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The Shetland Islands have 1000 miles of cycling waiting to be explored. Picturesque harbours and fishing boats, lochs, voes and dramatic coastlines. Bleak heather moorland. Stark volcanic rocks. Thousands of seabirds. Valleys. Soaring cliffs. And the green fertile land of the crofting communities of the Shetland islanders. The Islands are a group of about 100 islands, only 15 of them inhabited, lying 130 miles north of the Scottish mainland. The UK Cycle Network will ultimately be truly comprehensive and this is as far north as it goes - the top edge of Scotland. Mainland is the largest island here and contains the town of Lerwick, seat of the islands' area council. North of Mainland lie the islands of Yell and Unst, and one mile off Unst's coast is the wonderfully named Muckle Flugga lighthouse, the most northerly point of Britain. The scenery of the Shetland Islands is wild and beautiful with its deeply indented fjord-like coast enclosed by steep hills. The climate is actually mild for such a high latitude - only 400 miles south of Arctic Circle, enjoying a temperate climate, the waters warmed by the Gulf Stream. With long hours of sunshine in summer, and low humidity, there is less than half the rainfall of the Western Isles of Scotland - and virtually no midges - although it can get a bit windy, hence the scarcity of trees. Cycle to:
...... and watch out for seal colonies, dolphins and killer whales off the islands, and 250,000 puffins can't be wrong - the Shetland's welcome millions of birds and the RSPB have hides around the islands - 335 species of birds recorded. Quick history: In the 8th and 9th centuries, the Shetlands were invaded by Norsemen who ruled the islands until the 15th century, and many Norse customs still survive. In 1472, the islands with Orkney were annexed to the Scottish Crown but the islands have never the less stood outside the mainstream of Scottish history and traditions still hold strong links with Scandinavia. Today: The main form of agriculture is crofting, each croft having a few acres of arable land with the right to graze sheep on the 'Scattald' or common grazings. Fishing has always been important, and crofters fish to supplement their diet or their income - the herring-fishing industry, centred on Lerwick, has declined since the mid-20th century and seine fishing for whitefish is now more important. Many of the crofts cannot adequately support a family, so men often seek work in the North Sea oil industry or in the Royal Navy, and it was only after the discovery of oil in the Brent and Ninian fields of the North Sea, northeast of the Shetland's, that the depopulation of the islands was slowed. Oil physically entered into Shetland's traditional way of life when a major oil terminal was built in the 1970s at Sullom Voe, in the north of Mainland, and pipelines extend from the North Sea fields to this depot - you can watch the tankers approach as they use the sheltered, deep waters provided by Yell Sound. This is great for cycling, and if you've made it this far on the Aberdeen to Shetlands route then you deserve to stay awhile and explore the Shetlands family of islands. Information Shetland Islands Tourist Board |
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Watch out - Otters crossing |
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