Shetland Isles Scottish Islands Fair Isle Bressay Noss Whalsay Yell Fetlar Unst Foula

Shetland Islands Culture & Heritage - Shetland Wildlife, Music, Ponies & Yarn

The Shetlands are a cultural hub and an incredibly rich wildlife sanctuary in an often hostile natural environment. The Atlantic Ocean pounds the coastline and the islands act as a refuge, stopping off point and breeding ground for thousands of birds and animals. During the summer months the islands come alive with flower-rich machair as well as the seals, otters, dolphins, whales and bird colonies sheltering in the coves and cliffs of the islands. The islanders have long been renowned for their rich artistic culture with traditional music and singing playing a central role to social life on the islands.

Shetlanders have much more of a cultural connection to Norway than Scotland or mainland Britain. Much of this has stemmed from the 600 years that the Shetlands were a province of Norway, but in more recent times the collaboration between Shetland and Norway during World War II has engendered a longstanding mutual bond and respect. While Norway was occupied by the Germans hazardous journeys from Shetland were made by the Norwegian resistance who managed to ship arms and resistance workers into the fjords of Norway often in winter under cover of darkness. These sailings became so regular that they were called the "Shetland Bus". It was a well kept secret with coded messages being passed via BBC news broadcasts.

A Shetland Bus Memorial has also been erected by the Shetland Bus Friendship Society in memory of those who lost their lives in some of the journeys that came under attack by the enemy or the fierce Atlantic storms.

Mainland - Shetland Islands

North Mainland includes two sections of Mainland linked by the thin isthmus of Mavis Grind that separates the Atlantic and the North Sea and where it is said you can throw a pebble from ocean to sea. Northmavine is the most northerly on the west of Mavis Grind 17 miles long and 11 miles across. Lunnasting is the eastern part of North Mainland and where the Pictish Lunnasting stone was found in the ruins of an old croft house. It bears an inscription in Ogham - an early medieval alphabet believed to be an old irish language. This is now displayed in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. Ferries leave Mainland from towns in Lunnasting at Vidlin and Laxo.

Central Mainland is mostly covered in hilly peat covered hills. Scalloway is the main town in this area apart from Lerwick. The Tingwall Valley is a greener, flower-rich area with several historic sites around the lochs. The island's golf courses are found in this part of the island and there are several historic sites to be found. As you're travelling around look out for true Shetland ponies that are often grazing near the main road.

South Mainland is the 25 mile long peninsula stretching from Sumburgh in the south to Lerwick in Central Mainland. It's where you're likely to start you're Shetland holiday as the main airport into the islands is located at Sumburgh with fantastic views out over the extreme south of the Shetland Islands. The main ferry terminal to the Shetlands is in Lerwick. There is a cluster of remarkable archaeological sites in this part of Mainland Shetland that have remained amazingly intact over the years. It is also a haven for wildlife with several reserves and plenty of wildlife in and around the seas and cliffs surrounding the peninsula.

The Northern Isles - Yell, Fetlar & Unst - Shetland Islands

Known as Jala in the Norse sagas Yell is now home to around one thousand people. It is often overlooked by tourists with its dark and broody peat moorland not always seeming attractive at first glance. It was once a centre for fishing, whaling and trading with visiting merchants from other countries. Today many of the people living here have returned to a crofting lifestyle, their traditional way of life before Clearances for sheep rearing in the nineteenth century; although the nearby oil industry also supplements incomes and provides jobs for the islanders. Yell is a fantastic haven for all sorts of wildlife including nesting seabirds on the cliffs and waders on the moorland that breed here in summer making it ideal for bird watching. For mammal watchers you are more likely to catch a glimpse of otters here than anywhere else in the UK. Billed as the otter capital of Britain they're often seen early in the morning around the ferry points to the island. Yell is also excellent for unhurried coastal walks to blow away the cobwebs.

