Shetland: TV drama, ponies, knitting, music festivals or wildlife, take your pick.  Situated as far north as you can go in the UK, yet enjoying a temperate climate thanks to the Gulf Stream, this archipelago of around 100 islands has been attractive to visitors and adventurers for thousands of years.  From the earliest Stone Age settlers through Viking raiders and settlers, Dutch fishermen, German traders, Victorian naturalists, scientists and philanthropists, right up to the present day, travellers have discovered an irresistible way of life, a friendly open community and a rugged, yet beautiful landscape.

Shetland: 60 degrees north, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea, a place of “white nights” or “simmer dim” and aurora borealis or “mirrie dancers”, of wild storms and tempestuous seas, calm days and enormous skies, the islands are a paradise for naturalists, geologists, walkers and those who just want to get away from it all.  In Shetland you can get away from it all, but you can also enjoy modern amenities.  Take time to sit back and soak up the atmospheric local culture, with its Norse and Scottish roots, chill out to traditional or contemporary music sessions, explore the rich archaeology and history or just get out and about in the fresh air and marvel at the rich variety of flora and fauna and the stunning geology (Shetland is a member of the European Geoparks Network). The islands’ geology covers around 3 billion years and is more diverse then any similarly sized area in Europe.