WILD SHETLAND

The Islands

Situated more than 200 miles from Aberdeen to the south, and Bergen to the east, Shetland is at the crossroads of the North Sea and the North Atlantic. The archipelago includes more than 100 islands, 15 of which are inhabited, stretching 100 miles from Fair Isle in the south to Muckle Flugga in the north.

The islands are ancient, the worn down peaks of a mountain range including some of the oldest rocks in the world. And though relatively small, the intricate coastline ensures an extraordinary range of vistas. Like an oriental garden, travelling just a short distance gives you a completely new perspective on the landscape around you.

Though treeless and perhaps even bleak at first sight, Shetland is jam-packed with hidden gems that bring people back to visit year after year. Awesome cliffs and stunning beaches, rocky shores and coastal marshes, windswept moorland, meadow and pasture provide the perfect habitat for a tremendous range of wildlife.

The Wildlife

Shetland’s breeding and migrant bird populations are world famous, and not without good reason. More than one million seabirds breed here every summer, with many of the 21 species unknown in such numbers elsewhere in the UK. The spectacular Arctic and Great Skua are protected due to their significance, as are the Red Necked Phalarope who allow onlookers within a few feet. Other important species are the comical Puffin, the acrobatic Arctic Tern, Gannet, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Guillemot, Razorbill and Shag.

But that is just the half of it. There are huge numbers of other species which come to breed on these strategically placed isles, including all manner of waders, moorland birds and delights such as the Red Throated Diver and Great Northern Diver.

The shoreline offers the special treat of spotting Grey or Harbour Seals, and the occasional glimpse of an Otter sneaking through the seaweed in search of supper. Further out at sea the sight of Orcas or White Sided Dolphins is becoming more common, while Porpoises are frequent visitors to inland waters.

The treeless landscape has been shaped by Shetland’s climate, which at first glance appears to be largely peat and heather moorland. But from spring to autumn the islands are swept by a wave of colour as the yellows, blues and pinks of tiny flowers carpet the land.

The Weather

Shetland’s weather is paradise for a photographer. Its ever changing moods create an endless variety of colour and light. They’re not far wrong when they say you can expect all four seasons in a single day, or “if you don’t like the weather, don’t worry, it will change in five minutes”.

Situated at 60° north, not far south of the Arctic Circle, you would expect it to be wild and windy. But lying in the path of where the Gulf Stream turns into the North Atlantic Drift, the climate is far milder than you might expect.

In the summer the days lengthen until the Simmer Dim, around midsummer, when the sun is above the horizon 19 hours of the day and you can read a book outside at midnight. And even in the depths of winter, it is common to have fine, sunny days.

Because of its location, weather systems clash over Shetland and it can often be completely different from one end of the islands to the other. While the east is shrouded in mist, the west can be bathing in sunshine, ensuring there is rarely a day when photographic opportunities do not abound.