Shetland.org

Frequently Asked Questions

Maybe you’ve read everything else on the website before coming to this page, or maybe you want a quick summary of some of the myths and realities of Shetland before going any further. Either way, we hope this section helps.

Let’s start with a big question.

Why would I want to move to Shetland?

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Burra Isle, with Fitful Head in the distance.

One good way of finding out the answer to that question could be to sample what we have to offer on a holiday. You might decide that it’s a great place for a break, but that you couldn’t live here (which is how some of us may feel about, say, London). On the other hand, like so many others before you, you might fall in love with our islands and our people. Either way, we’ll be genuinely delighted to meet you.

It's perfectly true, though, that life in Shetland isn't for everyone. Not everyone wants to live in a small, largely rural community, even this one. Would you hugely miss being able to pop into Marks & Spencer or John Lewis on a whim? Do you want to be able to grab last-minute seats for tonight’s megastar concert? Does the thought of a 100mph storm fill you with dread rather than curiosity?

If the answer’s yes in each case, fine; some of us occasionally miss urban temptations too, so we’ll understand if you decide that Shetland’s not where you’d want to live. Many Shetlanders do make regular city trips, of course, but we simply have to plan a little farther ahead; we also use the internet a lot. Nor do we claim to be free of social problems: tackling alcohol and drugs issues is a priority. However, this is still a place where a damaged wing mirror will be reported on local radio and the police occasionally have to remind people to lock houses when they go away on holiday.

So what draws people to Shetland and (very often) keeps them here? There are several answers and the balance between them varies, of course, according to taste and personality.

For one thing, there’s the opportunity to work in extraordinary surroundings. We have impressive landscapes, wildlife, light and weather. It really is a great outdoors and it’s right on your doorstep: even on a routine visit to a supermarket, you might well see Seals on the nearby rocks. There’s an interesting history and heritage to explore, too, whether your interests lie in music, geology, archaeology, birds or literature; our award-winning new museum and archives tells the story. Sports and fitness enthusiasts will find eight, yes eight, modern swimming pools - for just 22,000 people - and every sort of sports and exercise facility. Our children receive excellent education in some of the best-equipped schools you’ll find anywhere. Our local food is supremely fresh and very, very tasty. However, perhaps the thing that people value most of all is the strength and warmth of the community. Shetland has been welcoming people from near and far for centuries. We may be a little more reserved than you’re used to, but we’re not known for being narrow-minded. We greatly value whatever contribution you can make to building an island life that’s even more vibrant, creative, caring and prosperous than it is already.  There are many ways to get involved, for example by standing for the local Community Council.

Isn’t it very expensive to live in Shetland?

For most people moving here, it’s probably a case of swings and roundabouts.

You’ll almost certainly spend more on travel, particularly if you want to go south a lot to visit friends and relatives. Remember, though, that local residents do benefit from substantial discounts on air and ferry services. Petrol and diesel fuel are quite a bit more expensive - typically around 10p-12p per litre - than at city filling stations; the only consolation is that you won’t be wasting much fuel, or time, in traffic jams.

Housing costs are reasonable and certainly far lower than in, say, Edinburgh or London and the south-east. Council tax is lower than almost everywhere else in Scotland. We’re also among the cheaper areas for home and car insurance. Our sports facilities are of at least the standard you might expect in an exclusive private sports club, yet they come at very affordable prices, with no need to pay a subscription.

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Inter-island ferry on the crossing between Whalsay and Laxo.

Shetland bus and ferry fares are very good value. For example, a single bus fare from Lerwick to Sumburgh Airport, a 25-mile journey, is £2.80. When we checked prices on the relevant websites in August 2009, the return ferry fare for a car and driver between the Shetland mainland and the island of Whalsay, a 25-minute trip each way, cost £8.00. In Orkney, a comparable journey between the mainland and Rousay cost £29.30. On the Clyde, a similar trip between Gourock and Dunoon was either £19.80 or £26.40, depending on operator.

The price of most everyday purchases, including food, is much the same as in the rest of the UK, though some items may be more expensive, especially in smaller or more remote shops.

Do I need to learn Gaelic?

No, Gaelic has never been part of Shetland culture. If the Pictish people who once inhabited Shetland spoke a kind of Celtic language, it may have been akin to Welsh or Breton, but scholars continue to debate that point. Whatever form it took, it disappeared during the 600 years of Norse rule. A few people who’ve moved here from other parts of Scotland can speak Gaelic, but you stand a much better chance of hearing Russian, Urdu or Norwegian on our streets.

You’ll gradually get used to the Shetland dialect, and you’ll inevitably start using at least a few of its words, like bonxie (a great skua) or peerie (small). It has an Old Scots base, with a generous sprinkling of Old Norse. There are other dialects and accents to be heard, too, like geordie, Glaswegian, cockney and strine. You’d be surprised how often people describe Shetland as ‘cosmopolitan’, and with good reason.

Do people wear tartan?

Although many people have moved from mainland Scotland to Shetland over the centuries, they don’t seem to have packed their kilts. For anyone who’s used to travelling around Scotland, tartan is conspicuous by its near-absence here. That said, Highland dress has increasingly featured at Shetland weddings and the Lerwick Pipe Band wears it. Shetlanders often wear kilts when they’re heading off to cheer Scottish sports teams at, say, Hampden Park or Murrayfield. But the Norse part of our heritage means that at other times – and maybe even at the same time – you may meet them wearing horned helmets.

