Orkney & Shetland Islands

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Why Go? Orkney Islands ...... 419 Up here at Britain’s top end it can feel more Scandinavian Kirkwall ...... 420 than Scottish, and no wonder. For the Vikings, the jaunt East Mainland to South across the North Sea from Norway was as easy as a stroll Ronaldsay ...... 424 down to the local mead hall and they soon controlled these West & North windswept, treeless archipelagos, laying down longhouses Mainland ...... 426 alongside stony remains of ancient prehistoric settlements. Stromness ...... 428 Though they are not as scenically splendid as Skye, say, Northern Islands ...... 431 an ancient magic hovers in the air above the Orkney and Shetland Islands ...... 435 Shetland Islands, endowing them with an allure that lodges firmly in the soul. It’s in the misty seas, where seals, whales Lerwick ...... 436 and porpoises patrol lonely coastlines; it’s in the air, where Central & West squadrons of seabirds wheel above huge nesting colonies; Mainland ...... 440 and it’s on land, where standing stones catch late summer South Mainland ...... 441 sunsets and strains of folk music disperse in the air before North Mainland ...... 443 the wind gusts shut the pub door. Make the journey; open The North Isles ...... 444 that door.

Best Places to When to Go Stay Lerwick » Scalloway Hotel (p440) °C/°F Temp Rainfall Inches/mm » Brinkies Guest House 40/104 10/250 (p429) 30/86 8/200

» Albert Hotel (p421) 20/68 6/150

» Linkshouse (p428) 10/50 4/100

» West Manse (p434) 0/32 2/50

» Almara B&B (p443) -10/14 0 J F JMAM J DNOSA

Best Places to Eat Jan Shetlands’ Up Jun Orkney rocks Jul Take advan- » Creel (p426) Helly Aa festival, to the St Magnus tage of the sum- for horned hel- Festival: book mer sunlight and » Foveran (p422) mets and burning accommodation Britain’s longest » Hay’s Dock (p437) Viking ships on ahead. daylight hours. the beach. ‚ s t l nd 417 le y ORkNEY & shETLANd IsLANds la s nk Ba

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