Shetland Islands - Shetlandeilanden

The Shetland Islands (English: Shetland Islands, Scottish Gaelic: Sealtainn) are an archipelago in the far north of Scotland, located in the Atlantic Ocean at about 60° north latitude. The Shetlands are northeast of the Orkney Islands, the other archipelago north of Scotland. Located east of Shetland Norway, northwest are the Faroe Islands and Iceland. This archipelago has just over 20,000 inhabitants, spread over fifteen inhabited islands, the most important of which is Mainland. All in all, the archipelago consists of about a hundred islands. The only city of the Shetlands is Lerwick.

Islands

The main inhabited islands:

• mainland — As the name implies, this is the main island. Lerwick Harbor and Sumburgh Airport are on Mainland. To the north is the Sullom Voe oil refinery. The northwest of Mainland consists of the sparsely populated peninsula of Northmavine.
• Whalsay — Whalsay is located east of North Mainland.
• unst — Unst is the northernmost inhabited island and also has the northernmost post office in the United Kingdom. You have to take two ferries to get there from Mainland. Baltasound Airport is not used for commercial flights.
• Fetlar — Fetlar is located east of Yell and has only about sixty inhabitants.
• Muckle Roe — Muckle Roe is connected by a bridge to the Northmavine Peninsula, in the northwest of Mainland.
• foula — This is a remote island in the far west of Shetland, with less than forty inhabitants.
• yell — Yell is directly north of Mainland.
• Bressay — Bressay is east of Lerwick and is easily reached by ferry.
• Fair Isle — Fair Isle is the most remote. It is centrally located between Shetland and Orkney and can only be reached by boat from Mainland.

The small islands of Papa Stour, Trondra, Vaila and Burra are also still inhabited. The sea around the Shetlands is dotted with uninhabited islets and rocks. The official northernmost point of the United Kingdom is the rock Out Stack, north of Unst. There is a lighthouse on Muckle Flugga, a little more south.

Towns

• Lerwick is the capital and also the only place in Shetland that can be considered a city.

Other destinations

• Brae: village on the border between South Mainland and Northmavine
• Sumburgh: Airport on the Southern Tip of Mainland, Known for the Archaeological Site Jarlshof
• Scalloway: Main Settlement in Western Mainland
• Eshaness: on the west coast of Northmavine; renowned for its natural beauty, but very difficult to reach
• Ollaberry: hamlet on a bay in the northeast of Northmavine
• Haroldswick: northernmost village in the British Isles
• Toft: harbor on Mainland where the ferry departs to Yell
• Ulsta: harbor on Yell

Info

climate	Jan	Feb	Mar	April	May	jun	july	aug	sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
average maximum (°C)	5,6	5,4	6,3	7,7	10,2	12,2	13,9	14,2	12,4	10,1	7,6	6,2
average minimum (°C)	1,5	1,4	1,9	2,9	5,2	7,4	9,4	9,8	8,2	6,2	3,6	2,0
precipitation (mm)	135,4	107,8	122,3	74,2	53,6	58,6	58,5	78,3	115,3	131,9	152,4	150,0
The Shetland Islands are sparsely populated and lie in the subarctic climate zone. It is on average considerably cooler than on the British mainland: on a normal summer day temperatures will often fluctuate around ten degrees.

The islands have no forests. The landscape consists of hills with heather, on a subsoil that mainly consists of peat and peat sods. You will see sheep grazing almost everywhere, which are usually free on the road. There are no fences in many places, so the sheep have free range: the farmers mark their flocks with their own colors. The sheep are also shy and will run over the hills when they spot strange people. Shetland ponies, on the other hand, are usually kept in fenced fields.

The islands are exposed to storms from the Atlantic Ocean; the wind can be very strong and the rain can fall from the sky in torrents. Even in summer you have to be prepared for very fickle weather conditions: one minute you can be completely soaked, and half an hour later the sun is shining again and there is a beautiful rainbow. Umbrellas can only be used efficiently when the wind is not too strong, but they can be useful as a walking stick when you are on the heathland.

