Shetland with Laurie Podcast

The older I get, the more I crave experiences that ground me, that allow me to truly connect with the natural world. I find myself increasingly seeking spaces that offer respite from the constant hum of digital noise and the demands of modern life. Believe it or not, but I spend most of my days sitting at a computer – not the open spaces and horizons that you see on my Instagram stories!

So, when Haar Saua invited me to visit their sauna on the beautiful St Ninian’s Isle beach for anAufgusssession, I didn’t have to think twice. In Nordic cultures, there is a term that embodies this kind of immersive experience –In Sauna. It refers to the profound, almost spiritual feeling you get from the intense heat of a sauna; a place where time slows, and everything else fades away.

In Finland, the spiritual home of sauna, the sauna is more than just a retreat for the body; it’s an essential part of life. It’s where business is done, friendships are forged, and communities are nurtured. It’s not just a luxury, but a necessity – an intimate space for renewal and connection.

Here in Shetland, Haar have their flagship sauna on St Ninian’s Isle Beach, tucked in beneath the dunes, sheltered from the worst of the wind, and with incredible views that tease you from the door’s window. St Ninian’s is the ideal location for a sauna, and the small footprint it takes up on this sweeping tombolo simply adds to the experience of visiting this iconic South Mainland beach. With another sauna in the north at Brae, and more deep-heat ideas in the pipeline, Haar has firmly planted the seed of Nordic culture back in Shetland. 

The benefits of sauna are well-known and wide-ranging, from improving circulation and reducing stress, to cleansing the body and boosting heart health. But perhaps the most transformative aspect of the sauna experience, particularly theAufguss ritual, is its ability to restore and calm the spirit. It’s a practice that goes beyond physical health – it’s deeply grounding, reconnecting us with the earth and allowing us to feel truly present in the moment.

Haar Sauna is a true haven of tradition, where the comforting crackle of a wood-fired stove envelops you in its warmth as the door closes on the cool winter air. Haar Sauna is an experience that feels timeless and authentic. 

As you approach the beach, the sight of its chimney puffing smoke amidst the dunes and the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean immediately draws you in – a perfect contrast to the raw, wild beauty of the landscape.

January’s days are sharp and short, and with the biting wind nipping at our exposed ankles, we made our way to the beach, against the cold, sharp air – the sight of the smoking sauna chimney and open beach fire surrounded by benches kicked any thoughts of winter’s grey gloom into the salty air and chill Atlantic waves beyond.

Welcomed by the flickering warmth of the campfire, burning bright and steady in the low, late-afternoon gloaming. The fire, surrounded by benches, cut through the chill of the season, coaxing us in to pause, breathe, and reconnect.

Haar Sauna is the vision of Callum and Hannah-Mary, a local couple who, after several years in Norway, longed to bring a piece of Nordic culture to this coastal landscape which was once part of the wider Scandinavian world. Their dream was simple yet profound – to reconnect people to nature, to the elemental power of deep heat, and to offer a space where the soul can find stillness amidst the rush of life. This sauna, with its gentle smoke rising into the air, is not just a place to warm the body, but a sanctuary for anyone seeking to reconnect, rejuvenate, and embrace the beauty of simplicity.

We had four deep heat sauna sessions where Callum led the Aufguss ritual with essential oils andvihtas, taking us to a place of deep relaxation and calm. These sessions of intense heat were followed by a series of cold dips in the sea. The contrast between the heat of the sauna and cold of the sea has a profound effect on the body which tingles as senses sharpen to the contrasts of hot and cold. The sauna causes blood vessels to dilate, while the cold sea causes them to constrict. Meanwhile, your heart rate increases with the heat, before slowing to steady the effects of the cold.

Vihtas, or birch branches are used to hit or massage the body with, improving circulation and connecting you with nature. The Haarvihtas were made from willow, birch and aspen, the branches collected in the first flush of spring before being dried and then rehydrated in water before the Aufguss session. The smell, heady and earthy, was an assault on the senses, and deeply ethereal. I closed my eyes, trying to absorb every drop of nature’s tonic. It was bliss – the perfect escape.

After each dip, we sat by the fire as our bodies readjusted back to a normal temperature before repeating the process in the sauna once more. Amongst good company and a winter sky becoming inkier by the minute in the gathering darkness, it was hard not to imagine that we were exactly where we needed to be in that given moment.

