Shetland Islands

This is made up of about one hundred Islands of which sixteen are populated. The main island is known as Mainland where the capital of Shetland Lerwick is located. The islands are about fifty miles northeast of Orkney and one hundred and seventy miles southeast of the Faroe Islands. To the east of Shetland is the North Sea and to the west the Atlantic.

The Shetland has strong Scandinavian and Norwegian links having been colonised by the Norse in the late eighth and ninth centuries and along with Orkney formed the Northern Isles. Although the fate of the people who had inhabited the island prior to the Norse invasions is not known, if the Isle of Man is used as a possible guide then it is likely they were incorporated into the incoming peoples. Shetland did not become part of Scotland until the fifteenth century. The islands have been inhabited at least since the Neolithic period through to Bronze Age, Iron Age, Pictish and Viking times and there are many archaeological sites in the islands. Shetland is serviced by flights from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Orkney. Ferry services arrive at Lerwick from Aberdeen, calling at Orkney en-route three days per week. There are inter island ferry and air services. We have highlighted a number but not all of the many sites and islands in Shetland that we would encourage you to visit.