If you are not staying in Lerwick, please inquire about the nearest store. Outside the capital, the options for purchasing provisions are limited. You don't want to get lost on the moors; take a good map and a compass, possibly with a flashlight. When it gets foggy and you are miles from civilization, you should at least know where you are.

It never gets completely dark in Shetland in summer; the nights are 'gray'. From October, on the other hand, the days become very short. There is no street lighting in the countryside.

Arrive

Shetland cannot be reached directly from mainland Europe. From the Netherlands and Belgium you first have to go to Scotland. Both KLM if Brussels Airlines offers flights to Edinburgh from where you can continue flying with Loganary or the train to Aberdeen can take. You can also fly to another regional UK airport, such as Glasgow or Manchester, and then by train to Edinburgh. If you want to bring a car, you will have to take a ferry across the North Sea and then drive yourself to Aberdeen.

By boat

The shipping company Northlink Ferries provides the connection between Aberdeen and Lerwick. This route makes a stop in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. The ship departs Aberdeen at around 6pm and sails for 1pm, arriving in Lerwick at 7am the next morning. This means that for your comfort it is better to take a cabin. In high season a cabin for two people with a porthole and bathroom costs around £120 (one way); for the crossing itself you pay 34 pounds per person. If you don't mind sharing a cabin with other passengers, cheaper berths in four-person cabins are available, as well as fold-down armchairs in the hallways (the cheapest alternative). You can also sail over without booking a place to sleep; at night some passengers sleep on the benches in the pubs and restaurants of the boat. A one-way ticket for a car costs 120 pounds in high season. You are not allowed to sleep in your car. A breakfast buffet is offered; you must leave the ship by nine o'clock. For those who like to travel in luxury, there are also Executive Cabins available.

By plane

Loganary flies from Aberdeen and Edinburgh to Sumburgh. They are small propeller planes with a capacity of 18 to 50 passengers. A direct flight from Edinburgh to Sumburgh takes an hour and a half and standard one-way fares range between £90 and £150. From Sumburgh, buses run to Lerwick at least every two hours.

Travel around

Until about ten years ago, tourists were advised to bring their own car or rent one on the spot. The range of public transport has now expanded considerably.

By bus

The Shetlands' coordinating transport company is MoveTrans. Providers include Viking Travel, leases and Robertson Travel.

Don't underestimate the distances; the Shetland Islands are very vast. For example, the drive from Lerwick to Brae, in the north of Mainland, takes an hour and a half. If you are staying in a small hamlet like Ollaberry, a bus will pass by at most three times a day. The arrangement can be complicated because school children have to be picked up and the van has to drive in a loop before you can come along. If you have to go to a village that is not on the route but on a side road of the normal route, the bus will make a detour for you. However, he will not spontaneously drive through your village; you must call the company one day in advance, so that the driver knows that he or she has to pick up passengers in your hamlet the next day.

In practice, it is generally impossible to visit and return to another island on the same day. If you want to see several islands, you must book accommodation on those islands. An exception is Bressay, for example, which is right next to Lerwick and only takes a short crossing.

By car

Tourists who have their own car at their disposal can have it transferred to the ferries. The roads in Shetland, outside Lerwick, are almost everywhere limited to a single lane with overtaking places, where one can stand in to let oncoming traffic through. The roads are unlit and often follow an erratic, twisting trajectory over hills and hairpin bends. Be especially careful of sheep. If you accidentally run over a sheep, call the police so they can notify the owner. Not doing this is punishable.

By taxi

Some regions, such as Eshaness, are not served by any bus. A taxi can help here. Booking in advance is highly recommended. For a shorter ride, for example twenty minutes, you pay an average of 10 pounds.

Language

The Shetlanders speak English with Scandinavian influences. Their pronunciation is marked by a strong rolling r, and they sound somewhat like Norwegians speaking English. Their dialect contains thousands of words that come from the Scandinavian languages.