Some experiences in life are so profound, so deeply stirring, that trying to put them into words feels like an injustice to their impact. This is one of those moments. I’ve rarely felt so alive, so rooted in the present, as I did in that space as Cal led theAufgusssession. I left feeling relaxed and recharged – and incredibly sleepy! – but also with something far deeper. The revitalizing power of theAufguss lingered in my body long after I’d wrapped myself in my Dry Robe and made my way back to the car, leaving a sandy trail behind me. My skin hummed with the energy of the experience – it was as if the heat, the ritual, and the stillness had seeped into my bones, awakening something within me that stayed long after the waves of St Ninian’s had faded from view.

If you are in any doubt whether or not sauna is for you, I can wholeheartedly say that this is an experience that everyone would love. Of course, and as with anything, there are a few contraindications, and you should check that it is safe for you to sauna beforehand (all this information is available on the Haar Sauna website)https://www.haarsauna.com/info 

And as I bask in the memory of myAufgusssession, I’d like to say a huge thank you to Cal for performing theAufgussand leaving us feeling refreshed and recharged as January comes to an end. In a world that’s always pulling us in a thousand directions, the Haar Sauna, on that cold January day, offered me a rare space for stillness, healing, and connection. And in that space, I found not just relaxation, but a deeper sense of who I am and where I belong.

If you’re in Shetland, you can book your sauna session online at haarsauna.com.https://www.haarsauna.com/ 

Christmas in Shetland is something I’m asked about time and time again. What does Christmas in Shetland look like? What traditions do you have? What do you eat, and so on. And, to be honest – it looks a lot like Christmas all over the world, and certainly throughout the UK. We have the John Lewis advert, Wham, Buble and the great hunking turkey on the day. 

We’ve lost so many of our Christmas traditions over the years, and I’ve pondered how to sugar coat this and make it sound less like an accusation. The truth is, it’s modernisation, and it happens the world over. Small island communities may feel it more acutely because so many of our traditions are still bound up within living memory – or are still practised by some. Change comes nonetheless, and there’s no stopping it.

But, for this podcast, I’ll look back at some of the Christmas traditions of past Shetland – and a few that have managed to hang on into the present day.

To celebrate the release of Shetland: Your Essential Travel Guide, I am recording a few snippets from the book.

This week, we are looking at one of the more in depths topics within the book and the chapter; Weather.

Climate and the weather are something that most visitors are keen to understand before they arrive and, locally, is a topic that opens most conversations. The most common questions are: how hot – or cold – does it get, is there much snow and how cold is the sea? Visitors always ask what they should pack, and the answer is: everything. Expect four seasons in one day, bitter wind-chills that make jaws rattle, and unexpected rain showers on otherwise clear days.

Despite sitting on the same latitude as St Petersburg, Helsinki, and the Alaskan city of Anchorage, Shetland doesn’t experience the same extremes of temperature. Shetland is about 9℃ milder than St Petersburg in winter and experiences very little prolonged snowfall. Our temperate, mild winters are thanks to the warming effects of the North Atlantic Drift, a sea current that passes through the islands, cutting short otherwise prolonged frosts.

If you are interested in buying a copy, you can order here: https://shetlandwooladventures.com/product/shetland-your-essential-travel-guide/

To celebrate the release of Shetland: Your Essential Travel Guide, I am recording a few snippets from the book.

This week, we are looking at The Basics chapter; Brief History.

Shetland’s human history goes back thousands of years, and it has been home to a succession of people since Neolithic times. The evidence of these lives can be found across the isles, intertwined with how we live today.

In this episode we look at Shetland's history, from the arrival of Mesolithic hunter gatherers to the first farmers who settled during Neolithic times. We explore the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Viking and later Norse periods before we take a look at how Shetland became part of Scotland, and why the island's remain culturally set apart from the rest of Scotland.

Ever wondered why Shetland has its own flag? Listen on to find out ...

If you are interested in buying a copy, you can order here: https://shetlandwooladventures.com/product/shetland-your-essential-travel-guide/ 

To celebrate the release of Shetland: Your Essential Travel Guide, I am recording a few snippets from the book.

This week, we are looking at The Basics chapter; Shetland at a glance.

Shetland is an archipelago partway between Scotland and Scandinavia, straddling the North Sea and North Atlantic at a latitude of 60° north. Shetland’s position has long made it an important trading point, sculpting its past and present. Far from being insular and remote, Shetland is a crossroads in the North Atlantic, where every aspect of life is underpinned by a strong sense of community and pride.

Made up of more than 100 islands, only 16 of which are inhabited, it has a rich and vibrant culture, wild winters, midnight summer sun, a deep-rooted history and incredible landscapes and wildlife. Its rugged coastline of almost 1,000 miles (1,700km) has been carved and shaped by the unbridled power of the sea and there are fantastic walking opportunities across the islands’ 567 square miles (1479 sq km). 

