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Shetland Islands Far and Away the Loveliest Islands
In 1958 in the Shetland Islands a boy found this ancient brooch while helping on a archaelogical dig on St. Ninians Isle. To whom did it belong? To a monk in a pre-Norse monastery? Is it Pictish silver? No-one really knows, but it is was probably made around 800 AD - a relic of Shetland's ancient and fascinating past. The Shetland Islands have been populated since at least 1500 BC, although early signs of first settlement date as far back as 3000 BC. The remains of fortresses built during the Iron Age are still visible today. Ruled by both Norwegian and Scottish rulers, and Christianised in the 10th Century, the Shetlands were pawned in 1469 by Christian I to the Scottish King James III. You can see from the Shetland Islands' location on the map, they were fair game for Viking invaders.
It seems that these islands, although so near geographically to London and the modern world (they are only 600 miles north of London), and a 55 minute flight from Aberdeen, in every other way they are worlds away from ordinary life. The Shetland Islands are 170 miles from the Faroe Islands and their total area comprises 566 square miles. The largest island, Mainland, is 374 square miles and is the third largest Scottish island. The main town is Lerwick, which was moved from the previous capital, Scalloway in 1708. The word Shetland is from the old Norse word Hjaltland (formerly Zetland). Of the Shetlands one hundred islands, only fifteen are inhabited.
On the last Tuesday of January, during the long dark nights, if you are lucky enough to be in Shetland, you can see the Up Helly Aa Fire Festival. Among other activities, a procession of men dressed as Vikings burn a replica of a Viking longship, after which everyone generally eats, drinks and has fun. Tradition bars the women of Lerwick from taking part in the actual procession (they prepare the food), and the festival enlivens the winter night for everyone. In the rest of the Shetland Islands, the galley is sent to sea and burned (an echo of the ancient Viking burials). Only in Lerwick the ship is not burned. A summer visitor doesn't miss all the fun though as there is an exhibition in Lerwick where the regalia and props, including the replica of the longship, are on display year round. The climate in the Shetland Islands is surprisingly mild considering its northerly latitude, although it is often windy and rainy. As you would expect, the scenery is also out of this world. 
Sumbaugh, the main airport, is twenty five miles south of the main town Lerwick, and runs a convenient shuttle service. This is the main High Street in Lerwick. 
The other inhabited islands (besides Mainland) are Bressay, Burra, Fetlar, Foula, Muckle Roe, Papa Stour, Trondra, Vaila, Unst, Whalsay, Yell (in the main Shetland group), plus Fair Isle to the south, and Housay and Bruray in the Out Skerries. Near Sumbaugh (on the southern tip of mainland), you can visit the site of Jarlshof where the Stone Age settlers lived in small circular stone houses. The objects they tossed away, their household rubbish, have become a treasure trove for archaelogists who have discovered that these prehistoric people not only tilled crops, but also kept cattle and sheep, and harvested the sea for fish and whales, seals and shellfish. They also made tools, some finely decorated, from stone, pottery and bone. 
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