Shetland with Laurie

This week, we had the pleasure of Laurie Goodlad, Shetland’s very own independent Scottish travel writer, tour guide, itinerary planner and destination specialist as a guest onboard The Noss Boat. It was wonderful to share our top wildlife and photography boat tour attraction experience with Laurie first-hand. We have enjoyed watching Laurie’s business grow of the years and really enjoy her insightful, knowledgeable online content, writing style, and professional approach within the tourism industry here on the Isles.  To see Laurie’s reel of our tour please check out instagram here: Shetland With Laurie  – Noss Boat Tour Reel April 2024

Laurie summarised our tour on Instagram as follows:

✨ Birds, birds and more birds! Phil told us so much about the birds we saw, from fulmars to skuas, long-tailed ducks to eiders, oystercatchers, ravens and more… the highlight were the gannets and auks (we spotted razorbills, black guillemots and guillemots) that nest on the towering cliffs of Noss.

✨We entered the Orkneyman’s Cave, a place reputed to be where men hid from the Press Gang.

✨ We passed through the Giant’s Leg – an impressive natural sandstone arch

✨ Once at the bird colony we witnessed an incredible “feeding frenzy”, with gannets diving like torpedoes into the glistening sea. We saw skuas bully other seabirds for food. We spied shags and kittiwakes nesting in hidden crags and the babbling guillemots claiming their spot on the ledges.

✨On the way back we were lucky enough to see some curious seals in the harbour (ps – they’re massive!)

This was an incredible trip, and it’s impossible not to feel totally in awe of the natural world, its beauty, and challenges- all set against the beautiful evening light of Shetland’s spring 🫶🏻

I came away with a full heart, a camera roll filled with beauty, and a face full of gannet poo!

🎦 Laurie filmed the whole trip for her Patrons over on Patreon (coming soon)……..

Shetland With Laurie

Started in 2018 after Laurie grew tired of the drag of her day job and being ground down by the corporate workplace.

Driven by a passion for the islands she call’s home, an underlying faith in herself and the wider universe, and under the whispering veil of warnings from well-meaning family members of ‘don’t do it, it won’t work’, Laurie stepped off the merry-go-round of employment and spread her wings into the unknown.

With little more than a fledgling blog of musings – some pretty bad in those early days – and unwavering faith that it was the right thing to do, Shetland with Laurie was born. From the tiny seed of an idea and a passion for words, her blog grew …

Five years later, Laurie say’s she is: “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and how my business has evolved from a deeply buried blog on the final pages of Google’s search to an authoritative voice within the Scottish travel industry. I have written and contributed to big hitters in the industry, such as Lonely Planet, and featured on travel shows, blogs and tourism campaigns. My fledgling seedling has grown into a business and blog that I’m immensely proud of today”.

TOURS & ITINERARY PLANNING

“PLANNING A HOLIDAY IS HARD. THAT’S WHY I’M HERE, TO REMOVE THE PRESSURE OFF PLANNING AND TO TAKE THE STRESS AWAY FROM PLANNING THAT PERFECT TRIP.”

With extensive experience planning itineraries in Shetland and Orkney, let me take the reigns and give you the trip of a lifetime.

Whether you’re travelling solo, as a family or a larger group, I can put together a travel itinerary to suit your needs. Or perhaps you’re travelling with a motorhome or tent but can’t figure out ferries, campsites and routes. Let me do that for you while you sit back and dream of the north!”

LAURIE’S PATREON PLATFORM

“Patreon is a membership platform that gives patrons – that’s you, I hope – exclusive access to otherwise unpublished material. For creators, Patreon is a way to get paid for the things that we create. Patrons pay a few pounds a month and benefit from exclusive content, while creators can earn a little to create that content. Patreon is a way to join your favourite creator’s community and pay them for making the stuff you love.”

LAURIE’S BLOG & PODCASTS

Scottish travel blog from an Islander’s perspective & wonderful Island themed podcasts with interviews with Island folk across a range of vocations and interests.

GUIDEBOOK

Laurie has a new Guidebook coming out VERY SOON in 2024 – keep tuned via her online platforms for the latest developments and release dates we can’t wait to see it in print and are sure it’ll be a big success…….