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By Promote ShetlandApril 25th 2011

Hi,

I'm Abby - the author of www.shetlandmylove.com and I'll be bringing you monthly Shetland happenings, information and holiday suggestions.

If you are considering a visit to Shetland, please do not hesitate to contact us for holiday planning advice using either the contact form on the website or by phoning +44 (0)1595 98 98 98.

Please also feel free to get in touch with questions and comments via Twitter or Facebook – we would love to hear from you.

Shetland is far from the madding crowd – the air is filled with the song of the skylark, the landscape carpeted with glorious sweeps of bluebells, delicate violets and golden marsh marigolds. Lambs frolic and crofters cast peat. Days grow longer, warmer, and the seabird cliffs are a hive of activity and noise. Burrow-nesters, such as Puffins, lay their eggs – a secret world hidden from you and I – or perhaps not!

PuffinCam is back!

We need your help! Cameras are placed in and around the Puffin burrow at Sumburgh Head, and Helen Moncrieff, RSPB Scotland South Shetland warden is urging viewers to keep an eye out for signs that the birds are laying. "The extra eyes will come in handy as it can be difficult for staff to monitor these birds everyday and we don't want to miss any of the action." Last year we watched a chick hatching from its egg and observed how the parents care for the young in preparation for the fledging of the nest. Incredible! Follow @puffincam on Twitter, keep in touch with the Team at Promote Shetland and tell us what's happening with the Puffin family. In the meantime, watch the first sighting of Puffins returning to their Shetland home on YouTube. Be warned – PuffinCam is compulsive viewing!

Calling all wildlife photographers – a trip of a lifetime!

Join David Tipling, one of the nation's most experienced wildlife photographers, and Brydon Thomason, native Shetland naturalist, for a unique and exhilarating wildlife photography holiday. Shetland Nature's intrepid team has key contacts and valuable local knowledge - be amongst the first to encounter our regular summer visitors – awe-inspiring Orcas. Track wild otters with Brydon and be rewarded with one of the most challenging photography subjects in the British Isles. Discover the islands of Mousa, Muckle Flugga, Unst and Yell, and the magnificent and varied wildlife. Visit Shetland and you will find space and solitude, allowing you the time to produce your very best work - a luxury in today's busy world. Make sure you book the 2012 trip now - 2011 sold out within days!

A cyclist's dream

Experience low volumes of traffic, linear and circular routes, tough off-road terrain and idyllic islands - a cyclist's dream and a Shetland reality. Explore the 1000 miles of well-maintained roads – bring your own bike or hire when you arrive. Pack a lunch with delicious regional produce, stop by shimmering lochs, visit local attractions, explore wild rugged wilderness, lush valleys, picture perfect crofts and deserted beaches. Encounter otters and seals - revel in Shetland's natural splendor. Stay in a böd, campsite, bed and breakfast or luxury hotel - a holiday getaway to suit the pocket of prince or pauper. The freedom of the road has never been so good. The freedom to roam has never been so easy.

Shetland and Norway – the perfect holiday combination

Do you know you can book direct flights from Shetland to Norway? Well, you can! Why not combine a Shetland holiday with a break in Bergen – a European City of Culture and World Heritage City? There are regular weekly flights, from May – August, and the short trip provides the perfect opportunity to pop over and visit "The Gateway to the Fjords of Norway". (Top tip: read The Shetland Bus and visit Scalloway Museum – learn about Shetland's exciting, brave, and often dangerous, liaison with Norway during WW11). Book this exciting holiday combination and we just know you'll love the heady mix of cosmopolitan city life, spectacular scenery and proud traditions - Shetland and Bergen provide all this, and more.

Gone fishin"

For the beginner and the professional alike, Shetland offers a supply of hard- fighting, and legendary, wild brown trout. Purchase a modestly priced permit, be amazed by the unparalleled choice of waters - explore over 365 lochs - many of which are close to the road and within walking distance of each other. For the more adventurous - hike to the hill lochs. For the angler who dreams of long days fishing – visit us during "Simmer Dim" and fish all night! Shetland is an angler's paradise, confirmed by Chris Dawn, former Editor of Trout Fisherman: "if you want to taste wild trout fishing at its peak - and have a loch to yourself – start planning a trip to Shetland." For further information visit Shetland Angling Association. You are sure to get hooked!

Tune in and tune out

The Promote Shetland team aim to make your holiday as easy as possible. On arrival, make sure you tune your radio in to FM 87.7MHz and listen to Shetland's 24-hour visitor information service. 60-North FM broadcasts from 6 locations across the islands. Get the local weather forecast, find out more about our culture and heritage, local music, what's on and where. Allow us to do the all the hard work while you kick-back, relax, and experience the magic of Shetland.

See you soon!

Abby

Feedback

We would welcome any comments you have about this newsletter, or about the www.SHETLAND.org site.

Also, if you have any enquiries at all about Shetland we would be more than happy to assist you. Please contact us using any of the methods listed on our contact page.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this newsletter and please feel free to forward it to anyone else who may be interested in Shetland.

The team at Promote Shetland