SHETLAND ISLANDS, SCOTLAND


(Shetland Islands Flag)


(Shetland Islands Map)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008:

All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.

It was a beautiful morning as we sailed into the Shetland Islands at sunrise.
Shetland lies northeast off the coast of mainland Scotland between
the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east.
The total area is 566 square miles.
making it the third-largest Scottish island and the fifth-largest of the British Isles.
Over 100 islands make up the Shetlands, only 16 are occupied.



Lerwick is the only burgh and main port of the Shetland Islands in Scotland,
found more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Great Britain.
Lerwick has a population of approximately 6,830 residents and is by far the northernmost town in Scotland.



Scalloway is the largest settlement on the North Atlantic coast of Mainland, Shetland
with a population around 800. Scalloway Castle was built from 1599 by Patrick Stewart,
2nd Earl of Orkney to tighten his grip on Shetland.



After leaving Scalloway we took a scenic drive north of the village.



From this scenic vista we got a nice view of some of the islands northwest of Mainland Shetland.



Lerwick lies on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland.
It was founded in the seventeenth century as a herring and white fish seaport,
and still thrives as a fishing and ferry port.



Fort Charlotte was built by Robert Mylne under the orders of Charles II at the start
of the Second Anglo-Dutch Wars in 1665. It held off a Dutch fleet in 1667 which
thought it was far more heavily manned and gunned than it actually was.



The name "Lerwick" means bay of mud.



At 5:00 P.M. we set sail for our next port.



We initially sailed south around Mainland Shetland
before setting a northwest course toward the Faroe Islands.

SHETLAND ISLANDS VIDEO 30 minute video of my day in the Shetland Islands.

MY DAILY EMAIL SENT ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

Hello, Today's port was Lerwick. You all know where that is, right? For those of you that don't, it is the largest city in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. Below is a picture of our arrival at sunrise this morning. Like Norway, this is usually a very wet place. But not today, it was a beautiful day. Quite cool here, not much more than 50 degrees. We arrived here this morning as the sun was rising. It was a beautiful sail in with the sun shining directly on the city as we approached. A total of only 22,000 people live in the Shetland Islands. Below is a picture of us dropping our anchor in Lerwick's harbor. My tour today took me to the west side of the island. We visited the village of Scalloway. During our free time in Scalloway I walked through the Scalloway Castle. It was a spectacular drive through the green hills of Scotland. The islands are famous for the Shetland pony and lots of sheep, about 400,000 of them. There are over 100 islands in the Shetlands, but only 12 of them are inhabited. We had a scenic stop on a hilltop looking out over the other islands in northwest Shetland. After the short tour I had several hours left to spend wandering around the historic little town. I did a little shopping to get rid of my British money since this is our last port that accepts it. Below you can see Lerwick's harbor from Fort Charlotte. This is the eleventh port of my cruise and not a drop of rain yet. Even in Ireland before the cruise we only had a few drops. Hoping that lucky coin keeps working for the final six ports of the trip. I enjoyed my stay here very much. I reluctanly hopped on a tender and went back to the ship. I did not want to leave. It was a beautiful sail away. We are now sailing to the Faroe Islands. More later, Tim

Click on email photos for the large full-size photograph.

Click on the arrow above to continue to my next adventure, FAROE ISLANDS.

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