Shetland lies across the 60th line of Latitude North, with the
capital Lerwick almost sitting in the centre of a triangle formed by connecting
Aberdeen (Scotland), with Bergen (Norway) and Torshavn (Faroe Islands).
Indeed, the
Shetland Islands are as far North as Helsinki (Finland), Hudson Bay (Canada),
Alaska (USA) and Leningrad (Russia). However, the climate in Shetland is not as extreme
as in any of these other places, thanks to the moderating effect of the very
northern end of the Gulf Stream.
The islands themselves belong to Scotland, and are part of the
UK, so UK traffic regulations apply, Scottish Law applies, Shetland is part of the UK Postal
network, and everyone speaks standard English (although the old Shetland dialect
is still heard occasionally).
Shetland lies at the virtual crossroads of the North Sea, and
has been a trading area for centuries, with strong links from the past still
evident in the landscape and architecture.
Shetland
is markedly different from the perception of many. There are spectacular
cliffs, deep sea inlets (voes), rugged, rock strewn hillsides, miles of peat
bogs, underground caverns open to the sea, beautiful arable land in some places,
heather covered slopes in others, quiet little streams and burns, wild, exposed
beaches, and contrasts in the weather and light that are forever changing.
Shetland's remoteness is one of its appeals to many
visitors (and many residents), but that remoteness has by its very nature
engendered a self-reliance that provides for all the usual needs of a community
of over 20,000 people. The impact of the oil industry over the last 30 years
(Sullom Voe - a large oil terminal facility - is hidden out of sight towards the
north of the Shetland mainland) has meant that there are extensive
engineering, electrical and fabrication facilities, far in excess of what might
have been the case otherwise.
The oil revenue has enabled
Shetland Islands Council to
provide excellent roads throughout the islands, and a very effective network of
bridges and ferries to allow easy access between them all.
Certainly all of the modern
day-to-day facilities are readily available,
with garages, food shops, taxi firms, clothing shops, hotels, B&B's, IT
facilities, excellent health care, and everything else you might need. Indeed,
Shetland is better provided for than almost any other community of its size, and
has more readily-accessible facilities than most other rural areas, anywhere in
the United Kingdom.
Because Shetland also has a superb postal service, the chances
are that anything can quickly be sent to you from home, if you can't replace it
locally. Surprisingly, given Shetland's location, next day delivery
to/from most of the UK is commonplace.
