| Advertise on this Site |
 |
| Bookmark this page |
|
Shetland Islands Luxury Hotels, Historical Inns, Experiential Tours and Travel Packages
The fog shrouded Shetland Islands seem a bit mysterious from the ferry, but are surprisingly friendly when you land. They are located only about 59 miles north of the Orkney Islands, but are significantly different: On Orkney you'll see green farms, however the Shetland Islands is almost barren. The locals worked the ocean for a living fishing for centuries, but now North Sea oil is supplying plenty of work. The scenery is rugged, but bird-watchers, and tourists enjoy the seal rookeries, whales, and other sea mammals. Lerwick is the capital and has cobblestone streets and its pubs play host to sailors and oilmen from around the globe. There is a interesting Viking museum with rare artifacts discovered in the islands. The Shetlands' biggest island is called the Mainland, the most interesting attraction are mostly prehistoric: Clickhimin Broch, the Broch of Mousa, Jarlshof and Stanydale Temple. These unusual structures were hundreds of years old when the Vikings arrived in the 9th century. Music here is fun in the pubs, but is celebrated every May in the internationally famous Shetland Folk Festival. An even bigger attraction is the winter fire festival of Up Helly Aa, held in January, culminating in the burning of a replica of a Viking longboat. Some of the outlying islands are truly isolated. Foula, the most remote inhabited island in Britain, can be reached by ferry twice a week and by air three times a week (from Tingwall Airport, near Lerwick). The truly adventurous can take the overnight ferry from Lerwick to the Faeroes on the way to Iceland. Midway between Shetland and Orkney lies Fair Isle, a bird-watcher's haven that's also known for its knitwear. |
|
Search Shetland Islands, Scotland Vacations
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