Is it true that the nearest railway station is in Bergen, Norway?

It’s an appealingly romantic notion, but a modern Norse myth. The railway stations at Thurso and Wick in northern Scotland are both closer to Shetland, though not by very much if you’re in our northernmost islands. Bergen does, however, distinguish itself by having the nearest branch of IKEA – the next closest is in Edinburgh.

Are there really no trees?

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Kergord: The woodlands at Kergord are the most extensive in Shetland and there is a surprising variety of tree species. They host Britain’s most northerly rookery and a Cuckoo is usually heard in Spring.

That’s certainly the impression you get when you arrive but we do have trees and we’re planting more. They’re to be found in many gardens, especially in Lerwick and Scalloway. There are also small mixed or coniferous plantations in several places around the islands, the most impressive of which are in the Kergord area of Weisdale. Shetland once had a widespread cover of trees and shrubs such as hazel, downy birch, aspen and willow. The main reason there are so few trees is the presence of sheep, which have prevented natural regeneration.

Just how bad is the weather?

If you’re one of those people who assert that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing, you can probably skip this part. Otherwise, please read on.

The most noticeable difference from most of the UK is the wind, generated by Atlantic weather systems that pass over Shetland. There is almost always a breeze, though it varies greatly in strength. Taking a long-term average, no month of the year is completely free of gales (Beaufort force 8 or above) but they are much more common in winter. Between October and March there may be 30-40 days of gales; between April and September we wouldn’t expect more than about 10, with July being the least windy month. Steady wind speeds of 60-70 miles an hour are not uncommon during winter gales and, a few times each winter, we may experience gusts of 100mph or more. Such storms don’t generally last for very long, usually peaking for just a few hours, and they may well be followed by a period of quiet weather.

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Stormy sea: There’s great variety in Shetland’s coastline - cliffs, sandy beaches, salt marsh and rocky shores. Exposed sections of the coast are spectacular during storms.

Our wildest weather can be very dramatic, especially if you have a good view of a windward coast. The sight of huge waves crashing on cliffs, spray rising a hundred feet in the air and the taste of salt on your lips – even when you’re well inland – are part of the Shetland winter experience. Buildings are constructed to take these conditions in their stride and daily life continues pretty much as usual.

In contrast, temperatures are much less extreme. In summer, Shetland is normally a few degrees cooler than most of the UK but in winter, it’s sometimes milder. Thanks to the moderating influence of the sea, temperatures rarely climb very far into the 20s Celsius (or 70s in Fahrenheit) and don’t drop very far below freezing, either. The other thing that can be a feature of the weather is sea fog, commonest after a few days of warm weather in summer. It’s often confined to the windward side of the islands. It can be a nuisance if you’re flying into or out of Shetland but it doesn’t affect ferry services.

Our rainfall total, averaging 1,220mm (48 inches), is a little more than the Western Isles but much less than, say, Skye or Fort William. Our sunshine adds up to 1,036 hours per annum, broadly similar to much of north-west Scotland. We don’t usually get very much snow, nor does it usually lie for very long, although in some years a heavy fall driven by severe gales can produce memorable blizzards and huge drifts.

Can you really play golf at midnight in summer?

Yes. Our light summer nights are one of the islands’ most appealing features. It doesn’t get completely dark between mid-May and early August. Instead, we have a kind of unfinished northern sunset. We call this time the ‘simmer dim’; on the longest day, the sun is above the horizon for almost 19 hours. The downside, of course, is that the sun is very low in the sky in mid-winter, but at that time of year we quite often have the thrill of the aurora borealis, or northern lights.  Most people would probably say that the amazing summer nights more than make up for slightly longer winter ones.

Do you ever get cut off?

It happens on rare occasions. Perhaps half a dozen times in an average winter, severe gales may disrupt ferry services and flights. Flights can also be delayed or cancelled because of sea fog; this is more likely in the summer months. Some years are almost fog-free whilst others may see services disrupted for two or three days at a time. There are very few times, however, when it’s impossible to get into or out of Shetland by one means or the other and in an emergency, the Coastguard rescue helicopter is available for, say, an urgent medical case.

What about television and radio reception?

All the main terrestrial television services are available almost everywhere in the islands. Following conversion to digital-only services in May 2010, the number of television channels available will vary between about 17 and 56, depending on which transmitter serves your part of the islands. Digital satellite services offering hundreds of TV and radio channels are available throughout the islands.

The usual BBC FM radio services (Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4 and Radio Scotland) are available everywhere. BBC Radio Shetland broadcasts in the evening on the BBC Radio Scotland frequency. We also have a local independent FM radio station, SIBC, which carries music and news. Reception of long- and medium-wave services, including BBC Radio 4 LW and BBC Radio 5 Live, varies somewhat according to where you are in Shetland. However, these services and scores of others, such as Classic FM, TalkSport, Virgin Radio, LBC, Capital Radio, together with BBC services such as Radio Cymru, the World Service and the Asian Network, are available on digital satellite. All the main BBC radio stations and several commercial ones are also available on Freeview within the Bressay transmitter area.

Can I get a decent broadband connection?

High-speed broadband services are already widely available in Shetland and provision is likely to be enhanced over the next few years following the recent installation of a new fibre-optic cable linking Faroe, Shetland and the Scottish mainland and the roll-out of BT’s 21st century network. As elsewhere, the speed you can actually achieve depends on such things as the distance from the exchange, the condition of your home’s telephone wiring and the number of people sharing the connection at any given time.