The 11th February meeting of the Rotary Club of Anstruther was entertained to a talk by club vice president Alastair Graham, who chose as his topic the ancient story of voyaging to Ultima Thule – noted as ‘The farthest of all’, by Pliny the Elder when writing in 77 AD,  

Alastair’s story centred on the ancient Greek mariner Pytheas, who may have reached Iceland as far back as 330 BC. A journey of 700 miles - perhaps 5 days north west from Shetland, in open boats and with methods of navigation scarcely credible to us today. It may also have been a journey taken late in the year as Pytheas’ writings say  ‘The congealed sea of drift ice and thick freezing ocean coagulates into heavy ice sludge and a thick freezing fog descends merging the air and water into one’.

The documented story suggests that the entire journey from Greece followed ancient and well established trading routes. Through the Mediterranean to Marseille and the Garonne River to Bordeaux, then braving the Bay of Biscay to Brittany.  Across to Cornwall and then north via the Irish Sea and Anglesey, the Isle of Man, the Minches to Lewis and on to Orkney and Sheltand.

Alastair speculated that during his time on Shetland it is conceivable that Pytheas stood on Hermaness Hill imagining that Thule was over the horizon. The locals living in their Brochs perhaps telling him of another land out there and of birds such as the Whooper Swan seen flying north each Summer. Perhaps firing the imagination with descriptions of this strange land and sea,

We heard in conclusion that little is known of Pytheas after his return - whether he was hailed as a great explorer, or remained an obscure figure telling his extraordinary tales in the local bars! All we do know is that he recorded his travels, and these were read by many Greek and Roman scholars of the time who, of course were in no place to dispute his claims!

A vote of thanks for a most interesting talk was proposed by Derek Mathie