ninian's Island to mainland Shetland The whole trip has been guided by local advice: staff at the car rental office recommended Mackenzie's farm shop and café for a "muckle" (big) breakfast. At the conclusion of this feast, the waitress urged a visit to the Quendale watermill, where in turn the chap running the restored attraction advocated calling in at the Hoswick Visitor Centre – one of several community-run heritage hubs that reveal the challenges of living on the raw edge of the UK. From the student-run restaurant at Scalloway serving superb seafood to the cacophonous spectacle of the gannet colony that marks the final flourish of Scotland before the Arctic, acting on advice provides a more enriching experience than inspecting online reviews. And the one location that absolutely everyone recommends? The amazing double-beach connecting St Ninian's Island with the mainland. For every traveller in the northlands, it is the ultimate isthmus gift. Destination of the week: Las Palmas City break: Las Palmas, The only big city in the Canary Islands is Las Palmas. Gran Canaria's capital has the scale and amenities of a mainland metropolis, but with warm, breezy weather throughout the year. It is also rich in history and style. The original site of the city is colourful Vergueta, where Juan Rejón founded the Real de Las Palmas in 1470. This prototype for Hispanic American settlements is dominated by the twin towers of Santa Ana Cathedral. The mercato has plenty of tempting bars and cafes for tapas and a beer. Just north is Triana, a historic area full of interest. Throw in a decent city beach and the hub of the island's excellent bus network, and you have all the elements for an excellent trip. Jet2 Holidays has a week's holiday for just £266 from East Midlands to the city of Las Palmas on Saturday 28 August including flights, transfers and accommodation at the Bull Hotel Astoria with breakfast. Deal of the week: East Coast rail in autumn - has another very low fare promotion running for rail travel on the East Coast main line between London, Yorkshire, northeast England and Scotland. It applies for travel from Monday 6 September to Friday 15 October 2021. One-way fares start at £5 for shorter journeys (eg from Durham to York) in standard class, rising to £50 for London to Inverness in first. From Leeds to the capital costs just £10 in standard; from Newcastle to London, the flat fare is £15. Railcard discounts do not apply. At least 200,000 discounted tickets (150,000 standard and 50,000 first class) have been put on sale, but they are going fast. Question of the week: Could Spain join the red list? Question: I am due to travel to Mallorca on Sunday. But I am reading a lot of news articles saying Spain could join the "red list" next week due to the number of people testing positive on their return. Do you think it's possible? Answer: No, and I am very concerned by the alarm these articles are spreading. They imply that holidaymakers returning from our favourite foreign country will be told to pay thousands of pounds for 11 nights in a quarantine hotel. The reports rely on NHS Test & Trace figures from several weeks ago. Today, as the Covid data analyst Tim White points out, the Beta variant is almost extinct in Spain and infection rates are dwindling. In addition, the hotel quarantine scheme simply could not cope with that surge of arrivals that red-listing Spain would involve. So I conclude I have more chance of being called up by Crawley Town FC for tomorrow's League Two match than of arrivals from Spain being placed into the highest-risk category. 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