This is a short one - as requested by my daughter, Lena.

If I had a penny for every time I was asked about winter in Shetland, I’d be a millionaire – and then some – and there are many reasons to visit, but you need to ask yourself first ‘what do I want from a visit’. 

If the answer is puffins, light, activities, and long hikes with a picnic, you’ll likely want to visit in summer when the days are long, and the hills are dry enough to walk anywhere. If you’d like to feel the sting of the wind on your cheeks and the raw power of mother nature as you battle through the wind on a rugged headland before hunkering down in the evening with a good book and a dram, then you should consider the winter.

It’s no secret that winters in Shetland are long, dark and unrelenting. Many people move to Shetland believing they can handle it – they get darkness and poor weather in England too. Yet the darkness here is deeper, the wind blows stronger, the cold bites harder, and we’re not released from the grip of winter until well through spring. They say that spring arrives at a walking pace – so you can imagine how long it takes to trudge up here from London. It’s the unrelenting and often persistent onslaught of storm after storm that grinds people down – leaving us all longing for the bright emergence of spring.

But winter has a magic and beauty all of its own. I’m just home from a winter walk; I watched the sunrise over the island of Bressay and, despite having been back at my desk for half an hour, can still feel the sting of the north wind in my cheeks. I feel invigorated and energised.

In this podcast, I will go slightly against the grain, and I’m sure that doesn’t surprise you. I’ll offer you the reasons to visit Shetland in winter, along with the counter-argument against visiting at this time. Then, once you’ve been informed, and if you’re still chomping at the bit to come here in the quiet depths of winter, you’ll know that you’re well prepared for it.

This time of year, as autumn transitions into winter, was one where people might finally be able to let out a collective sigh of relief as the hard work of summer had come to an end once more. The crops were harvested and the summer fishery ended. This was a time that people might expect to relax a little as the nights began to draw in and winter crept ever closer.
Samhuinn, held on 1 November, was traditionally a Pagan festival that morphed into the festival of Hallowmas as Christianity was adopted, and our traditional Pagan celebrations were given an ‘accepted’ Christian flavour – whilst still retaining many of their conventional Pagan customs. Hallowmas, or The Feast of All Saints, gives us the roots of the Halloween that we know today.
This week, I thought I would share a few ghost stories with you; so draw up a chair, dim the lights and pull a blanket around your shoulders because things might get a little spooky.

Welcome to episode 21 of the podcast - this week’s show is with Ann Marie Anderson, author of the popular dialect children's book series, Peerie Ooricks.

Ann Marie grew up on the west side of Shetland, and now lives on the island of Whalsay. She is a writer and artist who has created the lovable Ooricks – small characters who explore Shetland’s landscape, language and culture.

In today’s show, we speak about her series of children’s books, her love of the language and Shetland’s culture and the ways we can help to preserve and maintain the spoken language in Shetland.

We also speak about her work as joint convener with Shetland ForWirds, an organisation that aims to foster and promote the use of written and spoken Shetland dialect as a valued and essential element of Shetland’s distinctive heritage and culture.

You can sign up to become a member of Shetland ForWirds or access a wealth of dialect resources via their website.

Ann Marie’s work is available via her website or you can contact her on Instagram @peerie_oorick or at [email protected].

This is the last episode of Season Two and I will be back in the autumn after the migratory birds depart for the summer!

This podcast would not be possible without the support of my patrons on Patreon.

You can support this podcast and help me bring more of them to you via Patreon.

Welcome to episode 20 of the podcast. Today’s show is a bit different, and due to popular demand, we are carrying out this interview, predominantly on language, in our native tongue.

In today’s show, I speak to Chloe Irvine who grew up on the island of Whalsay and has just completed her degree in Journalism at Edinburgh Napier University. Chloe talks to us about the transition between living in Shetland and studying on the mainland (Scotland), and how she has had to deal with varying degrees of language discrimination during this time.

We speak about ways that we can protect and promote the dialect and its usage, and Chloe shares a poem in the dialect that she wrote to tackle and highlight some of the feelings that are brought to the surface when language discrimination takes place.

I’ve left a disclaimer at the beginning of the show to say that, as this is in dialect, it may be difficult to understand but, we felt that it was important for you to hear the language spoken to get a sense of how it sounds when it’s spoken amongst Shetlanders.

If you struggle to understand, play it back from the start and you’ll be surprised how quickly your ear can tune into the language.