Leg 170 EGPM - Scatsta (Scotland) to EGPA - Kirkwall (Scotland)
EGPM - Airport Info
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ICAO code: EGPM
Airport name: Scatsta Airport
Location: Scatsta
Useful information
Airport elevation: '
Time zone: UTC-
Lighted runways : Yes
Maximum runway length: '
Runway surface : Asphalt
Instrument approach (ILS, LOC, LDA, and SDF):
Shetland Info
Shetland lies across the 60th line of Latitude North, with the capital Lerwick almost sitting in the centre of a triangle formed by connecting Aberdeen (Scotland), with Bergen (Norway) and Torshavn (Faroe Islands). Indeed, the Shetland Islands are as far North as Helsinki (Finland), Hudson Bay (Canada), Alaska (USA) and Leningrad (Russia). However, the climate in Shetland is not as extreme as in any of these other places, thanks to the moderating effect of the very northern end of the Gulf Stream.
The islands themselves belong to Scotland, and are part of the UK, so UK traffic regulations apply, Scottish Law applies, Shetland is part of the UK Postal network, and everyone speaks standard English (although the old Shetland dialect is still heard occasionally).
Shetland lies at the virtual crossroads of the North Sea, and has been a trading area for centuries, with strong links from the past still evident in the landscape and architecture.
Shetland is markedly different from the perception of many. There are spectacular cliffs, deep sea inlets (voes), rugged, rock strewn hillsides, miles of peat bogs, underground caverns open to the sea, beautiful arable land in some places, heather covered slopes in others, quiet little streams and burns, wild, exposed beaches, and contrasts in the weather and light that are forever changing.
Shetland's remoteness is one of its appeals to many visitors (and many residents), but that remoteness has by its very nature engendered a self-reliance that provides for all the usual needs of a community of over 20,000 people. The impact of the oil industry over the last 30 years (Sullom Voe - a large oil terminal facility - is hidden out of sight towards the north of the Shetland mainland) has meant that there are extensive engineering, electrical and fabrication facilities, far in excess of what might have been the case otherwise.
The oil revenue has enabled Shetland Islands Council to provide excellent roads throughout the islands, and a very effective network of bridges and ferries to allow easy access between them all.
Certainly all of the modern day-to-day facilities are readily available, with garages, food shops, taxi firms, clothing shops, hotels, B&B's, IT facilities, excellent health care, and everything else you might need.
Because Shetland also has a superb postal service, the chances are that anything can quickly be sent to you from home, if you can't replace it locally. Surprisingly, given Shetland's location, next day delivery to/from most of the UK is commonplace.
EGPA - Airport Info
ICAO code: EGPA
Airport name: Kirkwall Airport
Location: Kirkwall
Useful information
Airport elevation: '
Time zone: UTC-
Lighted runways : Yes
Maximum runway length: '
Runway surface : Asphalt
Instrument approach (ILS, LOC, LDA, and SDF):
Orkney Info
Orkney is an archipelago of 70 or so islands and skerries, of which 17 are currently inhabited. Orkney can be found off the northern tip of Scotland, lying on latitude 59° North, where the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet.
The Islands cover an area of 974 square kilometres, of which more than half is taken up by the Mainland, which is the group’s largest island.The islands are about 85 km from north to south and 37 km from east to west. Approximately 20,000 people live in Orkney, the majority of which live in the main towns of Kirkwall and Stromness.
The islands are low-lying, gently sloping and richly fertile with the exception of the island of Hoy, which is high and rugged. The climate is temperate, warmed by the Gulf Stream; with the driest months being April, May and June.
In the spring and summer months, the days are long and the skies are enormous, which literally lengthens your day. Come autumn, though the evenings draw in, the aurora borealis; or northern lights offer a spectacular light show well worth seeing.
Orkney’s famous archaeology, superb wildlife, landscape, and traditional island welcome are well known - at least to lovers of the good life. Many of our visitors return again and again to drink at the wellspring of ancient culture and modern hospitality.
What is it that brings them back? Perhaps it’s the pure air, or the heady scent of wildflowers, or the mysteries of the magnificent standing stones and the sense of kinship with our ancestors.
Or maybe it’s the deliciously slow pace of life, and the warmth of the people. Orkney is a feast for the senses, and an opportunity to get back in touch with the real you.
We have to add that Orkney is the home of the Highland Park distillery (http://www.highlandpark.co.uk). This is the favorite whiskey of Jarl !