Visit Shetland And Be Amazed

At first glance there may not seem to be much reason to visit Shetland. The Shetland islands lie 60 degree of latitude north where summer days are cool at best, and often windy and rainy too. Transport links to the islands have definitely improved over the years, but it is still a long journey. Why then should anyone visit Shetland? Ah, but those who do are amazed at the diversity and beauty of place. There's a special magic that pervades these northern isles, and it brushes off on the visitor. Those who make the effort to see Shetland nearly always come back. There's so much to discover that a lifetime is rarely enough.

You can reach Shetland by an overnight ferry from Aberdeen in the north of Scotland, or you can take one of the several Shetland flights that operate every day from either Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow or Inverness, and from other airports too. The ferry from Aberdeen allows you to take a car or caravan, which may be attractive to anyone thinking of touring around the isles for a week or two.

There are 15 inhabited islands in the group, and around another 85 or so uninhabited islands, some of them no more than large rocks in the sea with a few tufts of grass clinging tenaciously on top. The inhabited islands are all connected, either by an inter-island ferry service, or by bridge, and some of them also have regular flight connections too. Only Burra Isle, Trondra and Muckle Roe are connected by bridge as they are close enough to Mainland, the largest island, to make it viable. Most of the other islands have a regular ferry service.

The islands offer an exceptional opportunity to enjoy coastal scenery. Nowhere are you more than three miles from the sea in this unique archipelago. Nature and wildlife and untouched landscapes surrounds you at all times with the bird watching opportunities especially good. And of course, if you hope to see Shetland ponies in the wild in their natural environment, this is definitely the place to be.

Shetland bed and breakfast is easy to find, as well as high quality hotels. There are also plenty of self-catering accommodation to be booked. The choice is yours. And while it's wise to bring some warm clothes when you visit Shetland, even in summer, just in case, don't expect it to be much colder than farther south. Visitors are usually surprised at just how mild it is so far north.