The Viking Isles: Travels in Orkney and Shetland

by Paul Murton

Paul Murton has long had a love of the Viking north - the island groups of Orkney and Shetland and the old counties of Caithness and Sutherland - which, for centuries, were part of the Nordic world as depicted in the great classic the Orkneyinga Saga. Today this fascinating Scandanavian legacy can be found everywhere - in physical remains, place-names, local traditions and folklore, and much else besides.

This is a personal account of Paul's travels in the Viking north. Full of observation, history, anecdote and encounters with those who live there, it also serves as a practical guide to the many places of interest. From a sing-along with the Shanty Yell Boys to fishing off Muckle Flugga, from sword dancing with the men of Papa Stour to a Norwegian pub crawl in Lerwick, Paul paints a vivid picture of these lands and their people, and explores their extraordinary rich heritage.

Genres: Travel, Scotland

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2019

About the author

Paul Murton (b. 1957) is well known as a documentary film maker whose work includes Grand Tours of Scotland and Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (4 series). He grew up in rural Argyll and has been an inveterate traveller since his teenage years.

Reviews

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good travelogue. I've been planning to visit Shetland and this book helped a lot. I´ve added places I want to see. There was also a section on Orkney which seems interesting and much more green than Shetland but it's not on my places to visit.

The author is part Norwegian and had heard of Viking tales growing up. He was especially interested in the Viking traditions and names of both islands. He would visit each inhabitant island and talk to a few residents. He would explain the Viking history on the islands. He even related part of the Orkneyinga Saga and how it relates to the landscape and people of the Orkney islands.

His writing gave me the push that I ought to go to the islands and visit the places like he did.

Good.

[rose todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a jolly tale of travels to Shetland & Orkney, a fabulous adventure had by a kindly uncle. That sort of tale. It reads like the transcript of a holiday programme. Of course being a book rather than a television programme, it lacks the breath-taking shots of wild coastlines and windswept landscapes - which are alluded to but never really captured within the text to be seen in the reader's mind's eye.
The maps at the beginning of each section are essential. So many islands, so much to see! An easily readable introduction to help a would-be visitor plan an adventure.

[Kim Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting travelogue of the islands of Orkney and Shetland. Author provides a broad brush treatment of archaeology, geology, Norse influence, culture, World War I and II involvement and affects, etc. The features, history, and demographics of the islands are very similar, so the narrative becomes a bit repetitious at times. That said, the author covers the varied subject matter very well.

[Chris Shepheard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb guide to the history and life of some of the remotest places in Britain.