of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



383 



land. The island of Foula, whose precipices rival those of Hoy Head in 

 Orkney, lies far out in the western sea, distant 1G miles from the nearest 

 point of the Mainland of Shetland. 



The Shetland group extends 70 miles in length in a straight line from 

 the northern extremity of the island of Unst to Sumburgh Head ; and 

 the breadth from Bound Skerry to Fogla Skerry is 35§ miles. The 

 average breadth, however, is very much less. The principal island is 

 called the Mainland. It comprises more than one half of the area of 

 Shetland and two-thirds of the population. It is 54 miles long from north 

 to south, and has an extreme breadth of 21 J miles. Yet so indented is 

 it by voes and bays and firths, that no part of it is more than 3 miles from 

 the sea ; and it is probable that no equal land area on the face of the 

 globe has such an extensive coast line. On the west side of the Main- 

 land, opposite Sulem Voe, is the deep, wide, and picturesque bay of St 

 Magnus, 12 miles by 7. In some places the island is almost cut in two 

 by the voes; and at Mavis Grind, at the head of Sulem Voe, I found 

 myself on a neck of land so narrow that, standing in the centre of it, I 

 could cast one stone into the North Sea and another into the Atlantic. 

 I heard a story when in Shetland, illustrative of the extreme sinuosity and 

 indentation of the coast, to the effect that a Shetlander had undertaken 

 the task of going round all the voes and bays in the islands. He perse- 

 vered for many years and lived to a good old age ; yet he died before 

 his task was accomplished. In autumn, most of the voes are frequented 

 by sea-trout of large size and fine quality, which take the worm or the fly 

 freely. Many of the bays and voes used formerly to produce excellent 

 oysters, but, in most cases, these have been dredged out. 



The surface of the Shetland Islands is irregular, and the land, in 

 general, rises higher than in Orkney, about half of the whole area being 

 more than 250 feet above the sea level. In only a few places, however, 

 does it rise above 500 feet. The highest points are Rona's Hill, in the 

 centre of the parish of Delting in the Mainland, which attains the height 

 of 1475 feet, and the Sneug 1372 feet, in the island of Foula. 



Shetland abounds in fresh-water lochs, many of which communicate 

 with the sea. The single parish of Northmaven contains more lochs than 

 the whole of the Orkney Islands ; and the Shetland group has certainly 

 not fewer than 400 fresh- water lochs. Almost all these contain yellow 

 trout, in many cases of large size; while in the season sea-trout ascend to 

 those that communicate with the sea. There are, however, no lochs in 

 Shetland to compare, in point of size, with the Lochs of Stenness and 

 Harray in Orkney. Among the largest and best are the Lochs of Spiggie, 

 Tingwall, Girlsta, Strom, Sand Water, Gossa Water, Vaara, Cloustp, 

 Voxterby, Eela Water, Funds Water, Mangaster Lochs, and Roer Watei, 

 on the Mainland; the Lochs of Cliff, Watley, Snarravoe, and Belmonl, 

 in Unst; the Lochs of Kettlester, Vadsetter, Gossa Water, Muscra Water, 

 Colvister, and Lumbister, in the island of Yell. In the islands of Bressay, 

 Whalsey, Fetlar, and Muckle Rooe there are also some good lochs. In short, 

 Shetland would be an angler's paradise if only it was properly opened up 

 by good roads, and fair accommodation provided for travellers. In Lerwick 

 the accommodation is excellent, and it is good likewise in Scalloway. But 

 from Lerwick you have to drive southwards between 20 and 30 miles to 

 the Lochs of Spiggie and Brow; and northwards — to Ollaberry or Hillswick 

 — 40 miles; and the fine fishing in the parishes of Walls and Sandsting, 

 though not so distant, still necessitates a long drive from Lerwick — much 

 too far to go and return in a day. 



The streams in Shetland, though numerous, are in general small, 

 about the largest being that which flows through Fetta Water and Sand 

 3 C 



