CORNERS OF BRITAIN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 723, 26 December 1933, Page 7

CORNERS OF BRITAIN

SHETLAND ISLES' QUAINT AND INTERESTING PLACES. A HIKER'S PARADISE. Shetland — !the most northerly eounty pf Stcotland — is even to-day unj known to many. It lies to tho northJ east of the Soottish mainland, abouti 180 miles from Aherdeen. i It consists of almost 100 islands, the largest being the mainland, which is 54 miles in length. The coiastliq.| is ver.y much broken up by logg, "yoes," which closely resemble |he Norwegian fiords. xof A fleet of s-turdy boats ply betweeh* Aberdeeni and. Shetland, the weeklk quota ibeinig three an winter and flve in summer.. One calls at Scalloway' and serves th'e west side, while^th^' others make Lerwick, the capital, , their destination. Natural Harbour. Lerwick, which fiaces the island of Bressay, stands upon a fine liatural harbour with two entrances. Yiewed from the sea, it seems built on terraces. (Commercial Street, the maini thoroughfare of the old town, is narrow and winding, and steep lanes branch off in the direetion of the Hillhead, whence la. good view of the more modern part of the town is obtained. The burgh has feceritly been lighted by electricity. The herring fishing industry centres round Lerwick, and in summer it is a very busy. port. Shetland's normal population of about 21,500 is inereased by several thousands of fisher folk j who migrate from various parts of this country and. the Continent as well. Jargon of Tongues. Commercial Street presents a lively scene on Saturday evenings, and the jargon of tongues is scarcely audible above the clatter of the Duteh fishermen's clogs. After the fishing, which ranks as Shetland's prime industry, comes knitting. Every woman can knit, and the Fair Isle patterned jumpers, which hia,ve long been popular, are only a sideline when compared with the variety of designs and garments which can be turned out. The hilly nature of the ground permits the rearing of sheep and the famous Shetland ponies, but prevents farming on any scale, except that of the croft. Trees are unknown to-day, but great roots miay be seen protruding J from moorland ditches — evidenee that j these islands were wooded in the obj scure past. I ' Scenery. Tar macadam roads are absent, but I owing; to the inerease in the motor i traffic, the highways have been imi proved, so that the countryside can j be seen easily and cheaply. That the j scenery is worth seeing is proved by j the increasing numbers of holidayj makers who visit Shetland. I The people are industrious, kind ; and homely, and as the keeping of | summer boarders is growing more popular, Shetland shows promise of becoming a veritable "Hilcer's Paradise."