Nigel's Photo Blog

Shetland pony with foal. Shetland is an archipelago where Britain meets Scandinavia. Here, at a latitude of 60 degrees, is the most northerly part of the British Isles. Place names on Shetland are overwhelmingly of Norse/Scandinavian origin because the island group was ceded to Scotland from Norway as recently as 1472. More information: Shetland is 72 miles from north to south.  There are 15 inhabited islands the largest of which is Mainland which is 54 miles long and is home to the two largest towns of Lerwick and Scalloway.   Oil extraction, fishing, farming and tourism form the key industries. Travel to/from Shetland entails either a ferry crossing to/from Aberdeen or flights to/from various mainland cities via Sumburgh Airport. The landscape is dominated by undulating hills, heather, lochs (lakes) and farming. By Scottish standards the climate is relatively mild notwithstanding northerly location. However, visitors should be prepared for strong winds and ...

(Above image is a capture of a horse in West Burra, Shetland.) This morning, May 19th., we departed our lodgings in Lerwick with aim of visiting the outlying western part of Mainland Shetland. It would appear that over 90pct of the place names are of Norse/Scandinavian origin which reflects the fact that Shetland was ceded to Scotland (from Norway) as recently as 1472. Gaelic has never been spoken on Shetland with the Shetland inhabitants having traditional ties with Scandinavia. A 2014 research project found that almost one third (29.2pct) on Shetland males tested positive for Viking ancestry.          Lerwick Harbour with Cruise Ship. First, north to Tingwall, which means assembly valley or field. This is where parliaments were held in the Norse times. The name is essentially the same as Dingwall on mainland Scotland and Tynwald on Isle of Man both of which have Norse origins and indicate the same 'meeting place' function. Next, ...

(Above is a capture of Shetland pony with foal.) Today, weather conditions were mixed albeit relatively dry. First we departed our ba1se at Lerwick and drove south with first stop at the Croft House Museum near Boddam. This is one of just two such preserved traditional houses on Shetland and dates from the 1880s. The house has a turf roof topped with thatch. Inside burns a peat fire. Original beds, oil lamps and furniture are present inside together with a peat fire. In a field adjacent to the Croft House can be found a small herd of Shetland ponies. Next, we called in at West Voe, a sandy beach near Sumburgh Airport. Next, we continued south to our principal objective of Jarlshof which is a very compact site, close to the sea, which spans an incredible six time periods and about 4000 years, viz: Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Norse period, Medieval and 16th century. Like a similar site on Orkney the archaeology was only revealed by a fierce storm which removed ...

(Above image is a capture of Mousa Broch) This morning we arrived Lerwick, Shetland, via overnight ferry from Aberdeen on mainland Scotland. We are now at a latitude of 60 degrees N which is just 1 degree south of Anchorage, Alaska. Lerwick Harbour Our key objective today was to visit the (approx.) 2000 year old broch on the island of Mousa off the east coast of Scotland. Brochs are unique, dry-stone circular buildings, along the lines of modern-day lighthouses, which are unique to Scotland. A broch is believed to be a high status residence, possibly of a local chieftain type person, his extended family and animals.Shetland has the remains of over 140 brochs whilst across the entire country there may have been about 500. Landscape view of Mousa Broch The Mousa broch is unique because it is virtually intact whereas the other structures suffered depredation through robbing of the material of which they were constructed. Interior of Mousa Broch   The island of M...