What you are looking for is a calm, clear summer's night, and preferably one of the 14-hour overnight sailings from Aberdeen via Orkney. Then, if you're lucky, the ferry trip to Shetland will be a mini-cruise, including dolphins, orcas, a sighting of the Orcadian sea-stack called the Old Man of Hoy and a sailing into the ‘simmer dim' - Shetland dialect for the midnight sun of midsummer, when twilight lingers through the short night.
The morning arrival in Lerwick never fails to touch my soul with gratitude that I live in such a place. True, sometimes a delayed, rough trip cannoning into a big north-easterly can bring a more physical relief when you finally step on to dry land, but watching the morning sun glitter off fishing boats as they hustle for landing space fairly warms the heart. The Old Rock: it's home.
A RICH CULTURE
It's Shetland, by the way, never, ever 'The Shetlands'. And you're in it, not on it. There are about 100 islands, 16 inhabited. Almost half of Shetland's population of 23,000 live in and around Lerwick, which is on the biggest island, known as Mainland. The two next biggest isles are Yell and Unst. Regular ro-ro ferries connect them. At around 110 miles north of the Scottish mainland, you are well on the way to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway - the Shetland capital Lerwick is further north than Oslo - and the Scandinavian influence here is strong.
The name itself comes from Viking days: the Old Norse 'Hjaltland' is generally thought to mean 'the hilt of a sword'. The Vikings displaced most of the native Picts in AD900, and Shetland only became part of Scotland in the 15th century. Up Helly Aa, an annual series of fire festivals marking the start of winter's slippage into spring, celebrates the Viking heritage with galley burning and committed partying into the night and beyond dawn.
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Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians
Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians. Livestock farming around the world is facing scrutiny because of its greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the sector contributes somewhere between 11.1% and 19.6% of total emissions. Meat production is roughly twice as bad as the production of plant-based food, according to some analyses. And beef is the worst of all. Study after study has suggested that, in order to curtail the devastating effects of climate change, we ought to shift to a diet containing less meat - or even go vegetarian or vegan.
Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks
Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks. I'm cycling Porter's Perfection, one of three cider circuits developed for Visit Herefordshire over the past few years. Each showcases a section of this bucolic county's loveliest villages, pubs, orchards and cidermakers via lanes suited to bicycles - e-bikes for hill-averse cyclists like me. The idea is to allow you to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of cider country while traversing roads never meant for modern cars. If you have dodgy knees, or are keen to indulge in the local adult apple juice as you go (remember, it's illegal to cycle while under the influence), Visit Herefordshire also promotes cider bus routes.
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As science proves the many health-boosting benefits of eating at least 30 different plants each week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shares recipes to help you meet the magic target
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SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS
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GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE
Would this protected status bring welcome recognition and attention - or overcrowding and problems for farmers?
Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?
For farmers out in their fields in all seasons, worried about the future as dramatic levels of rainfall blamed on climate change damage their crops, inflation and uncertainty push up their costs and what they see as unfair imports threaten their livelihoods, here's a spot of unexpectedly good news: the rest of us think you are doing a good job.
Pumpkin patches
Find the perfect jack-o'-lantern for Halloween at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Some are simple affairs in tranquil countryside; others offer activities ranging from ghost trains to spooky mazes.
