The Shetland Guide Book (Charles Tait Guide Books)

Shetland is a chain of over 100 islands to the north east of Scotland which stretches nearly 90 miles (150km) from Muckle Flugga in the north (60051’N, 0053’W) to Fair Isle (59031’N, 01039’W) in the south. Sumburgh Head is 90 miles (150km) from Caithness in Scotland, and about 210 miles (340km) from Aberdeen. The Faeroes and Bergen are almost equidistant from Lerwick at about 250 miles (400km). The total land area is about 567 miles2 (1,468km2), while the coastline exceeds 900 miles (1,500km).

The islands were referred to by Vikings as Hjaltland, possibly because of their resemblance to a sword handle (ON hjalt), but the name may also refer to the earlier inhabitants, referred to as the Catts by the Picts, who called Shetland Innse Catt, or Islands of the Catts. Today the Viking influence remains strong, as most place names and many local expressions derive from Old Norse (ON). About 22,000 people inhabit 13 of the islands, with the majority of the population living on the Mainland. The main town and ferry port is Lerwick with a population of about 8,000.

From Orkney on a clear day Shetland appears as a series of hilltops on the horizon (Foula, Fitful Head and Fair Isle), and when approached from the sea they at first seem rocky and bleak, but on closer approach the
landscape turns out to be much gentler than expected, with characteristic greens, blues and browns of land, sea and coast.

It is likely that Pytheas the Greek may have visited Shetland about 325BC during his voyage around Britain during which he established a latitude of 600, perhaps at Lerwick. Tacitus also refers to "Thule", which was "closely examined" by the Romans when Agricola’s fleet circumnavigated Britain in AD83 after the victory at Mons Graupius.

There are many references to the islands in the Norse sagas, which date from the 13th century, and a few documents still exist going back to late Norse times, which shed interesting light on the social history of the area.

It was not until the 18th century, however, that detailed accounts began to be made about visits to the islands. In more recent times many eminent people have visited Shetland and a number have written in various terms about their experiences.

Over the years many local authors have written about their homeland, and the Shetland Times Bookshop always has a large selection of local books. The library in Lerwick has a good reference section for those wishing to consult the many books which are "out of print". Shetland Museum has a large collection of old photographs, many of which may be seen on their website, while Shetland Archives is the place to research old documents.

The purpose of this Guide is to help visitors appreciate Shetland and enjoy their time here to the full. The idea is that the reader can assimilate information without effort and yet rapidly find out what they would most like to see and do, depending on interest, season or weather. There are so many interesting places to visit that a lifetime is not long enough!

Although the landscape is beautiful, there is history everywhere, and wildlife to rival anywhere on Earth, there is another aspect of the islands which is perhaps the most important and rewarding to get to know - the local people themselves. They are a friendly, hospitable people, proud of their past and at the same time go-ahead and industrious. Do not hesitate to ask the way, or about things - you are sure to get a courteous reply - and if you are lucky you might get a few good stories as well!

Maps are a great help on all such visits and the Tourist Board produces a useful one on a scale of 1:125,000. The Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 series covers Shetland in four sheets, and is recommended for all serious explorers. While some of the places mentioned in this book are signposted, most are not, and OS references are thus given for many sites of interest.

Charles Tait is based in the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland. After taking a BSc in Genetics in Edinburgh, he did a PhD in Biochemistry in Aberdeen, followed by postdoctoral time at Gif sur Yvette in France. Returning to Orkney in 1977 "for a few months" the family is still there.
Magnus studied Chemistry at Edinburgh University, and has done extensive travelling mostly to USA and Japan. Thorfinn read English also at Edinburgh and spent three years on the JET programme in Japan. He is still there and now married to Kika. Charles has developed his passion for photography into a business, and now travels far and wide in search of new images.
The publishing and photo library aspects of the business have come to the fore in recent years, especially with the publication of many postcards and calendars plus the new range of Guide Books, which now covers Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles with more titles to come.
Charles is very keen on landscape, seacape and nature photography, especially of islands. The Picture Library of course includes all sorts of commercial subjects as well. Originally a Kodachrome fan (and still one), he used mostly Velvia 6x7 or 645, for many years until converting wholly to digital in 2002..
Boats are a Tait family obsession, and the family motorboat "Shaalder" will be 60 in 2008. She allows visits to the 60 or so uninhabited islands in our archipelago. Sailing is of course another great interest, now usually charter trips to places like St Kilda. The very short summer season in Orkney makes boating difficult as we are so busy in these short months (which have long hours of daylight).