Fetlar is another of the islands that suffered badly from the Clearances where the laird evicted islanders so they could put sheep out to graze the island's fertile grasslands. Despite that the island is known to have been inhabited for over 5,000 years and there are still archaeological remains as evidence of Stone Age, Pict and Norse settlement. Fetlar's has several claims to fame including being the home of the pioneering Sir William Watson Cheyne who helped Lister develop antiseptic surgery as well as providing Time Team with two Norse excavation sites. Today the island is home to around one hundred people that they share with Britain's most important breeding population of Red necked phalarope. There are some fine coastal views and beaches alive with summer flowers and birdlife. Around the coast and lochs you can also catch glimpses of seals and otters making it a wonderful place to do more Shetland exploring on foot.

Unst's claim to fame is as the most northerly inhabitated island. Twelve miles long and five miles wide Unst is jam packed with everything the nature lover, walker and landscape viewer could ask for. Unst has a more dramatic coastline than the other North Isles of Shetland with cliffs, sea stacks, rocky shores and golden beaches. The interior of the island contains a mix of peat bogs, moorland hills, freshwater lochs farmland and a sub-arctic stoney desert. Something to suit all outdoor types! The southern and western parts of Unst are both fairly uninhabited, but there is a wealth of tourist attractions including Britain's northernmost brewery.

Whalsay - Shetland Isles

Whalsay is largely a multi-million pound fishing community Whalsay is one of the more populated islands in the Shetlands. It's a good place for some easy coastal walking and being named Whale Island by the Vikings you might see a few breaking the waters on the short ferry trip over. Whalsay is easily accessible from Mainland Shetland via regular ferries.

The attractions of the island lie in the wildlife, archaeological sites and historic buildings around the harbour. One of Scotland's most influential and controversial poets, Hugh MacDiarmid, made Whalsay his home in the 1930s. The island also has Britain's most northerly official golf course which welcomes visitors - just mind the planes from the airstrip that might put you off your game!

Bressay & Noss - Shetland Isles

Bressay & Noss are Shetland islands lying to the east of Mainland. Bressay shelters Lerwick on Mainland has meant the town has grown up around the natural harbour in the Bressay Sound between the two islands.

Noss is renowned for being home to some of the world's largest colonies of seabirds. Thousands of birds come here to nest on the craggy cliffs during spring and summer including guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins. The island is accessible by small ferry or boat trips for good views of birds, seals and otters. Coastal walks around the island takes you through some spectacular Sheltand scenery.

Fair Isle - BIrd Observatory - Shetland

Fair Isle is right out in the Atlantic Ocean between the Orkneys and the Shetlands. It is just one and a half miles wide and three miles long. It has something of a reputation for weather being so isolated and small, but it does make a good spot for the weather station! It is more famous for its birdlife which use the island as a stopping off point during summer and autumn migration and its internationally renowned Bird Observatory carries out studies all year round.

Fair Isle is believed to have been first inhabited by Neolithic people over 5,000 years ago. The population of the island is just 70 today but was once as high as four hundred before Clearances forced much of the populations to leave in the nineteenth century. However, the community continues and for such a small population the traditional skills are kept well and truly alive in boatbuilding, the production of stained glass, straw-backed chairs, felt and fiddles and of course the colourful knitted Fair Isle jumper. The south lighthouse even houses a silver jewellery making company!

Out Skerries - The Friendly Isles - Shetland

Out Skerries, the Friendly Isles, is the ultimate place to get away to. Bruray, Housay and Grunay make up the Out Skerries and there are only 80 inhabitants over the first two islands. Grunay is uninhabited. Regular transport connections mean that it is not as isolated as you might think.

Although these are less visited by tourists and Shetlanders alike, it's a great destination for peaceful coastal walks, landscape photography and wildlife watching.

Foula Cliffs Coastal Walks - Shetland

Foula lies twenty miles west of Mainland Shetland out in the Atlantic Ocean. It is renowned for being the stronghold of true Shetland culture. Often claimed to be the most isolated inhabited island in the British Isles. It is a mountainous island with some of the highest cliffs in the UK making dramatic coastal walks.

The island has a strong independent culture and determinedly preserves some of the older Shetland traditions.