In earlier centuries Norn or Norröna was spoken on Shetland, a North Germanic language about which relatively little is known. It has been extinct for about two hundred years. The Shetland motto is: Með lögum skal land byggja. This is actually Icelandic and it means: “Laws must build the country.” In addition to English, many Shetlanders also speak a little German or a Scandinavian language. The knowledge of French is normally very limited, of Dutch very unlikely. Scottish Gaelic is not spoken in Shetland.

To look at

Shetland is first and foremost a nature destination. The archipelago has untouched landscapes and wide panoramas. In the landscape you will regularly find abandoned farms. You can walk here all day long and not encounter a living soul.

In Lerwick you can visit the old Fort Charlotte fortress; the Jarlshof in Sumburgh are the remains of a Bronze Age village. Mousa Broch on the uninhabited island of Mousa is a round tower from the Iron Age.

To do

Shetland is an excellent location for bird watchers and ornithologists. You will also find archaeological sites. In Shetland, you can spend a relaxing holiday in a non-touristy spot: if you're outside Lerwick, you'll probably be the only outside visitor for miles around.

It Shetland Museum in Lerwick provides a comprehensive overview of the archipelago's history. You will learn more about how the Shetlanders lived until the early twentieth century and what the consequences of the petroleum industry have meant. The museum includes a replica of the Gunnister Man, an 18th-century bog corpse discovered in the 1950s. There are also costumes from Skeklers and Groleks, a strange tradition that resembles Halloween.

When you visit Shetland in winter you can enjoy the festival Up Helly Aa to attend. In early January, Shetlanders dress up as Vikings and carry torches through the streets before setting fire to a Viking ship. The Up Helly Aa of Lerwick is the largest, but different villages have their own versions of it.

The Big Bannock is a Northmavine region charity event. Residents dress up and parody pop songs with funny lyrics, recording their own video clips. DVDs are then sold for charity.

Food

Shetland has rich fishing grounds; you will be able to eat fish in every establishment. In Brae state Frankie's Fish and Chips, the UK's most northerly fish and chip place. The fresh mussels offered here in large portions are highly recommended. You can't get alcohol here. In some small cafes in Lerwick, a traditional full English breakfast offered.

You can dine in chic Busta House, in a valley on the other side of the bay opposite Brae. In addition to fish and seafood, Shetland also has mutton. Duck is also eaten there.

The Lerwick Brewery brews Shetland Ales, including a local IPA type beer.

Going out

In Lerwick there are several pubs and also a nightclub. In the other villages there is an inn here and there. The locals can drink large amounts of whiskey and get a little rowdy.

Safety

Shetland is safe. Crime mainly consists of drug use and public intoxication. Shetlanders will sometimes offer you a lift when they see you walking along the road; you can usually use it without suspicion. They don't see many tourists and often want to chat with strangers.

Watch out for cars that can suddenly pop up from behind a bend. Wear warm clothes when out in nature and be prepared for sudden weather changes. During the breeding season, you can meet the great skua, a bird of prey that becomes aggressive when someone gets too close to its nest. These birds can be dangerous; however, they are afraid of umbrellas. It is better not to feed seagulls; it is bad for their health and it makes them intrusive. You should also leave seals alone; they can bite.

all around

Orkney is several hours by boat from Shetland, but Fair Isle you can visit it relatively easily (at least in summer) from the town of Grutness on Mainland, which takes about two hours. Centrally located between Orkney and Shetland, this very isolated island is renowned for its knitting. It has very limited accommodation options; especially outside the summer season, you would do well to come up with a 'plan B' in case you get stuck on the island. Due to the location, it is possible that your mobile phone will not work here (only Vodafone and O2 have reception here); you can therefore run into problems if a crossing is canceled due to changing weather conditions. Plan a trip to Fair Isle carefully and be prepared for unforeseen circumstances.

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