Sumburgh looks suitably dramatic as it comes into view from the air, all exposed cliffs and clouds stampeding across the sky. It feels like reaching the start, or perhaps end, of something quite different.
The windsocks at Shetland's largest airport appear to have rigor mortis; cloud lies so low as to appear like poured concrete. To fly to Shetland is an act of devout faith in aeronautical science. My mother looks out of the plane window at the foreboding land below and tells me with the air of someone who fears they've made a mistake that she's never been this far north before.
During a week exploring the archipelago, she frequently says: "It's like a foreign country." As we pick up a rental car and start the half-hour trip to Lerwick, this seems like an exaggeration, but the longer we're on Shetland, the more I can see what she's talking about. The pitilessness and beauty of the landscape have more in common with Iceland or the Faroe Islands than they do with the Scottish mainland.
We're Lowlanders and come from just about as far away as it's possible to be while still living in Scotland. Shetland is technically halfway to Norway but it often feels a lot more distant than that, appearing in most maps of the nation in a separate box - if it's included at all. The island resides at over 60 degrees north, meaning that in summer the sun will stay in the sky for almost 19 hours a day.
Denne historien er fra UK and Ireland 2023-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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Denne historien er fra UK and Ireland 2023-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Dianne Whelan
THOUGH NOT A SEASONED HIKER TO BEGIN WITH, THE FILMMAKER BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO COMPLETE THE WORLD'S LONGEST TRAIL NETWORK
NIGERIA
The country's many communities come together over hearty meals with plenty of heat
Katie Hale
A VOYAGE TO THE GREAT WHITE CONTINENT IS BOTH A DREAM COME TRUE AND A CALL TO ARMS, TO PROTECT OUR ICY POLES AND, IN TURN, OUR PLANET
WILTSHIRE
BEYOND THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF STONEHENGE, WILTSHIRE HAS EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT SITES, GIANT CHALK HORSES AND COSY PUBS IN HISTORIC VILLAGES
BATH
Thermal baths and Regency heritage have put this Somerset city firmly on the travel map - and this year the spotlight will be on former resident and literary great Jane Austen, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of her birth
GRANADA
In this Andalucian city, flamenco is an art form as well as a way of life not just for traditional dancers and singers but also for hip-hop stars, classical guitar legends and street artists
India's Golden Triangle
LINKING DELHI, THE TAJ MAHAL AND THE PINK CITY OF JAIPUR, WITH DETOURS FOR TEMPLES AND TIGERS, THIS IS THE PERFECT ROUTE FOR FIRST-TIMERS. WORDS: POOJA NAIK
FORGED BY FIRE
A SUBTROPICAL ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC, MADEIRA HAS RUGGED VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS THAT RISE ABOVE THE CLOUDS, NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS DOWN AT SEA LEVEL AND MORE THAN 1,900 MILES OF HISTORIC AQUEDUCTS TRACING THE LANDSCAPES IN BETWEEN
ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
A KAYAKING EXPEDITION THROUGH NORWAY'S LOFOTEN ISLANDS OFFERS WHITE-SAND BEACHES, ROYAL ENCOUNTERS AND THE CHANCE TO CHANNEL YOUR INNER VIKING
the RETURN
ON A PRIVATE GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA'S KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, AN UNLIKELY CREATURE IS MAKING A TENTATIVE COMEBACK - AND VISITORS ARE OFFERED A GLIMPSE INTO THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO SAVE IT AND OTHER NATIVE WILDLIFE
