Shetland

 The Shetland Islands (Lerwick), Scotland

Could this place is even better than the Orkney Islands?

Today we are visiting the Shetland Islands - a remote group of islands north of Scotland, also with some amazing history to share. You will find Brochs (tall roundhouses of stone made without mortar) that date to the Iron Age and an ancient Norse longhouse that tells of a Viking Community.

Fishing, farming, sheep and cattle raising, and oil production jobs are the main industries along with tourism, which is increasing year by year. I would definitely come back to this beautiful place.

Again, Ed and I separated for our excursions as once again - I wanted to do the hike - probably too much for Ed’s knee.. He opted for the walking tour of Lerwick which included some amazing history and stories from his guide along with a visit to an impressive museum. He had a great guide, very knowledgeable - it makes all the difference on these trips. 

I believe this is the house they use as the home of Detective Inspector Perez in Shetland!

(pictured above: when your boat is no longer usable on the water, you turn it over and use it as a roof over your garage!)

My excursion, Walking the Nature Trails of Mousa Island” took us 25 minutes away from our ship where we boarded a small ferry that would take us to Mousa Island (15 minute ride). This island is uninhabited today although back in the 1800’s there were folks living there. Today you will find 300 sheep roaming the island during the summer months (along with lots of ‘sheep dip” to avoid as you walk). It’s pretty much unreachable during the winter as the water is too rough for any boat to make the trip.

My guide was also amazing - she was probably in her late 20's, early 30's and had grown up on the island - her father was a fisherman - she knew every bird we encountered whether by site or sound, almost every wildflower we walked over, and just made the hike so much better. 

We first headed to what is the best preserved Broch in all the world. Historians still do not know what these structures were used for - defense? Protection? A place to send signals to other people living on the island via smoke signals? A home? There is no definitive answer. We have seen a couple of these structures on our trip but this one was completely intact. We were able to go inside of it, and then we were able to climb it utilizing the circular and very narrow staircase, all the way to the top for an amazing view of the surrounding islands and water.

(inside the Broch, looking up)

(above: the stairs we had to climb; below: the view from the top)

The island sits at 60 degrees north - this parallel runs through northern Alaska, Newfoundland, and northern parts of Russia. And I sat on a bench specifically placed to prove that I was there!

We then continued on around the island, seeing Seals, Arctic Terns, Great Skua, Skylarks, and, of course, lots and lots of sheep. About halfway around we all heard a young sheep calling out, although we could not see where it was. Upon further investigation by our guide, she found this young sheep caught in a bog - it probably would not have survived if we had not happened upon it. The guide, along with a member of our group who turned out to be a veterinarian, helped the sheep get free (he pushed, she pulled) and that sheep came out running, covered in brown/black mud and scurrying along still looking for its mama. Our guide was going to contact the farmer whose sheep are on this island to let him know we had rescued a baby and he should come over and try to find it - not sure if it could be reunited with its mother at this point. But we were quite the celebrity group and the story of the rescued sheep spread throughout the ship.

(above: our little sheep is free at last; below: still crying out for its mama)

We heard from our guide (and some travelers on our tour) about a show on Brit Box entitled "Shetland" - where DI (Detective Inspector) Jimmy Perez and his team investigate crimes within the close knit community of Shetland. Of course our guide told us that crime is pretty much non-existent on the island but the show is fun and well done. We are already on Season 3. It's cool to see a place we have just visited and Ed has recognized many of the scenes as he did the walking tour of Lerwick.

While this island may be remote (like the Orkney Islands), the people love it! Although they are part of Scotland, they treasure their Norse heritage and told us you would not see any kilts here or hear any bagpipes. In January they have a celebration of fire that lasts for 24 hours and includes dancing, singing, and drinking, and people dressed in Viking gear. It culminates with the burning of a Viking Longship, built just for this festival. One of the episodes of Shetland made reference to this annual event. The next day is a holiday and there is not much happening on the island as the residents all recover. I guess that’s what you do in the middle of winter when the nights are long and the sun is in short supply.

Would like to return here someday.