Shetland Tourism – The Last Untamed Wilderness In Britain

By Author: leona simpson
Total Articles: 29
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Shetland tourism is healthy and on the increase. Each year, more and more people head for the northern isles at the tip of Scotland where it never quite gets dark in summer. Cruise ships also visit with increasing frequency. They dock in Lerwick, the main town of the Shetland islands, and sometimes they also anchor off picturesque islands such as Fair Isle and others.

Shetland is a group of islands bounded by the North Sea to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Of the 100 or so islands in total, only 15 are inhabited islands. A sophisticated and integrated inter-island ferry service links the islands to Mainland, the largest by far of the many islands that make up this rugged archipelago. The ferries can carry cars as well as passengers, which makes exploring a very attractive proposition for the visitor. Three of the islands, Muckle Roe, Trondra and Burra Isle, are close enough to Mainland to be linked to it by a bridge.

These inter island transport links make it easy for Shetland tourism visitors to island hop and discover the unique character of each of the islands, as they are all quite different in ...
... their own way. Public services in Shetland are generally very good. The North Sea oil that flows into Sullom Voe oil terminal has seen to that. From an economy that barely survived before the oil era, Shetland today is now one of the richest counties in the UK.

The islands also have excellent transport links to the Scottish mainland and elsewhere. Two large ferry boats ply the North Sea between Shetland and the Scottish mainland. A ferry leaves Lerwick and also Aberdeen every night of the week throughout the year. The ferries can carry cars and passengers, which makes Shetland tourism easy and surprisingly affordable for the visitor.

Accommodation in Shetland consists of excellent hotels, fine guest houses, many bed and breakfast establishments, a number of self-catering places, a few hostels and a circuit of camping böds, set up by Shetland Amenity Trust. Most Shetland tourism visitors come for the nature and wildlife, the stunning coastal scenery, the untouched landscapes, and especially for the excellent bird watching opportunities. Most of the islands and many of the Mainland villages have their own heritage centre, small museums that complement the much larger Shetland museum in Lerwick.

The Shetland tourism traveller invariably assumes that it is much colder in this high latitude than the lands to the south nearer London. This can be so, but many a traveller has been amazed to discover just how surprisingly mild it can be so far north. The weather in Shetland is much more agreeable than most people expect. And in winter, while snow falls from time to time, it isn't usually the problem you might expect it to be. Summers are brief, but spectacular! Nature and wildlife explodes as soon as it can, making hay while the sun shines. And while the sun does set - briefly - it stays light all day and night in late June, reminding you that these are indeed northern isles.

When the weather does produce a "heat wave" in Shetland, the high humidity means that it really does feel hot - much more so than most visitors expect. And that really sums up the overall Shetland experience - it's always full of surprises.
Leona Simpson is a freelance copywriter who specializes in topics to do with Scotland, tourism and recreation.