On Scotland's Wild and Windswept Shetland Islands, Centuries of Crafting Traditions Endure-How to Visit

"The Shetland Islands lie between Scotland and Norway, where the North Sea meets the Atlantic. They are part of the archipelago used by medieval European sailors to map their way toward North America. Ireland, the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, Faroe, Iceland, Greenland, Canada-with good luck and a following wind, you're rarely more than a couple of days from land the whole way."

"But curious travelers will find complex layers of human habitation, labor, and trade on islands that are still on the transatlantic routes of birds, whales, and the oil industry. On the moors, cliffs, and hills there are wind farms; oil terminals; small farms, some of which have been there for many centuries; ruined medieval churches and hermitages; and prehistoric settlements, tombs, and monuments."

The Shetland Islands sit between Scotland and Norway where the North Sea meets the Atlantic and formed part of the archipelago used by medieval European sailors to navigate toward North America. The island chain from Ireland to Canada often kept voyagers within a couple of days of land. Coastal communities served as vital stops on trade and migration routes, adopted new technologies early, and developed cultural diversity. Shetland belonged to Norway until 1462; the Norn language died out but a distinctive local dialect remains. The landscape combines wind farms, oil terminals, long-established small farms, medieval ruins, and prehistoric sites. Many farmers are crofters with legal protection who diversify and sometimes welcome visitors to learn about subsistence farming.

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