Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Orkney & Shetland Islands
Includes ยป
Why Go?
Up here at Britain's top end it can feel more Scandinavian than Scottish, and no wonder.
For the Vikings, the jaunt across the North Sea from Norway was as easy as a stroll down
to the local mead hall and they soon controlled these windswept, treeless archipelagos, lay-
ing down longhouses alongside stony remains of ancient prehistoric settlements.
Though they are not as scenically splendid as Skye, say, an ancient magic hovers in the
air above the Orkney and Shetland Islands, endowing them with an allure that lodges
firmly in the soul. It's in the misty seas, where seals, whales and porpoises patrol lonely
coastlines; it's in the air, where squadrons of seabirds wheel above huge nesting colonies;
and it's on land, where standing stones catch late summer sunsets and strains of folk music
disperse in the air before the wind gusts shut the pub door. Make the journey; open that
door.
