TikTok star trapped in Shetland storm during Lerwick Up Helly Aa but an act of kindness made her day

After a 10 hour drive and 12 hour ferry ride heading to what seemed to be the perfect getaway, Simone Stewart, 29, found herself stuck in the Shetlands facing an unruly storm. She had been planning on visiting the islands for a few days with her boyfriend, Zac.

The pair were there for the local fire festival, Lerwick Up Helly Aa, when a storm kept them stuck on the island for an extra three days. They decided to make the most of it, visiting some classic attractions and living it up at the fire festival alongside almost the entire town of Lerwick.

After being forced to park up her campervan in a residential area, Miss Stewart returned to a note on their door, and due to past experiences, she was worried.

“Everyone who lives in a campervan thinks about the day that they will get the knock in the middle of the night,” revealed the TikTok star. “Immediately I'm thinking someone on the street does not want us to be here, which is a bad thing because it's 4am and we've been drinking so we can't move.”

To her surprise, the note was an act of neighbourly kindness, with an offer of shelter if the storm made things too dangerous inside the campervan. The podcast host was fortunately able to sleep soundly in her campervan that night, and eventually, she was able to get off the islands.

This eventful trip has become a highlight of van life for Miss Stewart, which wasn’t always the plan for the vlogger. Speaking to Sterling, she spoke about how differently her life panned out to the plans she had in mind.

“So I planned a big road trip to America in hopes of travelling in an RV, but I didn’t like any of the options for getting my dog over there. I honestly don’t remember how my trail of thought took me from changing it to a Europe trip, to building the vehicle myself.

“I started researching and developed an absolute blind confidence in myself, excited to build something that would fit all my needs, and with having zero DIY skills, I think I was just so excited about how much of an achievement it would be if I did it.

“Living in a van wasn’t where I saw myself at age 29. I thought I would own a brick house and have a steady 9-5 but I think I much prefer this outcome!”

She then ended her video with appreciation for the Shetland people. “I feel like this is really rare because I've had a fair few negative experiences in England, so I just think the people of Shetland are bloody lovely.”