Over
230 islands make up the Northern Isles - The Shetland and Orkney. These
magnificent islands are made up of rock stacks, secret inlets and
spectacular scenery, surrounded by sometimes extreme sea and weather
conditions that have shaped these islands. To many people on the UK
mainland and beyond, the Orkney & Shetland Isles is a peripheral region somewhere up
at the top of the map of Great Britain or, often as not, omitted altogether. In fact
Shetland is located in the North Atlantic, strategically placed in relation to fertile
fishing grounds and major oil reserves.Shetland consists of a group of 100 islands, some
567 squaremiles in area with approximately 900 miles of coastline and a population of
23,000. It is as close to Norway as it is to Aberdeen.The main attraction for visitors to
Orkney (some 250,000 each year) is its ancient history. From the Stone Age to the Picts
and Vikings, the islands have so many sites of archaeological interest that it is
impossible to list them all here. If you want to see prehistoric villages, ancient tombs,
ruined palaces and standing stones, then book your ticket now. It is hoped that Orkney
will become a UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site which would help to preserve its
unique history. The distinct musical
tradition of the area is manifest in a unique style of fiddle playing – a
heady spiritual amalgam of old fairy tunes, Scots melodies and wild Norse
strains.
History is layered deep within the
northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland, in the settlements of the
earliest peoples to the Viking invaders. Today's invasion is from the
thousands of birds and other wildlife that make their home in these magical
isles.
In the Orkney Islands, visit the Skara Brae Prehistoric Village, the 5000 year old Stone
Age village, often called "The Pompeii of the North." The village was buried in
sand in rediscovered in the 19th century. The streets of the town are narrow stone
passageways, leading to houses elegantly furnished in stone.
There are almost 3000 Neolithic sites on Orkney
alone.
In the Shetlands visit the Jarlshof Prhistoric and Norse settlement – Wander
around the ruins of a Bronze Age village with stone huts, an Iron Age broch, a Viking
village, a medieval farmhouse and a 16th century "manor" house. 3000 years of
settlement on this one site.
Shetland is famous for its Fair Isle sweates and shawls, and there are numerous
shops where you can purchase the genuine article.
