So well-chosen is the site of the Laird's lair that became the Sumburgh Hotel that
it offers views deep into the ... It is decades since I last owned a motorcycle, but
like most former bikers, born-again status is never more than a whiff ... Mere
minutes after we meet up in the hotel car park, I am smiling from the pillion seat of
Colin Fraser's behemoth of a Harley-Davidson Road King (hence the 'King'in '
ViKing').
Author: Ron MacMillan
Publisher: Sandstone Press Ltd
ISBN: 9781905207466
Category: Travel
Page: 295
View: 600
Download →
The Shetland Islands sit where the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea meet, closer to the Arctic Circle than to London. Over the centuries they have been a vital staging post for Vikings, Hanseatic traders and merchant sailors from faraway lands. Yet somehow, the same islands remain 'off the map' of British consciousness. Ron McMillan spent weeks on the unbeaten Shetland tourist path, braving the weathers to explore scenic landmarks, archaeological treasure troves and remote islands so under populated that for centuries they have lived with the threat of abandonment. A travel writer for more than twenty years, McMillan cast an inquisitive and witty eye over present-day Shetland to interweave the Islands' history, archaeology and 400-million-year-old geology with observations of a remarkably hospitable society that remains intricately connected to the outside world. His warm and generous narrative is the first original Shetland travelogue since 1869. Set amidst fascinating locations and soaked in history, filled with stories skilfully told, this is a book for lovers of lyrical travel writing delivered with informed authority and irresistible humour.
