Shetland: It really is a top destination
My trainers scrunched on the sand of the most northerly beach in Britain. Surely I was, for a brief moment, further north than any other person in Britain – or Ireland for that matter.
I had arrived on the Shetland Islands at Sumburgh, via a flight from Glasgow, and had then driven a hired car the 40km or so to Lerwick.
Later, two ferries (all for the princely sum of €15), plus a drive up along the A968, took me to Britain’s most northerly inhabited island, Unst. Here I found its most northerly settlement, Skaw, where I spoke to Alison, who was mowing the last lawn in the UK, a mere stone’s throw from the beach.
The Shetlands comprise 100 scattered islands, 16 of which are inhabited – the others are claimed by a motley assortment of wildlife, including puffins, seals and otters. I had time to visit only three of them, which gives me 97 reasons to return. When I go back later this month (yes, I’m keen!) it will be so light at midnight that I’ll be able to read a newspaper outside.
Lerwick, on the island of Mainland, is the only settlement of any real size and accounts for about a third of the total population of the Shetlands.
The islands have a Norse feel to them, which is probably not surprising when you consider that they are only 322km from Norway. Those Viking roots are evident in names and ruins, such as at Jarlshof, where I plodded through the remnants of a wheelhouse, so-called because its rooms resemble the spokes of a wheel.
During the Second World War ‘The Shetland Bus’, a secret special operations group, maintained a sea route between the islands and Nazi-occupied Norway. This clandestine operation, initially using just fishing boats, conveyed agents, arms and supplies to the Norwegian coast.
There are many reminders of those courageous voyages, especially at the village of Scalloway, where the group was based from 1942. The other island I visited was Yell, which I loved. Some people visit Yell on their way to Unst, but I loitered and managed to discover Britain’s most northerly pub.
My only regret was my total ineptitude when it came to spotting wildlife.
Whales, porpoises, dolphins, merlins – they’re all there but I saw none.
Loganair (loganair.co.uk) flies to Sumburgh from a variety of UK destinations, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, with return fares starting at €202. Ryanair flies Dublin to Glasgow and Edinburgh from €30 return. See visit shetland.org
Steve Roberts is the author of Lesser Known Christchurch