Shetland Islands

Shetland is the UK's northernmost archipelago, centred on 60 degrees north, closer to Bergen than to London. The tidal range is modest — springs reach only 1.5 metres at Lerwick — but the currents are not. Tidal streams through the sounds between the main islands run 3 to 5 knots at springs, creating roosts (tidal races) off headlands that are powerful enough to flip small boats. The archipelago is exposed to the full fetch of the North Atlantic on its western coast and the Northern North Sea on its east; even in summer, west-coast anchorages can become untenable quickly as swell wraps around the headlands. Lerwick harbour, sheltered by the island of Bressay to the east, is the main commercial port and one of the safest natural harbours in the North Sea. Scalloway on the west mainland is smaller and more exposed. Sullom Voe, a deep fjord-like inlet on the north mainland, is the site of the Sullom Voe oil terminal — Europe's largest when it opened in 1978 — and strong tidal streams run through the voe entrance. The islands support major seabird colonies: puffins, gannets, fulmars, and great skuas breed on the sea cliffs. Otters are regularly seen hunting in the kelp at low water around the voe edges and rocky shores.