Physically closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to London and with a culture rooted in Scandinavia, Shetland is an island archipelago that sits over the horizon from the UK. Out of sight and politically peripheral, its narrative is as complex as the northern landscapes they possess. Shetland is a land where Viking stories and tales of Norsemen echo loudly. The islands were eventually handed to Scotland as a wedding dowry by the Danish King Christian I in 1469, drawing a close to 600 years of Scandinavian rule. This period, marking Shetland apart from the rest of Scotland, is celebrated in the annual Up Helly Aa fire festival, held at the end of January each year. The festival, which involves a thousand ‘Viking-clad’ torchbearers, culminates in the burning of a replica Viking longship.

Spring arrives slowly, and with it the annual Folk Festival welcomes artists and visitors from all corners of the globe in a frenzy of traditional and of-the-moment folk music. Shetland has a strong musical tradition, with many popular tunes immortalised in folklore. The Trows, famous mythical creatures in Shetland folklore, particularly loved fiddle playing, and much of our traditional music is thought to have been learned from them.

Famous for its musical exports, among Shetland’s rollcall of acclaimed musicians are Amy Laurenson, a Glasgow-based pianist who explores the music of Shetland alongside Scottish, Irish and Scandinavian traditional music, and Aly Bain, a Shetland fiddler with a reputation for being one of Scotland’s best contemporary musicians. A former pupil of Dr Tom Anderson (also from Shetland), Bain was awarded an MBE for his musical accomplishments.

There are no tartan-clad shops in Shetland touting clan memorabilia, but the quiet clack of maakin wires (knitting needles) invites people in. As the islands sit on the cusp of a northern winter, Shetland Wool Week celebrates all things knitting and textiles. It attracts almost a thousand visitors each October on a pilgrimage-style adventure into the woolly world of Fair Isle knitwear, with its bold patterns and bright colours, cutting-edge design and the celebration of traditional skills, once threatened but that now thrive.

Shetlanders love a good spree (party), and for a place with only 23,000 people, the variety of world-renowned festivals and events is a testament to the pride and skill of these dedicated islanders who keep traditional arts and music alive.

Visit the official Shetland tourist site; main picture: Misa Hay.