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Another remote island, but this time, in the north. It's Unst, the most northerly inhabited island in the famed Shetland Islands of Scotland, so therefore the most northern in all of the U.K.
See the most northern little cluster of islands, above mainland Scotland below? That's the Shetlands, and the most northern of them is Unst.
Unst has a beautiful nature reserve on it, among other attractions, and you can see from this map that it is not that far from Norway. Iceland is just off-screen, to the north-west.
Hiking on Unst.
The birds and wildlife are fascinating, not least of which, adorable little puffins!
And of course the Shetland ponies--
I adore the sheep, which seem to have no fear of altitudes.
Occupations on Unst include sheep farming, fishing, tourism, aqua culture. There are about 700 souls on the island. Because of exactly how it is positioned, the climate of the island is milder than you would think.
Exciting news is that there's a new spaceport on Unst, SaxaVord, that will be launching rockets! Further info at the BBC-- "Shetland spaceport ready for launch in July".
But here's possibly the most fascinating thing of all ( to me) about Unst. Its Victorian-era lighthouse, Muckle Flugga, was designed by Robert Louis Stevenson's father and uncle, noted engineers-- and young Robert Louis Stevenson visited there.
Muckle Flugga is perched on steep rocks in the ocean, and is roughly in the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska--
And, it is believed that the famous map of "Treasure Island" in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, is his fictional rendering of the remote island of Unst!!!
There's a romantic, late 1500's castle ruin on the island, Muness.
St. Olaf's Church--
A re-creation of a longhouse, from the days when Vikings
A charming old house--
One of those quirky details that make small communities so interesting--- a young boy complained that the bus stop was not comfortable, so now, it has been named after him, "Bobby's Bus Stop" and it is kept very comfortable indeed, complete with Pooh bear!
Here's a cottage that can be rented for short stays. Note the puffins on the pillow--
I was impressed by how pleasant and clean this bathroom looks--
The exterior of the cottage shows the moody, cloudy skies that often envelop Unst--
Unst has understandably, only a few shops.
I was curious to see the largest community in the Shetlands, and what IT would look like. It is a town called Lerwick, and it is on the Shetland island they call the Mainland Island--
Lerwick Harbour. Lerwick, on Mainland Island is still a small town, but definitely seems more citified than Unst, of course.
Love the upright, rectilinear stone buildings in Lerwick.
I never got as far north as Scotland, and really wish I had!
@Oznell I have been to Lerwick! I did a small ship cruise a few years back and did the Scottish Isles sailing from Glasgow over to Edinburgh stopping at many of the islands. It was a great trip. This summer we are traveling again on a small ship in June, starting in Edinburgh, out to some of the islands again (different than we've been to) then sailing on to Norway making stops and going all the way up to Svalbard which will be the furthest north we have ever been. (24 day cruise) Last summer we visited Iceland and that was also spectacular, cruised around the entire island.
None of my business your age or health but if you are able to do one of these types of cruises it is the best way to travel to these destinations. There is simply nothing that compares...... I appreciated your post as always but loved this one especially as my grandmother was born in Scotland 
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